I have all kinds of good memories from the 4th of July as a child. Everything about the day is a celebration- the food, the fireworks, the family get-togethers. And of course, those things are just that much more exciting to a child if he or she gets to wear something celebratory at the same time.
Here’s a fun and easy 4th of July tutorial for making a flag t-shirt with your kids. It uses an easy sticker and tape resist method I learned from Putti Prapancha. The results are so dramatic!
Directions for Flag Shirt
1. Place a piece of cardboard in between the two layers of the t-shirt. This will prevent the paint from leaking to the back of the shirt. Use masking tape to section off the star portion of the flag and to make the white stripes. {I did the taping for this shirt, but an older child might be able to tape with guidance}
2. Use a craft sponge to dab on the red stripes. {I find that I like the rustic look of dabbing better than regular painting for home painted t-shirts. It makes irregularities look like “character” rather than mistakes. It’s also good for sticker resist painting because it uses less paint; so there is less chance for it to get under the stickers}.
3. After the paint has dried, pull off the tape, and put new tape around the outside of the star section of the flag {to keep the blue from mixing with the red stripes} Fill the star section with star stickers, making sure to press down firmly {so the paint can’t bleed under them}
4. Dab with blue paint. {Make sure to dab enough paint around the stars so that the star shapes can be sufficiently recognized} Wait until dry, and remove stickers and tape.
Removing the star stickers is especially fun. It looks like a real flag now!
What an amazing t-shirt! Kids love wearing personalized shirts especially when they can help make them. Check out these other great t-shirt tutorials for more fun ideas:
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