DIY Inkblot Shirt

We received a bunch of hand-me-downs awhile back and one of the items was a plain black shirt.  I saw it and immediately knew that I wanted to try painting something on it.  But I wasn't sure what...   Now that I've been sick for the past couple of weeks, Chuck and I have pretty much stayed at home.... the whole time.

Now,  I love Chuck, but being locked indoors for long periods of time totally drives both of us CRAZY....   So that's what inspired me to make this DIY Inkblot shirt.

What do you see when you look at the design?

Keep on reading to find out how I made this bad boy!



Materials:

• Cereal box
• Scissors
• Shirt (clean)
• Craft Paint
• Fabric Medium
• Cup
• Spoon
• Clear Tape
• Packing Tape 
• Optional:  Iron and light cloth

Directions:
(Of all the directions online, I found this one from Ready Two Wear to be the most doable and helpful.  If any of my directions confuse you, check their site out!  They have a video showing how they did everything.)

1.  Create a cereal box rectangle to fit inside your shirt.  Now fold that in half lengthwise.  (This fold will help guide your folding later.)

2.  Slide the cardboard inside of your shirt.  (It will protect your paint from dripping through.) Make sure that your cardboard's fold lies in the middle of your shirt.

3.  Turn your shirt over to the back.  Tape down your arms and any loose bits. You want the shirt to fit snuggly around the cardboard so that your design won't move around and smear as you paint. Again, make sure that your cardboard fold is in the middle of your shirt.

4.  Now it's time to make our fabric paint.  Mix your craft paint and fabric medium according to the directions.  (My container said to mix them in a ratio of 2:1).

 5.  Take your taped up shirt and fold in half.  Then, open in slightly.  Drip some paint onto one half of the front of the shirt.  Then, quickly fold down your other half to print the same design on the other side.  (We're looking for symmetry here.)  Keep repeating this procedure.  Drip some paint on one side, then quickly fold and push the other side down. 

6.  Once you finish, you should have a design that's kind of weird and symmetric. (I think this one looks like a frog doing yoga.... or maybe a dragon... not sure.)

7.  Let your paint dry overnight.  Then, pull off the tape and pull out your cardboard.

8.  Optional:  Heat set your design.  I usually do this, but this time I didn't.  Place a thin piece of cloth (like a dish towel) over your design.  Then, iron it.

Some notes about washing:

• Some of my cardboard stuck to my shirt, but it just came off in the wash.  
• The paint initially felt pretty hard and stiff.  But then it softened up after one wash.
• I wash this shirt inside out.  (I also put it in the dryer to dry, but I have a feeling that could crack the paint... so I'll probably hang dry this shirt next time.)

And that's it.  Now you've got yourself an inkblot shirt.  Make one for yourself, or give it to your valentine.

Happy crafting! 

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