March 2010 - Freezer Paper Stencils

Time for another Craft Night wrap up! We had a blast last night making cute stencils out of freezer paper. It's a super quick and easy project for great gifts or items for yourself and your home. Many of us made stencils to use on onezies, great for baby shower gifts! Katie made an adorable pillow for her classroom at school, and Carrie made an awesome t-shirt. I can't wait to see those when they're finished!

Here are the materials and instructions you'll need if you want to use this process:

-fabric paint (we recommend Tulip brand found at craft stores)

-Freezer paper (found at your local grocery store)

-brush or sponge brush
-iron
-exacto knife or small scissors
-lightbox or bright window (if needed)

The first step is to decide what you want your design to be. It's best to choose a fairly simple silhouette/shape without a ton of detail, but it's up to you and your patience level :)

Next, you'll trace or draw your shape onto the papery side of the freezer paper. A lightbox or bright window is helpful, but the freezer paper is not too opaque, so most of us didn't need the lightbox.

Third, cut out the INSIDE of your shape/design. Remember that what you cut out will be what prints on your fabric. Be careful not to cut into the surrounding freezer paper because paint could bleed through.

Then, iron your item (your t-shirt, onezie, pillowcase, etc.). Place your freezer paper stencil with the papery side up (the "sticky" side down) where you want it on your fabric. Iron over the freezer paper with a hot iron for a few seconds, making sure you get all the little edges of your design ironed really well. You don't want paint seeping under and ruining your project!

After the fabric cools for a minute, then paint on your design. Be sure to cover it well. Depending on your fabric, you may need two coats. If so, let it dry for a few minutes before applying the second coat.
Then, comes the hard part. Waiting! You need to let it dry overnight. This was tough because we all wanted to see our designs! But trust us, leave it overnight. Then, peel off the freezer paper and your design is revealed! It's a very exciting step.

Lastly, you'll want to 'set' the paint with a little heat. Get an old cotton tea towel or something similar and place it over the painted area. Iron that for a few seconds being sure to cover the whole design. That will set the paint so it will be washable.

Step back and admire your work! You can easily do quite a few stencils in one evening and you can create a nice set of items in a variety of colors. I did a blue and a black bird using the same design so I can give these as a gift set. It would be fun to do that on tea towels, too!

Here are a few more pictures from the evening. Enjoy! P.S. Jill will be a mommy at our next craft night!! We'll keep you posted on the baby updates and on what the next craft night will be!