TUTORIAL: FREEZER PAPER STENCILLING

Since I got my fabric paint today, I got so excited about trying the freezer paper stencilling that I just had to try it straight away. Well as soon as Ruben went to bed anyway. I had my camera handy so I figured I'd document the process, and add a tutorial:



1: Gather your supplies. You will need: freezer paper ♥ fabric paint ♥ pen/pencil ♥ scissors/craft knife ♥ cutting mat ♥ paintbrush or sponges ♥ iron ♥ hairdryer (optional) ♥ and of course, some fabric for stencilling onto. I used a plain toddler T-shirt.

2: Start by drawing your motif onto the matte side of the freezer paper. You can use a template or image you found in a book or online, or do as I did and draw your own.

3: Now carefully cut out your motif with a craft knife, scalpel or sharp scissors. The only thing I could find was a rather blunt old craft knife, but next time I will be using a scalpel for precision.



4: Now place your motif shiny side down onto your fabric and iron it into place. Make sure you get all the edges ironed down really well. I heard it was a good idea to iron on a piece of frezer paper on the reverse as well, to stop the fabric from puckering, so I did. (By the way, I did do this on my ironing board, but it was in a messy place so I staged the pic...)

5-6: Put a bit of fabric paint onto a plate, and apply using either a paintbrush or a sponge. I used a sponge as it was what I had to hand.

Now leave to dry. I am all for instant gratification, so if you are impatient like me, now is the time to grab that hairdryer - works a treat!

7: Carefully peel off the freezer paper, and iron your fabric to fix, according to the instructions on the bottle. Somefabric paints can also be fixed by tumble drying. Read the instructions for your brand of paint to be on the safe side though.

8: Ta-daaa! All finished and ready to wear. I hope Ruben will approve - we'll see in the morning I guess!

That was so easy and so fun - I have loads of plans for more stencilling, and something more elaborate next time.