Monday, June 4, 2012

Circular: Upcycle a Shirt Using an Eraser and Fabric Paint

For a recent Featured Project on CraftFoxes, I embellished a plain white T-shirt using fabric paint and a pencil eraser. I really like this simple stamping technique, so decided to apply it to a green shirt I found at the thrift store. 


I wanted it to have big circles, so decided to use embroidery hoops as stencils. The other materials I used were:

- Folk Art Fabric Paint from Plaid (colors #4425 and #4408)
- an unused pencil
- two pieces of thick cardboard
- and a plastic plate. 


To make my design, I first laid out my embroidery hoops in the design I wanted on my shirt.


Then using my disappearing ink pen, I traced the design onto my shirt. This pen is great because the ink really does disappear after a light wash or on its own after a few days. 




Once my design was completely transferred onto the shirt, I put the pieces of cardboard in between the shirt, in order to prevent the fabric paint from bleeding to its back side. The shirt I used was quite thick, but I still did this to be on the safe side. 


Then, I put a small amount of fabric paint on my plastic plate.



Using my pencil's eraser, I began to paint my shirt. I decided to fill each circle I stenciled with dots. 




I used orange fabric paint for one of the circles, and really like the overall look. 


I let the fabric paint dry for 24 hours, then used a towel and iron to heat-set it, according to the fabric paint's instructions. 



After about 72 hours, I hand-washed it in cold water, then placed it in the dryer on the low setting. You can also air dry it, if you want.  



Voila! My "new," painted shirt is now ready to be worn. 




14 comments:

  1. You young man are bloody brilliant. Thank the Most High for your loneliness where you incubate and turn out color a-la Paris.....

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    1. Thank you so much, Reina. I really appreciate it. Everyday, the Most High helps me to see the beauty in loneliness, and the inspiration that inhabits a quiet space. For that, I thank Him/Her, too :)

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  2. Stunning! I thought you will paint little circles within a big circle, but I like you creation more! Very good idea that you used a pencil's eraser. And your colour choice is great. ;)

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    1. Thank you so much, Juci! Pencil erasers are such convenient and fun stamps. I'm probably going to make a few more things with them soon :)

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  3. love this!! I want to do it on a dress!

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  4. Love that it's simple to do, yet yields such high-impact results! It's also very cool that it was posted by a dude (a first since I started my quest for DIY clothing makeover projects). This is going to the top of my list of DIY projects I want to try, thank you!

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  5. Wow, your projects are so fun and original and the colors in this are beautiful. I might try this on some home furnishings soon (table cloth, place mats or throw pillows, not sure yet)Thanks!

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    1. Thank you so much, Annette! That's a wonderful idea. I'd love to see pictures of what you come up with.

      - David

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  6. This looks really cool David! I might give this a try.

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    1. Thank you, Jodi! I hope you do, and I hope everything is well with you :)

      - David

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