Pumpkin Pie Shirt

I wanted something to wear for PI day, and so I took an old conference T-shirt and Painted Pumpkins in the Shape of a Pi symbol. I will also wear it around Thanksgiving.

I've painted more than a dozen shirts now, and it's easy and fun. I've done shirts with fabric paint and even plain acrylic paint, and both work, but don't hold up to wearing as much as Speedball, especially on "dry-tech: type shirts that are very stretchy.

You probably have an old shirt and some paint somewhere, so this is an easy way to make a PI Day or any other special-day shirt, or just have fun. I do lots of shirts since I don't have much wall space, but I do enjoy painting, and then I get to enjoy them when I wear them.

Speed Ball yellow, red, green and black, screenprint inks. Blending yellow and red to get shades of orange. Painted using simple brushes (3 small ones) and a dollar store plastic painting palette. Painted using Speedball ink -- used for screen printing, then heat set with an iron. Could have used fabric paint or even acrylic paint, as well, but I have a lot of the ink left from prior projects, and it wears better. I've done one use of the cheap paint from the dollar store and worn it at least ten times, and it's still fine, but it's cracking a bit giving it a bit of "destressed" look. I expect the speedball ink will last better on my stretchy shirts. By painting with inks, I can mix them to create richer shading and coloring than simple screen printing, and it requires less equipment, too.

I use a cardboard box that was cut into a shirt shape to stretch and hold the shirt while I paint.

Because the fabric is stretchy and will move as you work the paint into the fabric, you need some type of stretcher. I made one from an old cardboard box. Cut to have the arm/neck this way, it holds in better, and also helps me make sure I localize the painting on the shirt.

In some earlier shirts I used a cutting board instead of the cardboard template. I used clips to hold it, but it was not nearly as stable as a stretched shirt on the cardboard. I redid the shirt on cardboard to grab a photo for this instructable. Looking at the photo, I did not quite get it as smooth as I would when I paint.

I recommend using chalk to lay out the painting, keeping it outside the area you will paint. Chalk will not totally ruin the paint if you go over it, but it makes it hard to work the paint into the fabric.

You need to work the paint into the fabric weave to get it to really last. But don't overthink the paint. Thinning makes it go on easily, and it may look okay wet, but it does not bind as well to the fabric. This is especially true for dry-tech type fabrics, but even for cotton, overthinning reduces long-term adherence.

Shirts, especially the dry-tech type, don't do well with multiple layers as one might on canvas, so plan to paint it mostly in one layer -- like watercolors. But while wet, it blends well. Can add a few highlights or shadows in a second layer if they are small and not worried about cracking. I often add "water droplet" and white highlights when I do ocean-themed shirts. If your dark lines, e.g., my pumpkin outlines, seem broken, I will often darken them with a Sharpie marker after the paint dries but before removing them from the stretcher.

Like silkscreening, painted shirts really need to be heat set if you want them to last. PI day shirts won't get worn a lot, but I still did it. I normally paint in one sitting. Then I let it dry for at least 24 hours before I Iron. Iron set to "wool" with an old shirt between the iron and the painting so the paint does not stick to the iron.

Iron the front side while still on the cardboard pattern. I go for 4-5 minutes, moving back and forth so it's not in one spot, and get everything hot enough to make sure it sets the ink. Then I turn the shirt inside out and iron from the back side for good measure.