Somehow, I went through 33 years of my life without knowing of the existence of FREEZER PAPER and the crafting possibilities that come from it. I like to put things on shirts, mainly by sewing things onto them: numbers for birthdays, stars for the 4th of July, letters, etc. When I made Valentine's Day shirts for the kids this year, however, it was my first try at fabric paint. I made paper stencils for Eli's shirt and was really happy with the outcome, though there was a bit of paint bleeding around the edges. My second try at stenciling was book bags for the kids. This time, the paint bleeding around the edges was much more pronounced.
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| My first attempts at fabric stenciling. Notice the paint bleeding around the edges? |
So, I started to do a bit of research and discovered my new favorite thing:
FREEZER PAPER STENCILING
Check out this great video tutorial. The short version: You cut a stencil out of freezer paper which has a waxy side, iron the stencil onto the shirt and it sticks, paint, peel the stencil off. There are endless possibilities with this. For example, let's say you are a student at The University of Colorado (Hi Alli!)...Google Image search "University of Colorado Buffalo," print off a picture, and you're on your way to a shirt.
And...back to how I may be pre-disposing my children to being nerds. I bought a $3 sale shirt for Eli and was deciding what my first freezer paper stencil would be. I was thinking a rocket or a guitar. I printed out a rocket that I found on Google Images and put it on the shirt to show my husband. He said, "I don't know...looks kind of like a Star Trek shirt to me." Ding Ding Ding. Cue me searching "STAR TREK INSIGNIA" on Google Images and a 3rd generation Trekkie is born.
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| My favorite little, albeit reluctant, Trekkie. |
The paint lines were very clean and defined. I really liked how it turned out and it was super easy. My husband may come home one day from work to find every item of clothing we own freezer paper stenciled. It's really fun.
So, pre-disposed to nerdiness? I guess our kids didn't have much of a chance anyways...the Star Trek shirt may not tip the scales. After all, they are the children of a statistician and a mathematician. Their mom likes to do math for fun and their dad won his 8th grade Science Olympiad Simple Machines contest. Sorry kids, it's in your genes and soon might be freezer paper stenciled to your jeans.
Isn't he such a cute little nerd, though? A little 4-year old Captain Kirk.
Live Long and Prosper
I laughed really hard at this post :)
ReplyDeleteMe too, Chetta, me too. :) Thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteHey Sarah, I just saw your comment and wanted to pop over and leave some tips for cutting freezer paper with your Cricut. Make sure your mat is fairly sticky, press down your freezer paper completely so there aren't any air bubbles, put your pressure on low, and your speed on slow. It doesn't work perfectly every time for me either, but most of the time I can salvage whatever comes out...either by cutting out the pieces that might have been missed or just cutting it another time. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Erin! I am excited to start following your blog!
ReplyDeleteYAY! Go Buffs! So me and some of my friends try to do a craft day once a week, and we definitely am doing this next time. Love it and Thanks for the shout-out!
ReplyDeleteSo fun, Alli! Make sure to watch the video tutorial...it gives such a great and easy set of steps to follow. You can buy freezer paper in the same aisle as tin foil, saran wrap, and wax paper. Post a pic of your shirts!! :)
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