miycreations, miy-kids-craft-t-shirt-art

MIy Store
Spring Collection
Creations by MaddyLane

Miycreations Project article and photographs
by Madeleine M Langlois MaddyLane Designs

"Back-to-school fashions fit to a T"
Kids can design their own shirts

Let your kids design and personalize their back to school fashions with their own style. I
didn't like some of the commercial designs offered on some of the clothing for my youngest
son age group, so I gave my boys Setaskrib fabric makers and a few plain t-shirts and said
“Here you go… draw something cool on these T-shirts”. Well, I have to tell you, this is a
project that they both enjoyed doing (even if my boys are different ages, one is in
elementary school and one is a teenager). I was amazed at their original creations. I could
not supply them with enough T-shirts, they just kept on going they were having so much
fun. Get your children to design and personalize their own back to school wardrobes.
Teens can get very creative with these markers to make very cool fashion statements on
their jeans, jackets, school bags, etc.

Materials & tools:
• Plain t-shirts in solid light solid colors or various fashion items of your child’s choice (you
can revive the ones that you already have or purchase new plain ones)
• Setaskrib and Setaskrib+ fabric markers by Pébéo in assorted colors and effects
• A piece of cardboard
• An iron and ironing board (to heat-set the designs)
• Stencils or templates (optional)
• Painter’s tape (optional)

(Materials for this project are available at arts, crafts, fabric and the above-mentioned
stores.)

It’s that easy to transform plain t-shirts in creative works of art, or spruce some of last
years t-shirts with new designs, patterns and colors to make the most of your kids
wardrobe. From free-hand style graffiti like tags designs to simple geometrics shapes,
swirls and even scribbles.

SetaSkrib fabric makers are so easy to use with basic stencil shapes, it’s really child’s play.
Setaskrib and setaskrib+ fabric markers are very practical felt tip markers for drawing on
all types of fabrics, clothing and accessories. They are available in fine, broad or "brush"
tips, they are available in bright to fluorescent fashion colors. The clear vivid and bright
colors will liven up plain t-shirts in no time at all.

Pre-wash, dry and iron the t-shirts of fashion items to be used. For optimum color
adhesion, do not use bleach or softeners. Place a piece of cardboard between two layers
of fabric to prevent the color from seeping through.
You can secure the t-shirts to a work area by placing painter’s tape on the sides along the
borders of the items, for stability while drawing on the t-shirts.

When using fabric markers you can either follow a design that is already on clothing items
or you can opt to go free-hand. You can also add your own design; you can purchase
simply iron-on transfer paper, available at fabric retail stores. Some iron-on transfer
papers are available with ready-to-use designs. Iron the design onto clothing and apply
the fabric marker color where desired.

To use the markers on the fabric, simply press lightly and glide evenly. Children can follow
a design of their choice, or work free-hand such as loops, swirls, lines, checks, dots,
curves or funky graffiti-style artwork. Once the child is finished or satisfied with the
composition, remove the cardboard. Set the T-shirts aside to let them dry and cure
completely at room temperature for 24 hours.

The marker designs will dry quickly. Heat set the markers with an iron, by pressing for two
to three minutes on the reverse side of the t-shirts on the cotton setting. Once heat set,
the designs are permanent, but wait 48 hours before washing the newly decorated fabrics.
The t-shirts creations will withstand machine washing and drying. You will be amazed on
how bright the colors remain.

Heat-set; the fabric markers by ironing the reverse side of the item for 3 minutes (cotton
or high setting). Once heat-set, the colorful marker designs are machine washable, ( wait
at least 48 hours before washing them). The colors will not fade, crack or peel-off, and
remain flexible once dry.

Variations: Clothing items and accessories from jeans, hats, purses, to fabric running
shoes can also be embellished with spectacular colorful designs.
Achieve a unique watercolor effect by going over the marker lines with a paintbrush and
some water.
They can also be used in combination with and over fabric paints.

You can also use the fabric markers to embellish various decorative accessories as well,
such as tablecloths, napkins, pillow cases, placemats, runners and curtains etc.

Miy Kids Craft project
Back-to-School T-Shirt Art
"f o r t h e p u r e j o y o f m a k i n g t h i n g s"