Freezer Paper and Paint OH MY!!

Well, I became intrigued by a blog post about freezer paper stencils on shirts yesterday. The Artful Parent Blog gave me the starting point and I joined a group on Flickr that shows what other people have made.

I got interested in possibly screen printing some items after seeing the YUDU at my local Michaels craft store. After looking at more information on line I still liked the idea of the machine, but the costs just seemed too high for me to buy a machine and make one or two shirts at home. So I then researched doing screen printing the old fashioned way and still felt it was more than I really wanted to take on. So I was greatly surprised to see a link on my Facebook page from the By Hand forum that was about freezer paper stencils on clothing. So I read the Artful Parent Blog and then read a bunch of others...followed some links...looked at stencils and artwork and images...well you know how it is. I did some painting on fabric back in the 80's and always enjoyed it. I still wear a jean jacket I painted and embellished and get comments (positive ones...not WOW is she stuck in a time warp ones) about it. So since I had a basic knowledge of how it works I figured what the heck...I think I can do this.

So on my way home from work I stopped at the local Walmart and bought the freezer paper. It was a good deal...150 sq. feet for about $5.50, a $5 t shirt, and some of those small acrylic paint bottles with a bottle of fabric medium. I looked at a lot of designs before deciding on a leaf and vine one. I wanted a grown up shirt....not a kid one. I am always on the lookout for interesting shirts because I have to wear black and white to work everyday. After dinner I set up on the table and cut out my design, ironed it on the shirt and got ready to paint. I thought about just using black, but I also had copper and aqua. Both would look beautiful, but I went with the copper and aqua. I mixed them with the medium on a paper plate and used sponge brushes to apply them to the shirt. I waited as long as I could before removing the paper......and I LOVED my shirt! I can't wait to wear it to work tomorrow.