DIY Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial

Hi there! I recently shared this over at Project Run and Play, and today I’m excited to share this freezer paper stencil tutorial with you! I’ve always thought Liz and liZ were so clever to come up with the name “Project Run and Play.” It’s catchy even to those who aren’t necessarily sewists, and so I thought it would make great text on a t-shirt for little ones! To make the text, we’ll use freezer paper, fabric paint, and your favorite top pattern!

No surprise here, I used our Skipper Top PDF Pattern. I also used it for the Hipster Bunny Shirt tutorial I shared last month. It’s just so darn fast to sew up, and I like that I can make it big enough for growing room without it looking huge or frumpy.

I made a straight up size 3, even though Lola measures a size or so smaller in width. Hattie is more averaged sized than Lola, and I want her to be able to wear as much of Lola’s handmade hand-me-downs as possible!

The mustard knit fabric is from one of my favorite maternity t-shirts that I had saved for a project just like this! It’s a super soft cotton spandex, and is really comfortable to wear (if it’s comfortable during pregnancy, you know it’s comfortable).

Lola is four next month, and I feel like she’s starting to look so much more grown up, which I wish I could stop! Good thing I still have a two year old girl to remind me that there are good things about them growing up, hehe.

Ready to get started?

Supplies:
t-shirt pattern (or pre-made t-shirt) – I used my go to girl’s top pattern, the Skipper Top
fabric for t-shirt
fabric paint
freezer paper
sponge paintbrush
cardboard for painting
silhouette machine to cut template OR exacto/craft knife to cut template by hand
free template HERE for Silhouette file or HERE for pdf file

Cut all pieces of shirt out as pattern instructs.

Download free template above. Cut template out with Silhouette machine OR using exacto/craft knife if cutting by hand. For my Silhouette, I used a blade setting of 2 and it cut the freezer paper perfectly. If cutting by hand, remember you’ll be removing all of the inverse of what the finished text will look like, making a stencil to paint.

Iron freezer paper stencil onto shirt front, placing as desired. Don’t forget to also iron the inside cut-out of the A, O, etc in place. Be sure the edges are all sealed completely.

Use sponge brush and fabric paint to paint over stencil. To prevent any bleed through, be sure to not “sweep” the paintbrush – instead, just dab it up and down. Begin with a thin coat, let dry, and repeat as necessary until you have the coverage you’d like.

Remove the freezer paper stencil carefully.

Follow manufacture’s instructions on paint bottle to set the paint. I used a velveteen paint that needed to be steamed to set.

Sew shirt according to pattern instructions.

Great job!

Your little one will be stylin in her new mommy-made shirt!