As a stay at home mom, I am always looking for creative things for the boys to do. We homeschool so there is a lot of “downtime” in the afternoons. I like to use that time to do different activities that we otherwise wouldn’t do. I came across the idea of screen printing our own shirts. After a little research I came up with the simplest, most effective way to accomplish this. It is also important to me, as I have said many times before, that I choose activities that they can do mostly by themselves. I want to guide them, but not do it for them. This method was such a success! Not only did they do it by themselves, they were so happy with the outcomes. They wear their shirts with pride and tell everyone they made them themselves. So here goes….
What you need:
Cross-Stitch Frame. I found plastic frames that I liked better than the wooden ones, but either one will work. I also found the rectangle shape to be easier when dragging the ink off, but again any shape would work.
Mesh Material. You need a square of a fine, screen mesh big enough to fit the cross-stitch frame with a little overhang. We washed and reused our squares in between shirt designs, so you don’t need a large amount.
Scraper. You really could use any type of scraper with a flat end. We used one that was made for drywall, but a snow scraper or a plastic bowl scraper would work just as well.
Fabric Ink Paint. You can choose as many colors as you want. We chose bright colors and mixed them to get a tye-dye effect. This is where you can really express yourself.
Stencils. Any plastic stencil will work. More intricate designs seem to work better with the ink.
T-Shirt. Use any plain Tee you have. We used white as we always have plenty of undershirts around the house. Any color that the ink will show up on would be just fine.
Masking Tape. I find masking tape works the absolute best for securing the stencil to the mesh.
Now, that may sound like a lot, but it really isn’t. Trust me, the process is slick, and I’ve got you covered with links below to all the products to make sure you have exactly what you need.
Let’s screen print!
Step 1: Secure your mesh tightly into the cross-stitch frame. Try to make it as taut as you can. This will make inking much cleaner.
Step 2: Using masking tape, secure the perimeter of your stencil onto the mesh.
Step 3: Position your frame onto the front of the shirt where you want your design to be. * Place a piece of cardboard inside of the shirt to create a flat smooth surface. This also keeps the ink from bleeding onto the other side.
Step 4: Drop globs of paint onto the stencil. Put the ink colors on separately wherever you want that color to be. Keep in mind that the colors will blend and swirl together during the dragging part. So apply your colors carefully. You want to make sure that you have enough ink on the stencil so that it covers all of the design. We found that the more ink we applied, the better the result was.
Step 5: Starting at the top, take your scraper and firmly press it down onto the stencil. Drag the ink that is on the stencil to the bottom. You want to press down pretty hard as you do this, but not hard enough to move the stencil. This motion is what pushes the color down onto the shirt in the stencil’s design. You may need to do this action several times if you used a lot of ink. Once you can see the color has transferred onto the shirt through the stencil, you are done with that step. You want just a thin layer of ink to remain on the shirt after scraping.
Step 6: Gently life the entire frame off of the shirt. Go slow almost as if you are peeling it off. You should see your design displayed in ink on your shirt!
If you want to wash it before you wear it I would suggest hand washing or putting it in the washer alone. The ink will be set after that! Believe me, once you do this you are not going to want to stop. We screen printed on canvas bags, paper, pillow cases, and the list goes on. Pretty much anything the boys could think of, we inked. This is such a fun project that I know you will love just as much as the kids do. Have fun, and share your shirts with us @epickidsworld on Instagram. We would love to see what you come up with!
Supplies:
Plastic Cross-Stitch Frames: https://amzn.to/3ZOl2oe
Mesh Material: https://amzn.to/3CV3H3i
Fabric Ink: https://amzn.to/3XodBCJ
Scraper: https://amzn.to/3Xmrstn