I made these last year, but they were such a hit I wanted to share them again with you. It isn't too late to work these up for Thanksgiving! I'm sorry not all the pictures are here anymore. They have disappeared. I tried to get as many as were still available.
Making your own personalized shirts is very easy and can save you a ton of money. I love all the personalized items you can buy from Chasing Fireflies, but I am not willing to spend $50 on one shirt. Instead, no matter what the special event or holiday, I make a personalized shirt or bag. I've made shirts for Easter, birthdays, bags and now Thanksgiving Turkey shirts.
Shannon and Lesli taught me how to utilize freezer paper and the wonderful things it can make! Thank you gals! For all my friends who have seen my Facebook posts sharing new shirts I have made, here is your tutorial. On Wednesday, Shannon came over and we had a craft day making these shirts. Tip: It is always more fun to craft with friends! Get some friends together and make some shirts for the holidays!
Freezer Paper Turkey Shirt Tutorial
Supply list:
shirt or fabric of choice
Exacto Knife
cutting mat
freezer paper (found in the aisle with the plastic wrap and foil)
fabric paint or acrylic paint with textile medium
sponge paint brushes
small fine tip paint brush (for touching up)
iron
ironing board
hair dryer
printed paper of your design (turkey in our case)
Note: Shannon uses fabric paint as she loves the soft feel of the paint. Lesli and I use cheap acrylic paint mixed with textile medium. Fabric paint can be expensive and I am cheap. I buy the large acrylic paint (Apple Barrel) which is usually under $2. Then I head over to Hobby Lobby or Joann's (coupons in hand) and buy Textile Medium. Follow the directions on the fabric medium and let the shirt dry 24 hours before washing (learn from my mistake).
Directions:
1. Pick your design and print it out on paper. This needs to be black and white (don't waste your color ink) and dark enough to trace through the freezer paper. Here is our print out:
Shannon and I both have a
Silhouette (love it!) so we bought the little turkey image. It printed out in the pieces that is why the image is broken up.
2. Cut a piece of freezer paper that is larger than your printed area. Cover your printed page with the freezer paper, wax side down. Trace the main turkey body. Make two of these. On two new pieces of freezer paper, trace the body with the eyes, nose, and gobble gobble (what is the actual term?). Make two of these.
3. Cut out more freezer paper and trace the body and feathers behind (place where you see fit). Make two of these.
For every shirt you want to make, you need to make two tracings of the body with face on it, two tracings of the body and feathers and one of the plain body. It is quite a bit of tracing but you will thank yourself if you do it all to begin with.
4. Using your Exacto knife, cut out the eyes and the gobble gobble. Don't lose the cut out pieces (put them to the side). Then on a scrap piece of freezer paper, trace the nose and cut it out. (Keep the inside of the nose.
5. Iron your shirt. Cut out a piece of freezer paper that will cover more than the turkey image on your shirt. Place wax side up and slide it inside the shirt. Iron the front of your shirt so that the freezer paper bonds to the inside of your shirt. This creates a barrier so that the paint doesn't bleed through.
6. Turn off the steam on your iron and put it on the highest setting. Take the piece of freezer paper that you cut out the eyes and gobble gobble and position it centered on your shirt. (If you plan to put a name under the turkey, leave room for it). Wax side should be down. Press the freezer paper down with the iron, making sure the paper is fully adhered to the shirt.
7. Now using your fabric paint or acrylic paint mixed with textile medium and a sponge paint brush, paint in the eyes and gobble gobble. Be careful not to overlap the paint. Use the hair dryer to dry the paint. Take off the freezer paper once the paint is dry. Using your scrap freezer paper with the nose cut out, iron it on the shirt (covering up the eyes and gobble gobble) and paint. Then dry with the hair dryer and take off freezer paper.
8. Using the Exacto Knife, cut out the turkey body from the freezer paper. (See picture).
9. Using the freezer paper with the body cut out, iron it to the shirt like before. Then take your eyes, nose and gobble gobble that you cut out and place them over the painted portion. Then iron them on as well.
***Sorry I can't find the original pictures from here till the final pictures. ***
10. Paint the body of the turkey brown. Use the hair dryer to dry the paint. Take off the freezer paper. Use your Exacto knife to peel up the eyes, nose and gobble gobble paper. Touch up any overlaps now with a small paint brush if needed.
11. Using your Exacto knife, cut out the top and far side feathers from one sheet of freezer paper. Iron onto your shirt, paying close attention to lining up the turkey. Paint the feathers the color of your choosing. Dry with a hair dryer and take off the freezer paper.
12. On your other freezer paper sheet, cut out the two remaining feathers and iron the sheet on your turkey. Paint the remaining feathers, dry with hair dryer and take off freezer paper.
14. I made three shirts. Two were yellow for the boys since I couldn't find white long sleeved shirts anywhere. I had a white onesie for my daughter.
15. Shannon wanted to add her girls' names to her shirt. I am too cheap and want to get multiple uses out of the shirts. My daughter now has a turkey shirt for when she is 2 and 4! To add a name, trace the printed name on freezer paper, use your knife to cut out the letters (or have your silhouette cut it out). Iron on the name portion under your turkey. Make sure to iron in the inner parts of the letters (example: the letter "e" if you don't put the half moon shape back in, the e will be filled in). Paint, dry, peel off freezer paper. Here are pictures of Shannon's shirts: (I love the added touch of gluing on a bow!)
Thanks to Shannon for crafting with me and for the fun we have while doing it! (Happy Birthday as well, Shannon!)
I hope you have fun making your own shirts and that our tutorial helps you in the process. Start with a simple design (of one color) and go from there. More freezer paper shirts coming up for Christmas!
