Freezer paper stencils

I've been drawn to scherenschnitte lately... the old European art of papercutting. All those little tiny cuts making a crazy intricate picture - all out of paper! It finally dawned on me today why I love this so much, but I'll share that another time. If you like eye candy, there's some great paper cutting here.

While wielding my X-Acto knife I had the idea to take this fragile art to a different medium. Why not get these lovely images on a tshirt via a stencil?

Out came the freezer paper, with it's papery top side and waxy bottom side. You can IRON this stuff onto fabric and peel it off again, making it a great stencil substrate! I cut the positive shape out of the freezer paper, ironed it on, then painted Tulip soft fabric paint on the shirt. Wait about 5 min, then carefully peel off the freezer paper.

I was really pleased with how intricate and detailed I could get and still not get paint bleeding under the paper. It'd be fun to let the kids design their own stencils (using scissors, not blades) and paint tshirts, jeans, tote bags... watch out thrift store, here we come!

Here's the finished product, along with another freezer paper stenciled shirt that is destined for a little boy who is not a stinker to hug.