The “I Choo Choo Choose You” Tee
The Facts: “I Choo Choo Choose You T-Shirt”
Fabric: Red Bamboo/Organic Cotton/Lycra Blend
Pattern: Kwik Sew 3299
Year: Contemporary
Notions: Fusible stay tape for shoulders, thread
Time to complete: 14 hours
First worn: February 14th, 2012
Wear again? Absolutely
Total cost: $25
I had a piece of red bamboo jersey earmarked for a t-shirt for my husband. He wears a LOT of t-shirts, but he’s very particular about fiber content and design so he likes the shirts I make for him. When I mentioned the “Red” theme for Sew Weekly, he immediately blurted out “Can you do a “Choo Choo Choose You” stencil on the red t-shirt?
Of course I can try. It’s a Simpson’s joke (he grew up on it). I played with an image of the ill-fated Valentine card from the show to make the stencil. It was pretty tricky to balance the light and dark lines, but I got there in the end. I spent about five hours total cutting the stencil from freezer paper with a razor blade. Then I ironed it onto the shirt and sprayed five or six thing coats of white over the stencil, allowing it to dry thoroughly between layers. Once it dried completely, I peeled off the freezer paper (carefully- I can re-use it!) and covered the design with a press cloth while I set the paint with heat. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but it’s worth trying, right?
We’re both quite pleased with how it turned out. Our next collaborative project may involve a Day of the Dead koala (he works with koalas) or the Lorax. I love that we have this small and regular collaboration in our lives.
Street Art T-Shirts Tutorial Part I
Street Art T-Shirts Tutorial Part II
Free downloadable .pdf stencil found here
eek I love this. My sisters and I grew up watching The Simpsons. I’m impressed with the homemade stencil too.
Great xx
now that’s a great t-shirt.
This is so great.
Wow. The t-shirt looks amazing, and I am so impressed with your patience. 5 hours to cut out a stencil is admirable. Great job!
This is so awesome! I have book marked your stencil as I have a friend who would love this!
GEEKTASTIC! Love love love – it turned out so well!
What an amazing gift and collaboration! Thanks for sharing the details of your process. I’ve used freezer paper stencils before, but I never thought of printing an image from the computer onto freezer paper.
I commented on your blog, but have to here, too. Just love this! And can’t wait to see the Lorax collaboration. Or Dia de los Muertos Koala?! Hilarious.