Freezer Paper Stenciled Tees <$10

Materials:

a tee (cotton or mostly cotton...my best transfer happened on a shirt with a low % of spandex, and I wish I had practiced on an old shirt my first time)

Reynolds freezer paper (sold at the grocery store, one $6 roll will last forever)

x-acto knife

iron

permanent fabric paint (<$2/bottle, sold everywhere)

foam brush

an image you want to stencil (can be drawn by you or printed on a piece of paper)

Tutorial here. If the link disappears, just google "freezer paper stenciling" and you will have your pick of tutorials. Some tutorials say to peel the stencil away when the paint is still wet. Some say dry. I have had better success with peeling after the paint is dry. Also, iron a piece of freezer paper to the inside of the shirt, or stuff a piece of cardboard under the stencil before you paint it so the paint won't seep through.

Here are a few of the shirts I have made:

For my aunt's birthday, the one that has been to Europe a zillion times. It's Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence.

Hedgehog for RE. Based on her beloved hedgehog Target wallet. I embroidered his heart and sewed on his button eye.

A joke shirt for Rat, my J-school grad sister who once texted me that she "loved all the tool at the bridal shop." English does have some funny words. This was one of the first shirts I did...before I learned to paint a second coat. I still like this look, but be aware that you can make the paint as opaque as you want it to look.

Father's Day shirt for my dad, who always led me to believe we grew up in Missou-ree, but changed his pronunciation since I left home to Missou-ruh. He's a switcher. One year he likes the Chiefs, the next year he likes the Rams. I grew up in Missou-ree.

Christmas gift I made for my neighbor, Pam, who uses this phrase A LOT. I used stickers for the letters (instead of the freezer paper)...just stuck them on with force. They worked beautifully.

Onesie for my friend Annie who was doing a Native American/Southwestern nursery for her baby girl.