Great idea for a crafted gift from Sally J Shim

MATERIALS

1. freezer paper [You can find it at your local market next to the aluminum foil or here.]

2. prewashed cotton t-shirt

3. exacto knife

4. cutting mat

5. foam paintbrush

6. design for your t-shirt [scaled to size]

7. fabric paint [Jacquard textile paint is my favorite. You can find this at your local craft store or here.]

8. piece of cardboard [to slide inside t-shirt]

9. iron

10. ironing board

NSTRUCTIONS

1. Tape the design on to the matte side of the freezer paper. Trace design. OR Draw your design directly on to the matte side of the freezer paper. OR Cut your freezer paper down to 8.5"x11" and print design directly on to the matte side of the freezer paper by feeding the paper through your printer. [This is my preferred method.]

2. Place the freezer paper design on a cutting mat and cut out the design with the exacto knife. The portions of the design you cut out will be what is painted. [For this particular design I punched out little hearts using a paper punch.]

3. Iron your freezer paper stencil on to the shirt [use a med-high setting].

4. Place cardboard inside t-shirt. [This will prevent the paint from leaking through to the back side of the t-shirt.]

5. Paint a layer of paint over design. If you want more coverage, repeat with another layer.

6. Let the paint dry for 12 hours. [The paint manufacturer recommends a 24-hour drying period. To be honest though I let it dry for about 2 hours and I've never had a problem, but you probably want to err on the safe side and wait a little longer.]

7. Carefully peel off the freezer paper stencil from the t-shirt.

8. Using an iron on medium-setting, iron over the painted design to "set" the paint.

9. Pat yourself on the back for making a cute + fun t-shirt!