Creating a Christmas t-shirt for your little one to wear throughout the festive season, or to give as lovely handmade present, is super-easy with this DIY. Team tiny & little have been making these t-shirts each Christmas for a few years now and the little ones continue to adore it. This is an activity that doesn’t come with the “kids, don’t try this at home” line – we truly hope you will because it’s a fun and easy Christmas craft!
Now, you don’t need to be restricted to a t-shirt – the little ones could make Oh Deer hankies, napkins, placemats, bunting, wrapping fabric and tags for gifts, anything of fabric that takes their fancy.
What you’ll need
Paper or Overhead Transparency Film (we use overhead transparencies because the stencils last for years)
A tiny & little deer template (you can print as is or save it to your computer and resize to fit your t-shirt)
Scissors or a utility knife
T-shirt
Thick cardboard
Fabric paint in black, white and red
Paintbrush
Masking tape (optional)
Cotton buds
What you’ll do
Print out your Oh Deer template on paper or overhead transparency paper
Cut around the outline of the deer to remove the shaded section
Place a piece of the thick cardboard inside the t-shirt so the paint doesn’t run through to the back of the shirt
Place the deer stencil you’ve created where you’d like it on your t-shirt
Optional – place rolled up masking tape between the stencil and shirt near the edges of the template to help it stay still
Using a paintbrush, dab white fabric paint inside the template until you’re happy with how it looks
It’s okay to not have the paint even all over as that will give a lovely vintage look when it dries
Leave to dry
Dip a cotton bud in the black fabric paint and dab it on the deer’s face to create the eyes
Dip another cotton bud in the red fabric paint and dab it on the deer’s face to make the nose
Leave to dry
Once your t-shirt is completely dry, remove the cardboard inside and follow the instructions on your fabric paint to set the image (eg. the one t&l uses requires a medium heat iron for 30 seconds)
Voila! Your own Oh Deer t-shirt. Happy crafting!