6.26.2009

Screw Ambien, Get Yo'Self These Pillows.

*Based on the initial comments, I'll add some more "instruction" and detail on how I did these! Holly, I totally thought of these in my head, but there's no guarantee that I didn't see it somewhere first (double negative!). Let me know when you guys start doing your own stuff!

Freezer paper stenciling action has returned to the craft room, folks. In full force. This time, instead of tracing onto the freezer paper, I just sent it directly through the printer! Ha, skipped a step. Take that, freezer paper. Here, I'll take you through my recent fun-times:
You can easily trace images onto the non-shiny side of Reynolds Freezer paper
or, as I did, draft an image or text on your computer. And get ready to print directly.

Cut the Reynolds Freezer paper to 8.5" x 11" sheets.
Carefully feed it through to minimize a paper jam session.
I used a landscaped 288pt Impact Font.
Cut out all the black portions of the paper. You're creating a stencil of sorts.
Toss the black parts away , but don't forget to hang onto the center of letters, etc.
Like the middle of the "g" above. See the little doo-hickey? Hang onto that. You'll need it.

Iron it onto material well.
Don't forget the doo-hickeys.
Waxy side down. The wax creates a seal on the fabric so none of the paint will go there.
If you get a good seal down, it won't leak through AT ALL.

Fabric paint the heck out of it.

You could easily take artistic liberty here by going with more than one color, a pattern, whatever. I tend to stick with one color straight from the bottle or one I blend. Works better for me. UNLESS, I do sunshine. Then I do a radiated lighter-to-darker color.

I've tried acrylic + fabric medium
(a liquid additive), but not a fan (too hard).
Tulip is a good, soft brand. It makes the painted sections not feel as much like paint and is readily available at most craft stores.

Wait until dry and peel off.
Play with this part. Sometimes I wait until REALLY dry, sometimes I don't have patience.
Either way, sometimes I get leak throughs and sometimes I don't.
I've figured out the perfect time for the amount of paint layers I do, but you should play with your own technique and fabric material.
Tote bags, for example, don't get a good seal for me. Has too many little ridges, like a ribbed tank top. Blah.

Iron for 3 minutes to set the color.
-important so it doesn't wash off.
Throw on bed and marvel at your handiwork.
Can't wait for bedtime.
Zzzzz.

hope the additional language helped!

13 comments:

lizcannon said...

supercute idea!!! love it!!!

Ryan and Katie said...

I love this idea but I still don't get it. Do you cut out the letters and iron those on? Or do they just leave an outline and you paint it? Are the letters on the pillow what you printed on freezer paper or what you painted? I'm confused but I really want to make onesies....I think I'm making this way too difficult :)

Sarah said...

you lost me at freezer paper but they are super cute! i continue to be in awe of your talent.

Holly said...

so cute, did you think this up on your own? you and dev both have endless creativity!

Tara said...

You are so crafty...I just love ya! These pillows should definitely be included in your new business somehow. I'll keep thinking of what that new business might be and get back to you.

Ryan and Katie said...

ok I get it better but still have one more question. In the finished product pic the pillow fonts are black and red but in the pic of you painting the stencils the paint looks brown....is it just the lighting or does fabric paint look a weird color then dry different?

Andrea said...

maybe you could just make some for me?

Leslie said...

Apparently, I'm all about the misrepresentation of color this week. I started out with brownish, didn't like it, and covered it with a blue, which made it teal! Fabric paint allows for good amount of layering. yay.

Leslie said...

and it's pink-ish + blue-ish.

tricia said...

cute and cute!

tricia said...

one question, when you say "Iron for 3 minutes to set the color," do you mean iron directly on top of the painted letters or do you put something in between the iron and the letters?

Unknown said...

those are so freaking cute!!! you lost me awhile ago... i keep thinking maybe i should try something creative with all this free time of mine... but alas, i never seem to find the ability to do so...

KateKwiltz said...

Those are fantastic! Have you tried Shiva PaintStiks? Oil-based paint crayons, blend with a stencil brush. Heat set in the dryer or iron. Very nice finish, and very fun to play with. Doesn't feel like paint.

If you saved the cutouts, you could use those somewhere else, yes?