Stars & Stripes Graphic Tee

This is a super easy and fun technique! Add some big, graphic stripes to a basic tee -- and throw in a star or two for even more visual splash!

GIVEAWAY UPDATE: thanks to everybody who entered, we have a winner! Robin said "I would have to say Orion also, mainly because it is one of the only ones I can ever find – that and the big dipper." Robin, we'll be in touch via email soon :)

To make this tee, all you need is some fabric paint, masking tape, and a paintbrush. An exacto knife helps too, but be sure to get a grownup to help you, if you haven't used one before.

For this tutorial, I decided to use the Liberty Jane Off-the-Shoulder tee, but you could just as easily do this technique on the free Trendy Tee. 

Cut out the front of your tee, and prepare to embellish...

I used one long strip of masking tape, and cut it into narrow strips with the exacto knife; then, I stuck several strips together, and traced around a paper star to get the shape I wanted. An exacto knife is super helpful when cutting this out, too.

Carefully peel up the masking tape stencils, and stick them on the shirt. (I put a piece of wax paper under the shirt front, just to help catch any possible paint bleed-through.) Once you have the tape positioned where you want it, rub it down firmly with your fingers to make sure no paint can creep underneath it. 

And... paint! Follow the directions on the package, and let the paint dry. 

Here's my finished shirt front -- at this point, it's a good idea to heat set the paint using an iron and a pressing cloth, or you can just throw the finished shirt in the dryer for half an hour or so. 

Finish sewing the shirt together.

And, give it to your doll! 

Thanks everybody, and have fun with this!

For Pixie Faire,
Melinda