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More with the Silhouette: Freezer Paper Stenciling and Heat Transfer TEES

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My word.
I got the Silhouette all revved up earlier in the week
(to show you the frosted glass vinyl, found here),
and then I couldn’t leave the poor machine alone.
I got the freezer paper out yesterday and decided to make a few more stencils with my Silhouette (just like the post here)……….but for shirts this time.
The freezer paper technique (also shown here and here) really is a lot of fun.  And can be done with an X-acto knife and your own traced/drawn image.  But the Silhouette cuts a great and precise line for you……saving a ton of time. 

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A simple tee with some foliage on the front.
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I made the foliage look washed out…….more faded looking.
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And then some little mary jane shoes on a tee for my little girl……..
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With dainty fabric flowers on them.  Simple.
(And again, washed out and faded looking…..on purpose.)
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And then I used a little heat transfer vinyl too.
(vinyl found here)
*I tried my hand at designing my own shapes in the Silhouette program…….more info below.*
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It made the cutest little hat with flower.
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The Silhouette and I have had a grand ‘ol time. Maybe I should give her a rest?  Nah.
But remember, if you’d like your own machine, Silhouette is running a great deal on a brand new machine and on their Premium Vinyl.  (Click here to check out the details for both deals.  And be sure to enter ‘makeit’ at checkout to receive the discount.)
Would you like to see how I made all 3 Tees?

First up?
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To make the little mary jane shoe tshirt………I found an image of some shoes in the Silhouette Online Store
(cost me $0.99……..mary_jane_shoes_C00813_19210 07/12/2010).
I removed the bows in the program and stretched them to make them more narrow.  Then I cut out a piece of freezer paper, layed it shiny side down on my sticky mat, slid it into the Silhouette, and then told the program to cut my image.
Then, since I’m making a stencil, I need the negative space.  I carefully peeled it back off the mat, along with the other little pieces inside of the shoe……..
………and ironed them down to the shirt.  (Warning:  Peeling the paper off the mat makes the paper roll up a bit since it’s a thin paper that you’re peeling off of a sticky mat.  Just be patient as you hold it down to iron it.)

EDITED: Confused about what Freezer Paper is?  Click here to find a whole post about what this stuff is.

Then I used some fabric paint (just like the paint used here) and a foam brush and applied the paint a little splotchy.  I was going for a more textured look but you can apply your paint evenly to get a solid color.
After the paint dried, I peeled back the freezer paper……placed a thin piece of material over the painted image, and ironed it to set the paint.
That was it.
Then, I cut out about 10-12 little cotton circles to create each flower.  You could use knit too.  Then I cut out little leaf shapes from some knit fabric, that would accompany each flower.
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I placed each flower with their leaves down on the shirt where I wanted them, then removed the flowers and zig-zagged around the leaves, securing them to the shirt.
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Then I placed the flowers back down and hand-stitched a little pearl through the center of the flower and the shirt, securing everything in place.
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Done.
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Second up?
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I made a stencil for this shirt with freezer paper, the same way that I made the one above.  I used two different vine images and manipulated them just a bit to fit on my shirt how I wanted.
(1_piece_leaf_cluster_C00660_19210 04/20/2010 and vine_C00697_18816)
Then I peeled back the negative space.  Again, peeling back the freezer paper from the sticky mat will cause it to curl up.  Just carefully place it where you’d like it……….
………..and then start from one end and gradually iron down piece by piece, flattening the freezer paper down as you go.
Until it’s all ironed down.
Then I used fabric paint and filled in my stencil, using the splotchy look with my foam brush.
Then I removed the paper and heat sealed it, just like I did above.
Done.
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EDITED: Confused about what Freezer Paper is?  Click here to find a whole post about what this stuff is.

Third up?
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For this little hat shirt……..I used the SIlhouette program and used the shape tools to create a little hat shape.  This is just a screen capture below, and it shows the little tools that you can use along the left side, to create any shape you want to.  My shape is full of flaws, but once it’s cut out, you can’t tell one bit.  Keep that in mind…..don’t try to make it perfect!
Then I used the Silhouette machine to cut out the hat shape, and then ironed it right to the shirt.
Next, I made a little satin flower (like the ones here), added pearl to the center………
Then attached it to the hat.  Done.
(Tip for melting the satin- I cut out very uneven edges for this flower……and not so circular.  I also held the lighter flame under the flower in some places to really get the fabric to pucker.  Just be careful while doing so.  You don’t want to burn yourself or scorch the fabric too badly.  Good luck!)
And that’s it.  A few new Silhouette ideas for you Silhouette owners.
Again, I’m sure these basic concepts will work for you Cricut owners……I just haven’t played around on one at all.
And remember, if you’d like your own machine, Silhouette is running a great deal on a brand new machine and on their Premium Vinyl.  (Click here to check out the details.  And be sure to enter ‘makeit’ at checkout to receive the discount.)

Ashley Johnston

Administrator at Make It & Love It
Ashley Johnston is a professional DIY costume maker, sewist, crafter, and owner of Make It & Love It. She is a mom of 5 and a wife to a very patient (with the craft clutter) husband. In case you’re wondering, she always chooses crafting/sewing/designing over mopping/dusting/wiping base boards……but bathrooms/laundry/full bellies are always attended to. Whew!

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Hi, I'm Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!

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