Our baby is growing fast and likes to participate in what we do, so a few weeks ago I thought it was time for our first craft together: A custom colored shirt with her name on it.
For this work we only need a tee, paper and crayons.
To start we cut the picture we want to do on the shirt on a sheet of paper. In my case I did it on an adhesive paper that can be purchased at any stationery store, and would avoid the bits of wax to sneak on sites we don’t want to color.
If you use an ordinary paper, put it by carefully on the smooth fabric and see that it will not rise. To do this with children is much more practical, as I say, to stick the paper to the fabric. (the glue is not very strong, so it can then be removed without problems). And between the front and back of the shirt put a cardboard or several papers to absorb the excess of wax and protect the back of stain.
With a pencil sharpener, we make powder with the waxes we want to use. I made a pile for each color, but I knew that María was going to mix them, and effectively his “decision” was to use all the colors at once.
Split the chips on paper with the design that we like and at the end, carefully helping with a brush, withdraw all the bits that have been left out of the work area. (If there is anyone out then we will have unwanted spots).
We place a sheet of paper on the drawing being careful not to move the wax (in this case did not matter much because the colors were mixed, but if the design has a definite pattern will be damaged by moving chips with paper above).
We turn on the iron to medium heat and without steam. This way will take a little longer to melt the wax, but if you set it too hard or ironed too long, too fat spread the wax around the edges of the drawing leaving it poorly defined.
When we see how the iron melt waxes and paper absorbs excess, it is very easy to see when to stop.
Just after the upper board paper is removed and left to cool.
We can now remove the paper template and presto, we have a new shirt.
You can of course do the drawing without template, it’s all about skill. And it can also be fun that older children draw a picture with soft wax on the fabric and then secure them with the iron. I have not tried, because Maria is very tiny, but I think it would be better to use a slightly more rigid (one canvas or something) so it does not deform while painting fabric, and then sew it on a t-shirt ..
These shirts can be washed in the washing machine quietly, although it should be done with the garment inside out and in cold water.
