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How to make a freezer paper stencil and use it to paint a shirt! Make a custom t-shirt with just a few inexpensive household items.

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I have always loved making my own t-shirts. Using a homemade freezer paper stencil to paint on fabric is a really cheap, easy way to do it. The awesome part?

You can do this with any word, phrase or image that you can print and cut out with scissors.

For this simple project, I found a plain t-shirt on sale for $5, printed the word 'hello' out, and then transferred that word onto a t-shirt in under 30 minutes!

Make a freezer paper stencil and paint on a t-shirt.

This project was so easy that now I have been going around my house looking for other things I can do this with. Sorry/not sorry in advance for how many freezer paper stencil projects I'm about to be doing.

What is freezer paper?

Freezer paper is thick paper with a wax coating on one side. Sometimes it is confused with parchment paper, which has no coating, or wax paper which is coated on both sides. Freezer paper used to be used commonly to wrap meat for freezing.

I actually have never used it for that, only for making t-shirts! I like to buy it on Amazon, but you can find it at some grocery stores near the foil and other food storage items.

Materials Needed for this Project:

freezer paper
fabric paint
foam paint brush
iron
plain t-shirt or other fabric item to stencil
pencil
printer
scissors
piece of cardboard (part of a cereal box or the back of a notebook will do in a pinch)

Foam Brushes

Matte Fabric Paint

Freezer Paper

My favorite plain t-shirt!

How to make a freezer paper stencil:

Download the 'hello' stencil template or use an image of your own
put a piece of freezer paper to the same size as your printout and place your hello underneath it with the waxy side of the freezer paper facing down, touching the printed paper.

trace your design. don't forget to trace the inside details of your letters too, you'll need those.
cut your design out carefully. the way you cut the design out is the way it will look on your final product

How to use the freezer paper stencil to paint on a t-shirt:

1. Place cardboard inside the shirt. This is to prevent the paint from seeping through to the back. Cut another piece of freezer paper and place that inside your shirt, on top of the cardboard with the waxy side facing UP.
2. Place your freezer paper stencil with the design cut out onto your shirt. You want the design you'll be painting to be exposed on your shirt. Do this with the waxy sides facing DOWN. Place them carefully where you want the design to be and iron it down.
3. The two waxy sides of freezer paper being ironed together well is what makes the stencil work. Make sure the edges are really stuck!
4. Make sure you have any small inside pieces of the stencil ironed down too - for example, the hole in the letter 'e.'
5. Using a sponge brush, apply paint onto the shirt over the freezer paper stencil. Be careful around the edges not to let the brush go under.
6. Paint one coat, wait twenty minutes and do a second coat.
7. Let fabric paint dry for a few hours or overnight. Remove stencil pieces carefully.

More T-shirt painting tips:

100% cotton t-shirts are best
Put cardboard or foam board inside your shirt to prevent the paint from seeping through to the back
Tape your shirt to a flat surface using masking tape or painter's tape so that it doesn't move while you are painting it

What kind of paint should you use to paint on t-shirts?

Fabric paint is best for painting on t-shirts, but another option is to use acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium. Going the second route will give you a lot more color choices!

If you'd like to download the word "hello" like mine just click here. Rather do a different word but use the same font? I used a free font called A Gentle Touch.

Painted T-Shirt with Freezer Paper Stencil

If you like this, check out these other DIY t-shirt tutorials:

Stenciled Anchor Shirt
How to make a custom shirt with a Cricut

Disney Cruise T-Shirts

Mean Girls T-Shirt

Easy DIY Hashtag T-Shirt
Disney Snacks T-Shirt

I can't wait to see your creations!

Freezer Paper Stencil

How to make a freezer paper stencil and use it to paint a shirt! Make a custom t-shirt with just a few inexpensive household items.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Active Time: 30

Drying Time: 3

Total Time: 3 40

Makes: t-shirt

Author: Pretty Providence

Cost: $10

Video

Equipment

iron
printer

Materials

freezer paper
fabric paint
foam paint brush
plain t-shirt
pencil
scissors
1 piece of cardboard

Instructions

How to Make a Freezer Paper Stencil

Download the 'hello' stencil template or use an image of your own.
Put a piece of freezer paper to the same size as your printout and place your hello underneath it with the waxy side of the freezer paper facing down, touching the printed paper.
Trace your design. don't forget to trace the inside details of your letters too, you'll need those.
Cut your design out carefully. the way you cut the design out is the way it will look on your final product.

How to Paint a Shirt with a Freezer Paper Stencil

Place cardboard inside the shirt. This is to prevent the paint from seeping through to the back. Cut another piece of freezer paper and place that inside your shirt, on top of the cardboard with the waxy side facing UP.
Place your freezer paper stencil with the design cut out onto your shirt. You want the design you'll be painting to be exposed on your shirt. Do this with the waxy sides facing DOWN. Place them carefully where you want the design to be and iron it down.
The two waxy sides of freezer paper being ironed together well is what makes the stencil work. Make sure the edges are really stuck!
Make sure you have any small inside pieces of the stencil ironed down too - for example, the hole in the letter 'e.'
Using a sponge brush, apply paint onto the shirt over the freezer paper stencil. Be careful around the edges not to let the brush go under.
Paint one coat, wait twenty minutes and do a second coat.
Let fabric paint dry for a few hours or overnight. Remove stencil pieces carefully.

Notes

100% cotton t-shirts work best.
Put cardboard or foam board inside your shirt to prevent the paint from seeping through to the back.
Tape your shirt to a flat surface using masking tape or painter’s tape so that it doesn’t move while you are painting it.

Did you make this?Mention @prettyprovidenceblog or tag #prettyprovidence!

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Freezer Paper Stencil Shirt