Fool-the-Eye Tie

Total Time Needed:: 2-3 Hours

With a little fabric paint and a freezer-paper stencil, this tee goes formal with faux neckwear. Kids can easily design their own tie: the louder, the better!

Materials

Plastic-coated freezer paper (found in the food-wrap section of most supermarkets)
Masking tape
Craft knife
T-shirt

Iron
Waxed paper
Paintbrushes
Fabric paint

Instructions

Draw the outline of a necktie onto the non-shiny side of a piece of freezer paper.
Tape the freezer paper to a cutting board or surface and use the craft knife to cut out the shape (a parent's job).
Lay the stencil, shiny side down, on the T-shirt. With the iron on the cotton setting, press briefly all around the edges of the stencil until the paper sticks to the shirt (don't sweep the iron back and forth; doing so may tear the paper).
Slip a sheet of waxed paper into the shirt to prevent bleed-through. Paint your design, always stroking toward the center so that the paint doesn't seep under the stencil.
Carefully peel off the stencil and allow the paint to dry.