Freehand and Copying Technique

• 1). Wash a new cotton T-shirt (without fabric conditioner) to rinse out the sizing before starting to apply fabric paint. Allow it to dry overnight or use your clothes dryer.
  
  
• 2). Lay some sheets of newspaper or brown parcel paper on a flat work surface. Lay the ironed T-shirt on the paper. Place a sheet of cardboard inside the T-shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through to the back.
  
  
• 3). Draw the flower of your choice using a pencil for a white T-shirt or chalk for a colored shirt. Draw a simple flower by starting with a center circle, then draw four to five circles around the center circle, with two vertical lines below to create the stem if you want one. Another choice is to copy an image of a flower to create a naturalistic drawing. Or place a traced flower image underneath the T-shirt and retrace over the flower onto the fabric. (The traced image will have to be outlined in black for the image to be seen through the fabric.)
  
  
• 4). Choose the colors for your flower. Paint the flower with fabric paint using a round art brush. Use a smaller art brush to paint finer details, if required. Let the T-shirt dry for the time specified on the paint container.
  
  
• 5). Create expressive flowers by using just your paintbrush to draw and paint flowers onto your T-shirt.
  
  

Stencil Technique

• 1). Use a plastic stencil of a flower from a crafts store or make your own stencil out of card or paper.
  
  
• 2). Draw a flower on a sheet of plain card or paper, or trace from an image.
  
  
• 3). Cut out the stencil carefully with a craft knife. Cut contour lines only in dashes or in areas where you want the paint to go through to the fabric. Flowers like roses can be quite intricate in terms of detail, but it is better to simplify the shape for cutting.
  
  
• 4). Place the stencil onto the fabric. Apply masking tape to hold the stencil in place.
  
  
• 5). Choose your flower colors. Paint over the stencil using a brush. Make sure to apply a consistent layer of paint. Let the T-shirt dry.
  
  

Stamping Technique

• 1). Collect some household stamps to create your flowers by using bottle tops, coins, cardboard discs, pebbles, seashells or leaves.
  
  
• 2). Pour some fabric paint onto an old plate.
  
  
• 3). Dip your household stamping tool into the paint. Press your stamp onto the T-shirt to print the center of the flower. Repeat to print the petals around the center. Use a twig as a stamping tool to print the stem if your design includes one.
  
  

Sponge Technique

• 1). Make an abstract flower design using a sponge. Use a small round sponge, or cut up a bath sponge into small cube-like shapes with scissors.
  
  
• 2). Select your sponge shape and dip into your fabric paint. Press the sponge firmly onto the fabric to create a roundish shape for the center of the flower. Repeat this step to sponge on the petals around the center of the flower. The sponging technique is great for creating expressive flowers.
  
  
• 3). Use a spatula sponge to draw on the flower stem, if applicable.