How to Decorate a Preschool T-Shirt

Decorated T-shirts make great gifts, and they are fun to make.

Decorated T-shirts are expensive to buy --- but easy and fun to make. Decorations for a preschooler's shirt can range from autographs made by the child's friends to complicated embroidery and batik. Your decoration will look best if you use a heavyweight shirt made from 100% cotton. Allow for shrinkage. Begin by washing, drying, and ironing the shirt. Insert aluminum foil between the front and the back to prevent accidental spotting.

Things You'll Need

• T-shirt(s)
• Aluminum foil
• Children's crayons
• Pastel sticks
• Paper bags
• Wax paper
• Iron
• White paper
• Fabric transfer crayons
• Commercial stamp
• Sponge
• Plastic foam
• Cardboard
• Potato
• Block of wood
• Plastic eraser
• Linoleum
• Glue
• Rope
• Craft paint
• Stencil
• Acetate
• Stenciling paper
• Tape
• Paint brush
• Fabric dye
• Rubber bands
• Gloves

Instructions

1. Draw your design on the shirt. Use children's crayons or pastel dye sticks and press down hard. Place a paper grocery bag over the design and wax paper over the bag. Iron the paper without moving it until the paper is heavily stained. Replace the bag and wax paper. Repeat the process until the paper is no longer stained. An alternative method is to draw your design on a plain sheet of white paper, using fabric transfer crayons. Again, press down hard. Lay the design face down on the shirt and lay a second sheet of paper over the first sheet. Iron the design, using the cotton setting on your iron.

2. Buy a commercial stamp or create your own stamp by cutting a simple shape out of sponge, plastic foam, or a thick piece of cardboard; cutting a design into a potato, smooth block of wood, a plastic eraser, or a linoleum block; gluing rope or strips of linoleum --- arranged in an interesting pattern --- to a block of wood. Apply craft paint to the stamp. Then, press the stamp onto your shirt.

3. Buy a stencil or create one by cutting an interesting pattern out of clear acetate, commercial stenciling paper, a block of linoleum, aluminum foil or any other material that is easy to cut and repels paint. Tape the stencil to the shirt. Brush craft paint on the fabric in the cut-out areas.

4. Make a tie-dyed T-shirt by folding the shirt, wrapping rubber bands around the fabric to keep the folds in place, and then dying the shirt. The design you get depends on the colors of dye you use and how you fold the shirt. Create a rainbow design by folding the shirt vertically. Then, repeatedly fold the shirt in 1-inch pleats from shoulder to belly. Place evenly spaced rubber bands around the fabric. Dye each of the strips, using squeeze bottles of dye. Let the dye sit for 24 hours; then, rinse and remove the rubber bands.

   Batik is another technique that uses dye. Apply melted wax --- in the design of your choice --- to the shirt. Let the wax dry; then, dye the shirt and remove the wax.

Tips & Warnings

• Add texture to your shirt by adding fanciful buttons or embroidered designs in strategic places.

• Use gloves when working with paint or dye.

References

• "The Great T-Shirt Book"; Carol Taylor; 1992
• "Children's Digest"; Cool Crayon Shirt; M.H. Martin, et al.; January/February 1996
• "Wearable Crafts"; Elyse and Mike Sommer; 1976
• "Parenting"; Making Faces; Judy Press; February 2004
• "FamilyPC"; Party Favorites; Kay Hall; July/August 1998

Resources

• "Tease--50 Inspired T-shirt Transformations"; Sarah Sockit, ed; 2006
• "Nature's Art Box"; Laura C. Martin; 2003
• "Easy Crafts to Make Together"; Carol Field Dahlstrom; 2004