Presidents' Day Shirt and Log Cabin Activity

Last year I made a fun shirt for my daughter to wear on Presidents' Day.  Luckily it still fits so she will be wearing it again this year.

I used freezer paper to paint the profile and then foam stamps for the wording. 

We also plan to make a Presidents' Day Log Cabin Monday. 

You still have a couple of days to make a fun and easy shirt.  Do you have any plans to celebrate Presidents' Day with your little ones?

 

Swim Shorts Makeover

I rarely get the opportunity to makeover a clothing item for my husband.  I was really excited when I showed him a new pair of swim shorts I "fixed" for him today.

I had picked up a pair of red swim shorts from Old Navy a couple of months ago.

I normally wouldn't just buy random shorts but they were on clearance and the store had an additional 50% off sale.  I bought these shorts for only $1.24! 

I showed my husband his new shorts and he said, "those look like lifeguard shorts!"  I knew he would wear them to preserve my bargain shopping enthusiasm but I also knew he would be looking over his shoulder wondering who thought he was a lifeguard. 

The shorts were sitting in a basket by our garage door for months.  I fully intended on returning them but never actually got around to going back to Old Navy for an exchange worth less than $2.  Yesterday as I walked by the "return basket," I had an idea: shorts makeover!  I searched online for some inspiration and found something with a splattered paint look.

I decided to try to recreate the splattered paint effect.  I used purple to neutralize the red.  Tulip's soft paint in a spray bottle was perfect and didn't make too much of a mess.

I let the paint dry overnight and then this morning I used freezer paper to stencil a design on one side of the shorts.

Purple and black fabric paint swirled together resulted in some purple, black, and marble grey stripes. 

The paint set for a couple of hours and then I carefully removed the freezer paper.

I'm happy with the outcome!

I'm linking this post here.

 

Men's Freezer Paper Disney Shirt

I rarely make any clothing items for my husband.  I've mentioned before that we are big fans of Disney.  I grew up going to Disneyland every summer and my husband went to Disney World frequently as a child.  He recently pointed out a shirt online that he liked with Disney World's 40th anniversary logo.  I figured I would try to make something similar and if the project failed, I would simply surprise him by buying the shirt online.  I'm so happy with how my version turned out!  The front has a small patch with Mickey Mouse.  The back has a larger patch with the anniversary logo.

I found the logo online and enlarged it on my desktop.

I traced the image directly from my computer onto freezer paper.  If you are unfamiliar with freezer paper stenciling, please see one of my earlier projects, Mrs. Squirrel, for some tips.

Next I used a small pair of scissors to cut out the design.  I cut everywhere I wanted paint to show.  I ironed the design onto two pieces of white knit. 

Before you start painting your design with fabric paint you want to make sure to spill it all over your beige carpet.  Oops, never mind, that step is not mandatory.  Yes, I did do that.    But in my defense, it was because our psychotic cat attacked my arm causing my small container with paint to fly everywhere.  Would you  believe me if I told you the paint came completely out of the carpet with Resolve?  It did!  Here's a nice shot of the painted carpet:

I painted the design with red fabric paint.  I tried to give it a distressed look so I made sure to leave some brush marks.

A few hours later I peeled off the freezer paper...

...and was thrilled with the outcome!  It look exactly like I hoped it would.

I trimmed the knit pieces to make patches.

Then I pinned the patches onto the shirt and used my sewing machine to sew them in place.  I wanted the pieces to look like rough patches so I didn't sew in straight lines.  I outlined each patch twice in crooked white stitches.

I washed the shirt, let it hang dry, and then roughed up the edges on the patches using a pair of tweezers.  I just pulled at the fabric until it looked rough enough.  I'm sure after a few more washes it will look more distressed.

I'm really happy with how the shirt turned out and I'm looking forward to seeing my husband wear it in Disneyland this week!

If I'm not too busy on vacation, I will be linking this post here.

 

Freezer paper stenciling - Mrs. Squirrel

I absolutely love freezer paper stenciling! It's the easiest way to embellish fabric and the possibilities are endless. Last night I finished a onesie, bib, and headband set for a friend. She requested something with a squirrel to give as a gift. I hadn't seen too many cute squirrels around in blogland so I was a little concerned with the request. I can say I'm pleasantly surprised with the outcome of my little squirrel. If you haven't used freezer paper yet, check out this great tutorial at Mmmboppin' (a great blog I just discovered).

Now I'll share how I made this:

I started by tracing a squirrel silhouette onto freezer paper.

I cut out the images.

I ironed them onto a bib and onesie.

Very important step - place something (I always use a scrap of freezer paper) between your shirt layers so the paint doesn't bleed through.

I picked out some paint from my nicely organized paint shelf (can you hear my genuine enthusiasm about my new shelf??).

Next I painted the squirrel onto the fabric.

They looked like a couple of blobs...

...until I let them dry and peeled off the freezer paper.

Then I traced the squirrel's tail to make a pattern for fabric.

I ironed my fabric onto steam a seam and then traced my tail pattern on the back.

I cut out the tails and ironed them onto the painted squirrels.

Next I stitched around the tails with my sewing machine. You can use a zig zag stitch but I didn't because I wanted the fabric to fray a little as it gets worn and washed for a vintage look.

I ironed light and dark brown felt onto steam a seam and cut out acorns. Then I ironed them onto the onesie and bib.

I stitched around the acorn parts and then used a honeycomb stitch to give the top of the acorn some definition. I think the honeycomb stitch was my favorite part of the entire project! I stitched on some buttons for eyes and they were done!

Just for fun, I made a matching headband.

Can't say I would ever have a reason to make another Mrs. Squirrel set but I'm happy with how this turned out!