T Shirt painting parties can be great fun for children of all ages. It is an opportunity to have a party with a difference where they are all encouraged and enabled to be creative. And it ends with a gift to take home that will remind them of the day and and that they can be proud of. The range of materials they can use is vast and the themes unlimited. See below for ideas and practical advice.

You will need:

T shirts

• Appropriately sized T shirts for each child – older girls may prefer more fitted T shirts
• Coloured T shirts may add interest or a more contemporary feel to the event
• If using a strong colour (eg black) be sure your fabric paints are adequate for the task
• For best adhesion of fabric paints (all brands) the manufacturers advise that you prewash your T shirts in the absence of any fabric conditioner
• If using cheap T shirts you may need to select a size up as most T shirts shrink on washing

Decoration

• Paints and paint brushes or fabric pens or crayons
• (Beware: some of these may require ironing to fix.  Be sure you know whether this is necessary and provide yourself with an iron – kept out of reach of the children)
• Glow in the dark paints are great for Autumn and Winter events and parties
• Stencils help all of the children to feel they can achieve something but not all children need these, some are very creative indeed
• Like-wise, appliqués are great for instant effect – you could use iron-on appliqués, fabric glue or the children could sew their own
• You can use sequins, beads, glitter, ribbon, ric rac braid, buttons, badges and attach them with a washable fabric glue or a needle and thread, as appropriate

The extras to make it run smoothly

• Plenty of water with jam jars for rinsing brushes and wet cloths for wiping any stenciils
  Disposable or wipe-clean aprons for the children
  Rectangles of cardboard cut from boxes (or large tiles) to put inside the T-shirts to prevent the paint or glue penetrating onto the back.
  A low temperature oven (50°C), hair dryer, large airing cupboard or sunny shelf: alternatively, the children can take the T-shirts home to dry on their cardboard supports
  For iron on paints, felt tips, crayons or appliqués, an iron on a low-medium setting (silk) and a spare cloth or handkerchief
  A table with a wipe clean surface or disposable tablecloth
  You may want child-safe scissors for cutting any braid or fabric or for ‘distressing’ T shirts

Instructions:

1.  Explain to the children the resources available and encourage each child to think about how they would like to lay out their T-shirt; they could plan it on paper
   ·         A theme or stencils and appliqués provide a useful starting point
   ·         Children can also be encouraged to be more creative and to add freehand designs of their choice 

For Dry to Fix Paints

1. These are the easiest to use for groups of children as there is no need for the T shirts to be ironed at the event and if you are gluing any extra decorations in place this can be done all in one stage 

For Iron-On Materials

1. If you are using iron-on materials such as some paints, felt tip pens, crayons or appliqués, the children will need to decorate their T shirts early in the party and then an adult should fix them in place with an iron
   ·         The painted T-shirts will need to be placed in a warm area to dry (no more than 50°C) before the paints can be fixed.
   ·         Then simply place a spare cloth or handkerchief over the design and fix it with the iron on a medium-low or silk setting: 8-10 seconds of heat should be adequate but check the manufacturer’s instructions

For Materials to be Glued in Place

1. If you are decorating your designs with sequins, beads, glitter, fabric pieces, ribbon or ric rac braid these should be added after any iron-on materials have been fixed in place (In which case the children will need to decorate their T shirts in stages*)

For Distressed T shirts

1. Older children may enjoy to ‘distress’ their T shirts – you could teach them tie-dying using Dylon fabric dies or even just dilute bleach (for dark colours)
   ·         Beware of children staining or bleaching their own clothes
2. If you are feeling adventurous you might trust them to gently distress the neck, sleeve and hem lines with scissors!  

Finally

1. Don’t forget to label each T-shirt with the child’s name
2. When the children leave give each parent or carer clear instructions on how to wash the T shirt and if any of the paints, felt tip pens or crayons have not been ironed in place at the party, full instructions on how to do so

© hopefish 2011

Hopefish T shirt Painting Party Packs

Hopefish can provide you with great value party packs with full instructions to help you to put on your event. Kits contain all you need for multiples of six children (with the option to add extra T shirts, aprons and brushes for any extra numbers) and include easy 'dry to fix' paints, aprons, brushes, quality T shirts, stencils, full instructions and lots more exciting stuff.