After sharing the Doily Heart Shirt the other day I tried out a second version.
And absolutely hated it.
But I also hate to leave projects in a state of awry and truly believe Tim Gunn when he says make it work. So I did just that and I still wasn’t sure if I liked it till Lucy tried it on. Then those big metallic hearts made me smile.
Here’s where the mess started…
I thought: black shirt, metallic gold paint, lots of small doily hearts. Cool right?
But ew. The finished product looked like a cheap craft Ad from the 80s. Sorry. It just wasn’t my style.
But I couldn’t throw away the shirt (even it cost $3.50).
So I grabbed more metallic paint and got busy.
Now typically when painting on shirts I use fabric paint (such as Tulip brand). But acrylic paints are a fun option because they’re inexpensive and come in a ton of colors. However, they dry more stiff than fabric paint and may crack on clothing over time. UNLESS….you add a fabric painting medium to the mix to soften up the paint! I actually haven’t tried it yet but I have a bottle ready for my next project.
Okay, here’s how I made the Metallic shirt…
• I laid a large piece of Freezer paper over the shirt (read more about freezer paper stenciling here) and drew large hearts over the doily ones. I just eye-balled the size and didn’t worry if the shapes were uneven. I like an imperfect heart.
• I cut out the hearts with scissors or a craft knife
• Ironed the paper to the shirt (with the shiny side of the paper down and with a cloth over the top so I wasn’t ironing directly on the paint)
• I painted the hearts with various metallic colors (make sure you have a piece of paper in between your shirt so paint doesn’t seep through to the shirt back)
• Dried the paint with a hair dryer, peeled it off, and voila!
Metallic hearts!
I sort of liked the finished product. But still wasn’t sure if it was kind of a disaster, or kind of cool. So I pulled out some accessories (clearance leggings from the GAP)….
And decided I really liked it! (and the price tag too).
Now we have two Valentine’s Day options.
Hope your Monday is off to a great start!
I’m still home with a pregnant tummy. But thank you, thank you for all the fun comments you left last week. I can’t believe some of your stories! Makes me feel normal and ready for when the time comes.
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And for a double-dosage of MADE today….I’m guesting over at Kristen Duke Photography. She’s sharing a series about decorating your house with pictures/portraits. Come check out my spin on it….
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
that looks so cute with leggings and big boots!!!
I’ve been off on a work trip for a week and unable to get my blog reading in…can’t wait to see what I missed. I love this shirt. Especially the three hearts at the bottom.
Acrylic paint can bleed too if you don’t use the textile medium. I like this shirt better than the doily one actually. Very very cute!
the textile medium works GREAT!
Love that you “made it work”! It looks totally 80s in a good way!
i wonder if silver or other crazy metallic would’ve looked more modern? hmmm…where is my metallic paint…??
Well, darn, I thought you’d had that baby! Soon enough!
But, I LOVE this craft. (And is it weird that I kinda like the version you hated?) I want to do it — oh-so-bad — but I’m trying to justify buying/ making more clothes for my kids when they have so much they complain about not being able to close their bureau drawers. *sigh*
what is that white thing that looks like a box that lucy is standing in? love it!
good luck with the baby!!!!
yes! it does look like a box
. She’s standing on a table in my sewing room with a wall on one side and a white cabinet on the other.
I’ll echo the people who say that textile medium is great! Keeps your painted designs from being too stiff and cracking. Just make sure you don’t overdo it on the paint — too many layers and you’ll get cracked paint anyway. I learned this while trying to paint on a dark-ish colored shirt.
Love it Dana!
I use fabric medium and acrylic paints all the time, I bought my medium about 5 years ago and I’m still using it for my stencilled shirts
It’s pretty damn fantastic. I haven’t actually ever used fabric paints, not until my medium runs out!
i like your MADE and i love ..this metallic heart T shirt is very cute .
Madhu
from Sri Lanka
Much better! Love those metallic hearts.
ooh your so go about finishing a project no matter what. i am totally not that way, sometimes I get so frustrated that I just through the towel and give up, but there are times that the challenge thrills me. the heart t-shirt turned out very rocker style- pretty cool. i definitely need to try working with fabric paint and have fun with it! let you know how it goes.
it’s so rock-n-roll! i love the metallic fabric paint. love it, dana!
I love the bottom pictures of your little ones telling secrets (if thats what theyre doing). Too cute!
try bleaching, it gives a great “worn” look, kinda vintage but deffinatly in and easy to do.
Made this for my daughter yesterday to cover up a stained shirt that was ruined the first time she wore it! I was so pleased with the outcome! Thank you for the idea!
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