Bleach and Stencil T-shirt

To create this project I used:

Quilter's Freezer Paper Sheets
Cotton T-shirt
Small spray bottle
Bleach
Iron
Large piece of Cardboard
Clean rag that will not bleed color

Supply Tips:

1.  I purchased my freezer paper sheets at Hobby Lobby in the sewing department.  They were $8.95 for 30 sheets.  I like that you can run these through the laser printer.
2.  Use a small spray bottle rather than a large one meant for cleaning spray.  You will want a fine mist.

Directions:

1.  To begin, you will want to choose a stencil design.  For a first project, I would recommend you use one that you find online.  I chose one from Stencil Revolution.

2.  Print out your stencil on your freezer paper.

3.  Place the stencil on a cutting mat and use a craft knife to cut out the black sections of the template.

4.  Place a large piece of cardboard inside the t-shirt to provide a barrier for the bleach.  If you're not worried about your cutting mat, you could use it in place of cardboard.

5. Smooth out any wrinkles in the shirt with an iron.  Then, center the stencil where you think you will want it on the t-shirt. 

6.  Iron the stencil in place.

7.  Use newspaper or scrap paper to block off all the other exposed areas of the shirt around the stencil.  This will keep you from accidentally bleaching parts of the shirt you didn't mean to bleach.

8.  Spray the exposed areas of the stencil and blot with your clean rag.  Do this several times.  If the shirt does not start turning the color you want, set a 5 minute timer and check it frequently until it is reaches the desired shade.

 

 Do not over spray the stencil. The bleach will bleed under the edges of the stencil and the stencil will start to deteriorate. You can see how my bleach bled and I ended up with small bits of the freezer paper stuck to my T that were hard to remove.

 

9.  Wash your shirt and rag in hot water and dry.

Things I learned along the way:

1.  Over soaking your stencil only causes trouble.  Spray the shirt, blot the excess off the stencil and let it sit for a few minutes.

2.  Washing and drying the shirt will lighten the fabric even further, so don't panic if your design isn't quite as light as you would like it.

3.  Use a thick barrier around the edges of your stencil to protect the rest of your shirt.  This was my biggest failure.  I only used single sheets of white paper to protect the fabric and the bleach bled through the single layer of paper, leaving bleach spots where I did not want them.  Next time, I will use several layers of newspaper.

Excercises for Repetitive Strain and Cutting Myself Some Slack

Just before Christmas, I did a fund raiser that involved a lot of knitting.  The result is that my hands and arms are very tired.  I have all these plans for my Etsy shop that involve knitting, but I'm having to face the facts that my near future needs to involve some other types of crafting that use different movements.

It's going to take some creativity and research to figure out what I'm going to do instead.  I love to knit and would happily do it 24/7 without burnout.  While I try to figure out what I'm up to next, I'm going to be finishing up some projects that I have in the hopper.  One of them is a bleach stencil T. So, be looking out for pics and a description of that adventure.  I will also be doing some stretches to try and relieve some of the strain I've put on my arms.

Are you needing a few stretches of your own?  Try this video.  I love these easy stretches.  They're uncomfortable at first, but feel great with some practice. For a detailed description and therapy routine, you can try this series of three videos.

Valentine's Day Planning

With the Christmas holiday behind me, I've decided it's time to start thinking ahead to the next big gift giving occassion:  Valentine's Day. I love this holiday.  We celebrate the day with small, inexpensive, but carefully chosen gifts at our house.

 I'll never forget the year that we were broke at Valentine's Day, and forced to abide by a very small gift giving budget.  My husband kept teasing me that he had purchased jewelery for me.  I couldn't imagine what kind of jewelery he purchased for less than $5.  So when the big day rolled around, I opened my package with some skepticism.  Imagine how I laughed when I realized that he had purchased a one dollar lanyard for me to hang my nametag from.  The truth was, I had been wanting one, but we were literally counting every penny, and I hadn't yet bought it for myself.  I loved that plain black lanyard, and smiled every time I wore it. Proof positive that it's the thought that counts!

I would love to help someone else give a treasured gift to one that they love this year.  So, I've decided to set aside most of January to think about homemade gifts for Valentine's Day.  Maybe one or two of them will end up going to my family before it's all said and done.

Since knitting needs to go on the back burner for awhile, it's going to take some serious research and creativity to decide on some Valentine's projects.  You can look forward to seeing some new craft tutorials in the coming weeks.

Do you have any ideas for great Valentine's Day?   Leave a comment and a link.  I'd love to see what you are up to in preparation for the big day.