Captain America On Your Left T Shirt

Not a week goes by after Husband comes home from a training run that he has a story about how someone refuses to follow the rules of our running/biking/walking/rollerblading trails and almost causes an accident.  Apparently folks like to use the center of the trail instead of keeping to the right hand side. Verbally signaling when they are about to pass someone, which should be on the left, doesn't always happen either.

The first time we watched Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier (we see every Marvel movie at least three times in the theater) Husband leaned over and excitedly whispered in my ear, “See! See! Captain America has good running etiquette!” during the scene where Steve Rodgers is out for a  jog and calls out, “on your left” every time he passes a fellow runner.





I knew right then and there I needed to give Husband a Captain America On Your Left t shirt as a gift. I couldn't find one in a store so I made one! You can too. Here’s how.

How to Make a Freezer Paper Stencil Captain America T-shirt

You will need:

T shirt, with or without a pocket
Computer print out of the words On Your Left
Pencil
Freezer paper
Craft knife or scissors
Iron and ironing board
Tulip Soft Fabric Paint - Matte Glacier White – white
Squeegee (I use an old gift card)
Captain America embroidered shield patch

Make it:

1. Create and print the words On Your Left in your size and font on computer paper. I used the Haettenschweiler font and put it in italics to make it look speedy.

2. Make a freezer paper stencil by tracing the words from the printout onto a piece of freezer paper, shiny side down and cutting the letters out from the freezer paper with a craft knife or scissors. Make sure you save the inside of the letters O and E.

3. Use a warm iron to iron the freezer paper stencil to the t shirt.

4. At the top of your stencil, run a thin line of white fabric fabric paint. It is better to use two thin coats of screen printing paint than one thick coat of paint if your paint is a lighter color than your t shirt like mine. If you use one thick coat of screen printing paint it could seep under the stencil.

I put a piece of scrap paper underneath my homemade stencil to protect the t shirt from accidental paint drips because I cut the bottom of the bottom stencil border a little short.

5. Use the squeegee to fill the stencil with a downward motion.




6. Allow the paint to set for a bit (I waited about 15 – 30 minutes.) Carefully remove the freezer paper stencil while the paint is still wet. This will help keep your edge lines crisp.



Tip: Since I had to use two coats of white paint on a dark blue shirt, I let the first thin coat of white screen printing paint dry with the stencil still ironed onto the shirt. Then I applied the second thin coat of white paint to the stencil, allowed the paint to set, and finally removed the stencil from the shirt.

There was a little paint seepage but Husband loves the shirt so much he told me he doesn't care that it isn't 100% perfectly silk screened although perfectionist that I am, I kinda do.

7. Iron the Captain America shield patch on the left side of the t shirt per the directions on the package. I don’t have very good luck with iron on patches staying on clothing like they say. To make sure the patch stays put, I ironed it into place and hand stitched the shield patch to the shirt with red thread.

Stitch! Stitch!

8. Wrap your t shirt and give it to your favorite Star Spangled Man (or Woman) with a Plan!

Looking for more handmade holiday gift ideas? Check out the clever ideas from my favorite bloggers below!


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