How to Make Stenciled T-Shirts

Read all of the steps before starting.

Step 1: Prepare to Stencil

Thoroughly wash and dry the T-shirt to remove any sizing.

Pin the T-shirt to the plastic covered tack board or corrugated cardboard—be sure the T-shirt fits with a little room to spare. First, place a few layers of newspaper or freezer wrap inside the T-shirt to prevent paint from going through to the back of the shirt, smooth the T-shirt, then use straight pins to hold it in place taut.

Step 2: Make Stencil

Select a stencil pattern and print it. The Fish Stencils pattern includes a one-part fish stencil and a two-part fish stencil. Print and cut out the two-part stencil twice—once for the fish body and again for the stripes, stencil in two contrasting colors. The Seahorse Stencils pattern includes seahorse stencils in two sizes. The Smaller Stencils pattern has fish and seahorse stencils reduced in size to better fit kid-size T-shirts.

Cut on the rectangle around the stencil then cutout the gray areas of the stencil. When using stencil paper or vellum, trace the pattern onto it. Or place the printed pattern behind the stencil paper or vellum, and cut on a cutting mat or thick piece of cardboard using a craft knife.

Tip: Computer paper works fine for stencils, but may wrinkle when wet and can only be used a few times.  Special stencil paper or film is available at craft and graphic arts stores. It cuts easily, doesn't tear, and lasts almost forever. Artist's vellum also works well for stencils, and be purchased at craft and art supply stores.

Tip: You can use a commercial stencil. They come is many designs and sizes and can be purchased at craft stores.

Fish Stencils

Seahorse Stencils

Smaller Stencils

Patterns are Adobe PDF files. The Adobe Reader is available for free.

All of Aunt Annie's project patterns are designed to be printed on standard letter-size paper (8.5"x11" or A4). When printing from Adobe Reader, you may need to select Auto-Rotate and Center or Choose paper source by PDF page size to ensure the best fit.

Step 3: Adhere Stencil to T-Shirt

Spray the back of the stencil with spray adhesive (repositionable), following the manufacturer's directions.

Decide how many times you will stencil the design on the T-shirt and where each design will be placed. You might stencil three fish down one side or three across the chest or three along the shirt's bottom. You can place the designs perfectly straight or rotate each one in a slightly different direction—it's up to you.

Place the stencil on the T-shirt in the first position—work from top to bottom and left to right (or right to left if you are left handed).  Tip: A strip of masking tape applied to the T-shirt can be used as a guide in placing the stencil.

Step 4: Apply Paint

Squeeze fabric paint onto a plastic lid or plate. Dip a stencil brush or dampened sponge into the paint. Remember that stenciling is done with a nearly dry brush, so dab off any excess on newspaper or a paper towel. Also, be sure to use a brush or sponge of an appropriate size for the stencil.

Stipple the paint through the stencil cut-outs with an up and down dabbing motion. Stop with one color or apply other colors through the stencil, as desired. You might stencil the fish in white and then accent the tail and fins with a bright color.

Carefully remove the stencil to avoid smudging the paint edges. Apply the stencil again, to repeat the design on other parts of the T-shirt. When you are completely done painting, cure or set the paint according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Tips:

• Apply the paint very lightly to avoid making the T-shirt fabric stiff.
• Use fabric paint (or liquid embroidery) straight from the bottle to add accents on the fish—eyes, stripes, outline, etc.
• A sponge roller can be used to apply paint on larger stencils. It will make the work go faster.
• For a wider range of colors, you might try textile medium mixed into acrylic paints. Textile medium is made by most of the major craft paint manufactures and will be available in a rack near the acrylic paints.