Here's a tidbit about carrots that even Bugs Bunny may be surprised to hear: whittle the tips of these crunchy roots into squares or triangles, and you've got the perfect implements for printing T-shirt mosaics.

MATERIALS

Plastic bag
Cardboard cut to fit between the front and back of the shirt
Prewashed T-shirt
A few carrots
Paring knife
Paper
Pencil
Fabric paint
Plastic plates

Wrap the plastic bag around the cardboard and slip it inside the shirt. Then create the stamps by cutting the tip of each carrot into a square or triangle shape. Meanwhile, your child can use the paper and pencil to experiment with a few designs. It's best to stick with shapes that aren't too intricate, like a broad-leaved flower or a flag. When she's settled on one she likes, have her re-sketch it on the shirt.

Now pour fabric paint onto the plastic plates and show your child how to dip the carrot tips into the paint and use them to print a series of squares and triangles to fill in the sketched design. To create a field of stars like the one on the flag shown here, simply attach sticker stars to the fabric, print rows of blue squares on top of them, then remove the stickers once the paint dries.

Finally, heat-set the finished design and launder the shirt according to the paint manufacturer's directions.

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• Art |
• Cloth & Fabric Crafts |
• Clothes Decorating |
• Painting Supplies |
• School Age |
• Tween

Related Categories:

• T-Shirts |
• Terrific Ts