How to make your own custom tee

 I was looking at my wardrobe a few months ago and I'm like "wow, how boring am I?" I had nothing fun in my closet anymore...just work attire and workout clothes...boring.  I wanted to find a way to add a fun piece of clothing or two to my dull wardrobe without having to break the bank.

I decided to grab an inexpensive plain t-shirt and have some fun with it.

Here is my tutorial on how to make your own custom fabric spray "negative effect" t-shirt:

Here are the supplies you will need:

 

 

T-shirt

Fabric Spray Paint - I used Tulip Fabric Spray Paint in Asphalt

Freezer Paper (Wasn't able to find this at a regular Target --maybe Super Target?--found it at Walmart

Scissors

Pen/Pencil

Iron

Iron Board

Cardboard

Old Newspaper

(Optional) Print out of desired design

Step 1) Figure out what you want your shirt to look like

I printed out large text using Microsoft Word of what I wanted my shirt to say.  I then arranged the print outs on the shirt to make sure it was the correct size for the shirt and for what I wanted.  If you don't have a printer or would just rather not use one, you can just freehand what you want on your shirt (which will be in Step 2).

Step 2) Trace print out on to freezer paper

Again, if you decide you don't want to use a print out, you can just draw your design on the freezer paper (make sure you are drawing on the non-shiny side).   Feel free, if you do use a print out, to be as exact or as lax as you would like with the design.  I rounded the edges of the text a bit to give it a more unique touch.

Step 3) Cut out your design from freezer paper and iron on to shirt.

Cut our your text/design exactly how you would like it to be on the shirt. (Please note you will be spraying on top of your letters, so it will be the inverse of whatever your design is).  Once cut, place design on shirt and use your iron and ironing board to iron design on to shirt.

***Please note:  The shiny part of the freezer paper should be touching the shirt.  This is how the paper will stick.  If you have it on the wrong side it will just stick to the iron.

Step 4)  Get your shirt ready for painting

Put cardboard in between the front of the shirt and the back of the shirt to prevent any paint bleeding through. Also, protect your surrounding workspace by adding newspaper, etc. around the shirt.

Step 5) Spray!

This is the fun part!  Take your fabric spray paint and start to spray over the letters.  "Lightly" spray over the letters enough to cover the text.  Be careful not to saturate the letters, it will cause the paint to bleed under the design and will make it so the shirt will take twice as long to dry.

Step 5) Wait for the shirt to dry

This is my least favorite part because I am so impatient! You must let your shirt dry at least 1 to 3 hours depending on how much paint you used.  Chances are, if the letters look wet, your shirt is probably still wet.

My suggestion: Either start on another shirt at this time, go run errands, watch a tv show, or go to bed so you aren't tempted to peel off the design before it is dry.  I have ruined a couple of shirts because the paint was still wet when I tried to peel off the letters and it smeared! :( I don't want that to happen to you.

Step 6) Peel! 

Once the fabric paint has completely dried, you can peel the freezer paper off the shirt to reveal your new shirt design!

I do not suggest reusing your freezer paper design due to the paint on the freezer paper and the fact that the paper was already fused to the shirt.  It will not work as well, if at all, as it did the first time.

Step 7) Marvel in your design

Look how cool it looks! And you did it! Woo hoo!

Step 8) Dry for 72 more hours!

Before you can wear, or wash for that matter, you must wait 72 hours for the paint to complete set.  (This is based on the Tulip Spray Paint directions.  If you use a different product, you will want to consult the instructions as well).  You can throw it on a hanger and take a picture of it, post it in Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, whatever and show off your work!

If you would like to see more pictures of this design or would like to see other pieces of my work click here to view my Etsy shop.


Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!
 

<3 Frannie