DIY Freezer Paper Stenciled Cousin T-shirt and Onesies #Tutorial


My sister and I had our children fairly close. My nephew is almost 4, my niece is 2 and my daughter is 1 1/2. When I was pregnant I searched and searched for cousin t-shirts or onesies and couldn't find anything. I set out to do it myself.

I have been seeing a lot of pins on Pinterest on how easy it is to use freezer paper as a stencil. After doing some research and reading some tutorials I successfully created the pieces shown in the picture above.

Supplies
  • T-shirt or onesie you want to stencil
  • Freezer Paper (found in the supermarket with the aluminum foil)
  • Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in the colors you want (purchased at Michael's)
  • Foam stencil brush (mine was from Tulip and I bought it at Michael's)
  • Exacto Knife
  • Printer
  • Iron
Instructions
  1. Prewash your shirts or onesies to get the sizing out. Make sure the shirts are completely dry and ironed.
  2. Using a word processing software like MS Word pick a font that has thick letters. The thinner the letters the harder it's going to be to cut out.
  3. Type the words you want to stencil. Use the preview button to see how big the letters will print out. Adjust the font size up or down. You may want to print out a few copies of the word in different font sizes to see which one fits the best in the area you want to stencil.
  4. Print it out.
  5. Put the printed word sheet on top of where you want to stencil and pick which one works best.
  6. Put the freezer paper on top of the printed word with the matte side up and trace with a pen. I did it on a sunny day by the window and I could see it enough to trace it.
  7. Using an exacto knife careful cut out the insides of the letters. Make sure you keep the inside pieces of the letters for like an O or a D.
  8. You now have a stencil. Place on top of where you want the letters to be on the shirt or onesie. Make sure the shiny waxy side is touching the shirt. (This is what makes it temporarily stick to the shirt.) Make sure to carefully put the inside pieces of the letters (for the O, D, etc.)
  9. Place a thin piece of fabric on top and iron on med-high heat. Inspect the stencil and make sure every piece of the stencil has been adhered to the shirt.
  10. I used a paper plate to squirt a little of the paint. Take your stencil brush and tap on the color. Take the brush and tap on top of the stencil and on the shirt. I chose to alternate the colors of the letters.
  11. Let dry overnight.
  12. Peel off the freezer paper and enjoy!
I apologize for not having pictures of the steps like in my other craft posts. I did this a while ago when I was pregnant and didn't think I would be making a tutorial about it. If you are confused by a step just let me know in the comments and I will do my best to help you.

24 comments

  1. This great to know. Thank you for the tips and ideas to make great personalized shirts!

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  2. Those are the cutest outfits! My brother doesn't have children so it wouldn't work for my kiddos. :D

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  3. Freezer paper stencil is so easy and so fun! I always forget to let it dry over night. I wait for it to me dry, just can't wait that long. To impatient. I love the idea for cousins, instead of brothers and sisters!

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  4. That is so neat! I can't wait to try this out!

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  5. I'd love to try this out especially that we'll have a festival this Sunday! :)

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  6. Such a neat idea!! And so easy too! This would be great to make for gifts. Will definitely keep this in mind. Thanks for sharing :)

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  7. I never thought about making my own stencils before. I have previously purchased them. Thank you so much for this tip!

    And you are right...cousin stuff is hard to find.

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  8. These are sweet, I love these kinds of things for the little ones too. :)

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  9. How cute are these! I gotta share this with my BFF who is due with twins in the spring! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Fantastic technique! Ironing down the freezer paper is Brilliant. This should eliminate any bleeding in the stencil that happens sometimes with a traditional stencil. Thanks

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  11. Thanks for the instructional, these are cute and look very easy to do with the kids!

    Jenna Em

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  12. these are so cute and a great way to dress up a t-shirt. Also a great way to document pictures

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  13. Thanks for the tutorial. This is great to know. I have tons of ideas on how to use this. Thanks!
    www.amouseinmykitchen.com

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  14. LOVE this idea! Your shirts turned out awesome :)

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  15. Cute idea, I'm going to have to give it a shot.

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  16. This is such a great idea! The t-shirts are really cute and I love how they can all have a "cousin-look", lol

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  17. Great ideas. My son and great niece are 13 months apart. The shirts would look cute on them

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  18. Cute idea and so much cheaper than buying the ones at the store!

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  19. This is a cute idea!!! My sister and brother and I all had our kids within a year apart, both times.... They are all so close, this would be perfect and maybe even have pictures done 😀

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  20. This is a cute idea!!! My sister and brother and I all had our kids within a year apart, both times.... They are all so close, this would be perfect and maybe even have pictures done 😀

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  21. This is a cute idea!!! My sister and brother and I all had our kids within a year apart, both times.... They are all so close, this would be perfect and maybe even have pictures done 😀

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  22. I really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read which are really not tht good. I also found your posts very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show it to my friend and he ejoyed it as well! SubZero, Viking Freezer Repair Montecito

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  23. thanks for this usefull article, waiting for this article like this again. go there

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