Hand-painted sweatshirts are the perfect custom gift for someone special. You can do it, even if you’re not particularly artistic. About 90 percent of it is in the preparation, so with just a few simple instructions, you should be ready to go!
1. You will need: A sweatshirt and paint for clothes (available at craft stores), at the very least. Other materials that I find helpful are: a shirt box, clothespins, paper, pencil, computer, magic marker, exacto knife, cutting board, scotch tape, wax paper, pins, and children’s paintbrushes. You may or may not need all of these; and you may be able to substitute things you already have lying around the house, on a “make-do” basis.
2. Prepare the sweatshirt. First, wash and dry the sweatshirt. Most are 100% cotton and will shrink a bit, so you want to make sure that you’ve pre-shrunk it. After it’s dry, slip an old shirt box top (or a piece of cardboard, or whatever you have lying around) inside it. Make sure the box is directly under the area you plan to paint on and secure it with clothespins (or chip clips, or hair clips). This will give you a smooth, wrinkle-free surface to paint on; and ensure that the material won’t slip while you’re painting.
3.Plan the design. This is likely to be the longest step in the process. You’ll need to decide what you’re going to put on the sweatshirt. (If you need a little inspiration as to what to put on a hand-painted sweatshirt, please read my Associated Content article, “Unique Gift Idea: Hand-painted Sweatshirts”, subtitled, “Ideas for Creating the Perfect Custom Gift.”) Once you’ve decided on your design, “map it out” on a piece of paper.
If you’re artistically inclined, you could probably do something free-hand. If you’re like me, use your computer for help. If you find that you can’t get a large enough font on your computer, try enlarging the print-out on a copier. Or, if you’d like a more personal touch, measure lines on a blank piece of paper, and write something in your own handwriting. If you’d like to include graphics, but don’t really have the ability, check out your clip art or do an Internet search for an easily traceable image (ie- a star, an apple, holly).
4. Create a custom stencil. Now that you’ve perfected your design, tape the piece of paper on a cutting board (so that it won’t slip). Lie a piece of wax paper on top, and tape the edges to the cutting board. Using your magic marker, trace your design. (This is easy, since the wax paper is see through.) Remove the paper from underneath (in case you want to use it again). At this point, you could cut your stencil using a pair of scissors, however, I find using an exacto knife to be easier. If you’re going to take the exacto knife route, re-tape the wax paper to the cutting board, then cut the stencil. Remember to be mindful of things like leaving connecting lines to the inside of the letter “O”, and things like that. (You can take of those lines later.) Pin the stencil to the sweatshirt, making sure that it’s even and secure.
5. Paint. Paint for clothes comes in tubes that have a tip, so all you’ll need to do is squeeze the paint onto the sweatshirt according to your stencil. The paint is fairly thick, so if you find that you have a blob, or a blank spot, you can easily smooth the paint with a child’s paintbrush (available at the dollar store; 12 for $1). Once you’ve completed painting your design, unpin the stencil and carefully remove it (you don’t want to smear the paint). At this point fill in any odd spots that were left by your stencil. The paint takes 24-72 hours to dry, so I recommend that you wait three days before wearing, washing, or wrapping it.
And there you have it.. a custom-made, thoughtful, and inexpensive gift!
Editor’s note: I wish that I had a digital camera so that I could post some of the sweatshirts that I’ve made. Maybe if Santa brings me a camera I’ll have pictures before the New Year!
