Freezer paper stencils- Doctor Who

Hello Sweetie!

I was introduced to freezer paper stencils a few years ago by my dear friend, and it has since been my go to trick for shirt embellishment. Most of those shirts have been for the kiddo. It's about time Mama had some fun, right?

For this project you will need:
Freezer paper (found in the grocery store near the foil. This is NOT the same as waxed paper!)
An Iron
Fabric paint (I used metallic)
Scissors or an exacto knife
Plain canvas tote bag (available at the craft store in various sizes)

That's right, kids. Whovian tote bags. I will pause for a moment while you take in the splendid geekiness.

"But I couldn't paint a straight line with a Dalek exterminator gun pointed at my head!" you say.  Fear not, freezer paper is here to save the day.

I drew the fez, bow-tie, and Tardis outline myself, but any silhouette you can find and print off the Internet will work. Remember- you are going to have to cut this out eventually so the more simple the design, the better. Tape your design to a sunny window and the freezer paper over it, shiny side toward the glass.  Put your pencil and tracing skills to work!

I used simple lines for my design so I was able to use scissors instead of an exacto knife to cut out my design. For the negative spaces (white lines and boxes) for the Tardis I used a ruler to draw straight lines and cut strips of freezer paper.

 With your iron on the cotton setting and no steam, press the stencil onto the bag shiny side down.



At this point, my camera battery died, and I had to start using my phone. Imagine you saw me paint this:

Did you imagine I used a sponge brush to dab (not wipe) the paint over the stencil? Wow. You ARE good. Dabbing the paint straight down is important in case your ironing job wasn't as thorough as you thought it was, leaving gaps that paint can sneak under to ruin your beautiful, straight lines. Sneaky, paint is.

Once your paint is dry, simply pull your stencil off! I use a straight pin to start my peel, in case the paint isn't as dry as it seems. I'm telling you- sneaky. I chose not to add any more detail to the Tardis, but the fez is a different story.

What would a fez be without a tassel, anyway?

An upside-down flower pot on your head.

That was meant to be rhetorical.

Let's take a closer look at the finished products, shall we?

I wear a tote bag now. Tote bags are cool.


-Katie