FREEZER PAPER IS AWESOME!!

So I made this shirt here, and some of my friends wanted to know how I did it.  There are many blog posts and websites on it, but you would have to wade through all the google stuff to find it.  That's why I'm doing this post...so my friends don't have to look around!

(Special tips are highlighted!)

First, let me explain what freezer paper is.  (I didn't know until I started this little hobby)  Freezer Paper is just like wax paper, except it is only waxy on one side.  You can find it  anywhere that sells things like wax paper, parchment paper, foil, ect.  


Basically the way this whole thing works is like a sticker...you cut out the image you want from the freezer paper, iron it onto fabric wax side down, and the wax melts to create a sticker on your fabric that acts as a stencil.  Paint, let dry, and remove the "sticker", and you have an awesome design!  


That's how it WORKS...here's how you DO IT!

1.  Gather all materials.

- freezer paper
- t-shirt (or other fabric)
- exacto knife
- cutting mat
- iron (not pictured)
- paint brush (I used a foam brush)
- paint (acrylic or fabric; I used acrylic because it's what I had, but I hear fabric paint is more durable)
- printed image and tape**


** if you are artistic enough, you won't need these; you can just draw your image directly onto the paper side of the freezer paper.  I made this image in photoshop, but you can take any image from the internet and turn it black and white.  The black portions will be painted, and the white portions will be blank.  


Tip: if your image has a lot of white spaces, print out an extra copy to use as a reference for when you put it back together.

2.  Tape the freezer paper onto the image WAXY SIDE DOWN.

OR 

Draw your image onto the PAPER side of the freezer paper.

3.  Cut out the image. 

Put the white pieces, or "islands", to the side.  You will need these pieces later!

Tip: If you have a Cricut, you can just have it cut an image for you!!  Place it waxy side up, center and mirror your image, and voila!

4.  Remove the freezer paper.  Make sure to remove ALL of the tape.

5.  Iron the shirt.
Place something on the inside of your shirt to prevent the paint from bleeding through (cardboard, more freezer paper, whatever).  

6.  Iron on the image.

Place the outline where you want it.  Set your iron to high heat with no steam.  Dab the iron on your image instead of sliding it over it.  Be sure the edges are sealed down.

7.  Iron on the "islands"

You do this after ironing down the main outline to ensure perfect placement.  Dab the iron over these parts.

8.  Paint

Use your brush to dab on the paint instead of stroking.

Here's the hard part

9. WAIT for it to dry.

**EXTRA STEP**

I wanted a little more texture for this one, so I took a dry brush and dabbed a little white onto the design.

10.  Carefully peel away the freezer paper.
You may want to use tweezers for the islands.

ENJOY YOUR AWESOME NEW SHIRT!!

Here's one I did for Harrison

Tip: DON'T use a dark colored shirt with a light colored paint (like this blue and yellow)!  You have to glob on the paint and it takes FOREVER to dry!

Then I used the "negative" to spruce up an old burp cloth!

That SuperHarrison shirt took more artistic ability than I thought I had!  I started with just the diamond outline and painted the yellow.  After that dried, I ironed the islands down (I placed a piece of paper between the shirt and the iron so the paint wouldn't come off on my iron) and painted the red.  I had to do the black outline by HAND!  But the burp cloth didn't even take five minutes!

BE WARNED!  This hobby is very addicting!  But it will save you money in the long run because you can buy plain clothes and spruce them up how YOU want to!!

HAVE FUN FRIENDS!