Difficulty: Intermediate
In preparation for our trip to Disney World, not only am I making custom Mickey ears, but also putting together lots of Disney themed outfits. Mike, my husband, maintains that just because we are going to Disney World doesn’t mean we have to dress in Disney the whole trip. I disagree.
That’s part of the fun, showing your Disney spirit by wearing your favorite characters. There are tons of Disney t-shirts and pants and hats and sweat shirts and coats and shoes and pretty much any type of clothing you want to wear Disney on they make it.
Why am I making a Disney t-shirt when I could just buy one? Well I had an idea of what I wanted my shirt to look like, but I didn’t find anything that was similar to the idea in my head. Then I thought if I really want that shirt why don’t I try to make it.
I figured since I’m pretty crafty I could probably pull off the design and have it look half way decent. I came up with a design and a plan and bought my supplies and then got to work and boy was it work. The difficulty level is intermediate for good reason. This is very detailed work, so if detail isn’t your thing you could skip this project or just choose a really simple design to make it easier.
I knew for my design I wanted to have a silhouette of Mickey and Minnie leaning in to kiss. I thought it would be a cute shirt to wear on Valentine’s Day. I looked online and found some silhouette pictures of Mickey and Minnie, including one with them leaning in to kiss, but then I found another design that I also really liked. I chose a new design with their tails forming the shape of a heart, also perfect for Valentine’s Day.
If you want to try this project take a look at the supplies list and technique before you jump in. This technique could be used to make any design on a t-shirt, not just Disney, so let your imagination run wild. Just remember the more detailed your picture the more difficult the project will be.
Supplies
Plain t-shirt (any color)
Black fabric paint (if creating a silhouette)
Contact paper
Black permanent marker
Red fabric for skirt and bow (fleece, felt or tulle work well)
Fabric glue or Needle and Red Thread or Sewing Machine
Paint Brush
Computer printout of picture or coloring book picture for design
Find a picture for your design either online or in a coloring book. You could also draw your own design if you are good at drawing. Remember that you are creating a silhouette, so the outline needs to be recognizable.
Carefully cut out the design. Take your time, so that it’s neat.
Once you have cut out the design lay it down on the plastic side of the contact paper and carefully trace your design with black permanent marker.
Once you have traced the whole design you need to carefully cut out the design. Remember that after you have cut out the design that the remaining edges are your stencil, so cut from the middle out to the edges. Do not cut in from the outside edge or you will ruin your stencil. Take your time and be very careful with this part, because you want the edges to be nice and smooth.
I have the stencil oriented the wrong way in this picture.
For my design I needed to cut out the middle of the heart and the space between each of their legs and those small pieces were applied to the t-shirt after the main stencil was applied. Take a plastic bag or piece of cardboard and place inside of the t-shirt under the space where the design will be painted. This will prevent bleed through.
Apply the stencil. Peel the paper away at the top left corner and stick the corner of the stencil down on the shirt. Work all the way across the top of the stencil to the top right corner and stick the stencil down as you go. Then carefully pull the paper toward the bottom of the shirt pressing the stencil to the fabric as you go. Once you get to the bottom of the stencil remove the paper backing completely and look at the placement of the stencil. If necessary you may need to adjust the stencil.
Once you are happy with the placement of the stencil add any cutouts that will create blank space once painted, such as the heart and leg space. Press down the edges really well with your finger tips.
Take a small paint brush and apply paint all the way around the edges of the stencil first. This will help to seal the stencil down and help create a clean edge.
After you have done the outline fill in the rest of the design and let dry completely.
Once dry carefully peel the stencil away. If necessary clean up the edges with a bit more paint and give a second coat of paint to any light spots. Let dry completely.
To complete the design cut a small bow shape for Minnie and a very wide A-line skirt shape to be gathered to make her skirt. You can use fabric glue, needle and thread or a sewing machine to attach the bow and skirt.
With Minnie’s outfit complete your shirt is done!
