DIY Father's Day T-Shirts

With Father's Day rapidly approaching, it's time to be making your gifts!  Here's what we did last year for Daddy (we can't share this year's project since the big day isn't here yet - we don't want him getting wind of our plans!)

Since Daddy needs t-shirts and he's very particular about the ones that he likes, we decided to try making some to meet his specifications.  :-)

First, we bought shirts in good, paintable colors:  charcoal gray and forest green.

Then, I drew the words I wanted on each shirt in solid, block letters with a piece of light-colored chalk.  My Big Girl at 5 was able to handle painting her own words.  (I expected them to be pretty messy, but she did amazingly well.  I guess I didn't give her enough credit!)

I mixed one part acrylic paint with one part fabric medium.  Using a stiff-bristled brush, scrub the paint into the fabric.  (It's a good idea to put an old cookie sheet or piece of cardboard inside the shirt and masking tape it tight to hold it in place before painting.)

When my Big Girl had finished with her words and I had painted my Little Man's, it was time to do their hands.  We used a contrasting color and dipped one hand at a time into the paint, stamped it on the shirt, and then wiped it clean before doing the next one.

My Little Man's hands made a heart, while my Big Girl's just showed the size of her hands.

After drying for several hours, I pressed the shirts with a light iron and then washed them with some salt in cold water.  That sets the paint so it won't fade or wash away.

Voila!  Personalized shirts for Daddy in just a few hours!