I have really developed a love for at-home custom screen printing shirts, bags, and hats for my family.

All my kids now know that when their birthday rolls around, they will be getting a painted shirt from mom. I do it so often now that I thought I should put a tutorial together so others may see how they can do it too.

Note: Here are a few screen printed items I have made. . . Adventure Awaits, Brother Bear, Mama Moose, Harley Davidson Dealer, Police K-9 Unit, Future Police Officer, Disney Backpacks, Disney Best Day Ever, Disneyland Subway Art, Disney Family Vacation, League of Their Own, Disney Hats, Halloween Trick-or-Treat Bags, and the list goes on. . .

Supplies:

 

*Note: Notice that these steps are for painting a shirt, but can be used for painting any item: such as hats, backpacks, scarves, etc.


Step 1 : Prep

Begin by wrapping a cardboard piece in parchment/wax paper and placing in the shirt so that paint doesn’t seep through to the other side. Now I generally measure the shirt across and subtract about 6-9″ to determine what size to make the template.


Step 2: Stencil Placement

Now place the template on the shirt. If using freezer paper, iron it into place (like I did here). If using vinyl, stick it on using this method with tacky spray. I also have a video below that shows how I do it. Now use a Mini Pizza Roller to ensure everything is well stuck. Disneyland Shirts


Step 3: Painting

Take sponge brush with fabric paint or acrylic paint {mix the fabric medium with your acrylic paint to make the paint flexible to help prevent cracking when washed} and dab paint within stencil/vinyl.

Disneyland Shirts

 


Step 4: Finishing

Once the paint is completely dry {I wait 12-24 hours, just to make sure} remove the vinyl stencil and cardboard from inside the shirt. Then place a piece of scrap fabric over the painted areas and heat set the paint with a hot iron.Disneyland Shirts

Ta-da! You are done.

DIY Screen Printing