Do you have a special Father's Day gift tradition?
Well, we do! We have made dad a special t-shirt each year since we first became parents.
I hope to make this year's shirt soon, but in the mean time I thought I'd share the shirts we've made in the past.
Please note that these have been well loved, worn and washed several times...
the oldest being 7 years! So some of the images aren't the greatest.
First Father's Day T-Shirt, 2004
Charlotte's baby footprints (I thought that would be easier than getting a hand print).
I used acrylic paint, brushed her feet, and carefully pressed them onto the shirt. Easier said than done with a baby... ha ha. I then added some fabric glue to make wings on either side, and added some sparkle.
I used a fabric marker to do the writing.
Father's Day 2005
front of shirt back of shirt
Acrylic paint for the prints, and fabric marker for the names and heart on the front.
Charlotte used fabric markers to draw on the back (I made the heart with a heart-shaped stencil).
Father's Day 2006
front of shirt back of shirt
Used fabric markers for this one.
Charlotte wrote "Dad" on the front, though it is quite faded now. She also wrote the numbers on the back of the shirt, while I wrote each item they came up with for their "Top 10 Reasons".
Father's Day 2007
front of shirt back of shirt
Acrylic paint for the prints, and fabric marker for the names and drawing on the front.
I had Charlotte draw her picture on a piece of paper. I traced over her lines with a black marker, placed the drawing under the shirt, and traced her lines onto the shirt. The fabric is hard for the little ones to draw on, so this gave us a nicer finished result.
Father's Day 2008
Overlapping hand prints using acrylic paint. Each in a different color.
Father's Day 2009
back of shirt front of shirt
Acrylic paint for the prints, and fabric marker for "we love dad!" on the front (written by Charlotte).
Father's Day 2010
front of shirt back of shirt
Acrylic paint for the hand prints on the front.
The kids used Sharpie markers to each draw a picture on the back. Sorry the back is so hard to see.
Not only do we make these for daddy...
but Papa sure loves to wear his custom shirts! These are some we've made him.
Acrylic paint for the hand prints.
Charlotte wrote using a fine-tipped Sharpie marker, that I also used to outline the hand prints.
Can't remember what the front of this one looks like...
The kids used fabric markers to each draw a picture on the back.
...and my personal favorite!
the front
Painted with acrylic by Charlotte
the back
I used iron-on letters, the first letter for each kid.
Some of the transfers didn't come off completely... ack! But a little white paint fixed that pretty easily.
I then added a print of each kid's hand on their initial, and painted their name over top of each print.
Some Tips for T-Shirt Decorating...
1) Place newspaper or a plastic place mat inside the shirt prior to decorating! This will keep your paint or marker from leaking onto the other side.
2) Always pre-wash your shirts!
3) BE PREPARED with paper towels, wet washcloth... near a sink perhaps... kids stripped of clothing... outside might be good.. haha.. anything to minimize the risk of getting paint or permanent markers where you wouldn't want them.
4) Heat set your shirts when finished. You can do this by using a hot iron or throwing them in a hot dryer. This will help lock in the colors and paint prints.
Soon I'll have this year's shirt to share!
If you are trying to come up with some Father's Day ideas, perhaps one of these shirts will catch your eye.
My kids LOVE making them each year, and are so proud to see daddy and Papa wearing them.
Happy Father's Day!
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