DIY: Fabric Stencils with Freezer Paper

Henry’s outgrowing the elephant hoodie I made for him

As you probably know by now, Feeding the Soil should not be your go-to blog for the most hip and updated information about trends in the blogosphere. See, I don’t even know a cooler word for “hip” than “hip.”

So sad.

Anyway, today I will be sharing something cool that I just learned about, six years after the fact: using wax paper to make stencils.

I’m finally getting inspired to start making a few clothes for Henry, since his rate of growth is slowing down. He can now wear something for more than a day before I have to toss it into the bag of clothes I’m saving to make a quilt for his first birthday present.

My friend told me that you can use freezer paper (which is similar to wax paper but only waxy on one side) to make a stencil (either by drawing straight on it, tracing a printed image, or printing directly on it). Next, you cut out the shape. Then you can temporarily iron it in place, so that it doesn’t shift when you’re painting. Once you’ve finished painting with fabric paint, you can simply peel it off and admire your crisp, clean image.

I think I’m going to purchase this pattern to make some long-sleeve t-shirts for Henry. Since I’m trying to save money, I’m going to head to the thrift store and see if I can buy some large men’s shirts to repurpose.

I’m having a hard time deciding which images to turn into stencils. I try to stay away from traditionally masculine stuff like trucks and words like “tough.” I don’t want to have preconceived ideas about what kind of person Henry is, just because he’s a boy.

Perhaps I should stick to animals, since he likes them so much? Or random things like an accordian? Or maybe fruits and vegetables since he’s obsessed with eating?

Let me see what I can come up with during a Google image search:

I’m excited to have a project this weekend!

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REMINDER: The next Purposeful Conception Course: Preparing Your Mind, Body, and Life for Pregnancy starts this weekend on November 13. Register today! We’d love to have you join us!