Freezer Paper Stencils

This is a project I've been wanting to do for some time now.  I love puff paint, I love stencils, and I love making things for my boys to wear.  Enter freezer paper, a pumpkin carving template, an exacto knife, and voila, handmade Scooby Doo shirts for my boys!

This is a mini tute, there are a million out there, so don't hesitate to check some of those out too.

What you'll need:
shirt or other fabric (maybe a tote, make sure it is pre-washed before you begin)
freezer paper (different than wax paper because one side has wax and the other is plain paper)
stencil idea (handmade, internet image, etc.)
paint brush or sponge brush
puff paint or other type of fabric paint
exacto knife or sharp scissors
iron
cardboard (i used a paper bag) to keep the paint from bleeding to other side of shirt

This is a link to the Scooby Doo pattern I used.  (My boys are currently obsessed with Scooby Doo, I've recently heard more"Jinkies",  "Zoinks" and "Jeepers" than any mother should be forced to endure).
I cut a piece of freezer paper large enough to cover the pattern with a little extra around the edges to keep the shirt protected.

Luckily the freezer paper is thin enough you can easily trace your design if, like me, you cheat and print a copy from the internet.

From there I used my exacto knife to cut out all those pieces, all the while cursing myself for picking out a semi difficult pattern for my first project.  And thinking I should have switched the wood cutting board for a plastic one (next time).

The next part of this project involves an iron.  I turned up the heat, centered the stencil and ironed away.  Let me tell you, this freezer paper stuff rocks!  I had read in another tute that she prefers to really iron the stencil well in hopes of staving off blurred edges, so I ironed, and ironed, and ironed.

Next you're going to want to put your cardboard or paper bag between the t-shirt layers.  This keeps the paint from bleeding through.  Grab your brush and paint, and you're ready to start the fun part!

I painted on the first layer and quickly realized I would need multiple layers.  So depending on the saturation you're going for, you can leave it with one layer, or go for four like I did.  The first pic has one coat, and the second one has four.

Once the paint has dried you can peel off the freezer paper.  I was expecting to have to let the shirts dry over night, but realized that since I didn't apply the paint directly to the shirt, but used a brush to paint on thin coats, the drying time shrunk by a mile!  The shirts were dry to the touch with in an hour of the last coat application.

Ah-maze-ing!  Can't wait until the munchkins wake up from naps and see the finished product!  Have fun folks!

Love ya,

<---Look at those happy faces! :)