Fig. A: Cutting out the bicycle seat and frame is easy Fig. C: When applying paint over your stencil, be sure not
enough, but we’ve decided to simplify the tires by ignoring to goop too much on at once, or you may end up with a
the spokes. Fig. B: When ironing your freezer paper to your messy shirt. Fig. D: Make sure the paint is properly dried
shirt, make sure to keep the iron at a low setting. before carefully peeling off the freezer paper.
this onto your T-shirt waxy side down and iron it Now you’ve got a technique for a custom-stenciled
down lightly. The freezer paper will adhere to the shirt, spiffed up with whatever your heart desires.
T-shirt.
Resources:
5. Peel off the black sections Stencil Revolution: A community of die-hard
and iron again. stencilers who share their work, their techniques,
Carefully peel out the sliced-up segments that and their image files.
correspond to the black part of the image. Then stencilrevolution.com
give the remaining freezer paper another once-over with the iron to make sure it is nicely adhered
to the fabric.
Stenciling forum on Craftster:
craftster.org/ forum/ index.php?board= 139.0
6. Dab on the paint.
What Is Freezer Paper?
Using a sponge brush (some are made for stenciling), Freezer paper is white opaque paper that is waxy on
dab fabric paint all over the stencil, making sure only one side, as opposed to wax paper (never use
to apply a nice opaque coat. Dabbing the paint wax paper for this project!), which is waxed on both
with a sponge brush works better than a bristle sides. You can find freezer paper in supermarkets
next to the aluminum foil and plastic wrap.
paintbrush, which can cause paint to seep under
the stencil.
7. Wait for the paint to dry, and Leah Kramer thinks she’s inhaled too much glue over the
then peel off the stencil. years because she’s inordinately attracted to crafts that
The instructions for the fabric paint may indicate are clever, ironic, irreverent, and offbeat. She’s the founder
that you need to “heat set” it with an iron. If so, of craftster.org and author of The Craftster Guide to Nifty,
follow those instructions. Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts.
