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Home / Sewing / Art Party Smocks

Art Party Smocks

March 14, 2016

Leah just had her 4th birthday, and she requested an art party.  I love to make handmade party favors for the kids, so I decided to make some art smocks to protect their clothing.  What would an art party be without painting, after all?  I wanted something that would protect the kids’ clothing completely, even the sleeves, so I decided to use large t-shirts to make them.  To dress them up a bit, I added Leah’s hand print, and the quote, “Every child is an artist.”  I used my Silhouette for the stencil, but if you don’t have one, you can still make the smock without the words.  Keep reading because I’ve also got a great GIVEAWAY for you today!

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

To make them easy to put on and take off, I cut open the back and made ties.  T-shirts are perfect for this since the fabric does not fray.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Each of the kids at the party got an art smock to take home.  They wore them to protect their clothes while they painted 8×10 canvases.  I chose white shirts so that all of the paint they get on it will show.  The more paint they get on them, the cuter they become!

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended.)

To make these art party smocks, you’ll need:

  • white shirt, a couple sizes too big
  • white thread
  • any color fabric paint for handprint
  • black fabric paint for the words
  • adhesive vinyl
  • transfer tape or shelf liner
  • foam stencil brush
  • Silhouette cutting machine
  • free Silhouette cut file

white t-shirt

It’s easiest to make your design on the front of the shirt before cutting it up to make the smock.  Make sure to slip some cardboard or wax paper inside of the shirt to keep the paint from seeping through to the other side.  Start by painting your child’s hand with fabric paint and stamping it on the shirt.  You’ll want to use a lot of paint and make sure to press down firmly.  I used Leah’s hand for all of the shirts since it was her party, and we didn’t have time for each kids to make their own.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Cut and weed your vinyl to make a stencil.  You could use heat transfer vinyl for this, but I have a lot of regular scrap vinyl, so this was cheaper.

every child is an artist stencil

Use transfer tape or shelf liner to transfer the stencil to your shirt.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Peel off the transfer tape.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Paint over your stencil.  It’s better to do a few light coats than one dark one.  This helps keep the paint from seeping under the stencil.  I also like to use a foam stencil brush to dab the paint on rather than brush it.  Once that is dry, peel off the stencil and heat set your paint.  This usually involves ironing or putting the shirt in the dryer.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Now to make the art smock!  Turn the t-shirt over and cut a 2 inch strip from top to bottom to open up the back.  This should go down the center of the back of the shirt and cut off the tag at the top.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Cut off the top and bottom seams from the strip.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Fold the strip in half and cut it into two equal parts.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Pin the short end of one strip to the inside of the shirt, at the top, behind the collar.  Zig-zag stitch it in place and remove the pins.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

It should look like this.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Repeat with the other strip, on the other side of the collar.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

To keep the bottom hem from coming undone, you’ll also nee to zig-zag stitch over it on both sides.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

That’s it!  So easy and very useful!  We’ve already used ours for several other projects to keep the kids’ clothes from getting messy.

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

Happy birthday to my not-so-little girl!

Make these cute art smocks from a t-shirt. - Great for an art party!

 

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

Art Party Smocks Custom Daredevil Shirt ~ Silhouette Blog Hop DIY Lightning Bug Wall Art with Lights DIY Chevron Mickey Mouse Shirt with Glitter HTV DIY Nautical Pillow Cover + A GIVEAWAY! Recycling Tee Shirts - St. Patty's Day Style! Appliqued Initial Heart Pillow Wrap-Around Shark Shirt Sew A Shopping Tote Into A Zipper Pouch 3 Creative Onesies for Baby Girl & Free Cut Files Pom Pom Tail Bunny Onesie Freezer Paper Stenciled Cushion with a Giveaway! Rawr! Dinosaur Birthday Shirt customize your Picnic Blanket It is Well With My Soul T-Shirt Design Monogrammed Envelope Pillows + Giveaway {The Silhouette Challenge} Toddler Trouble Shirt with free cut file DIY Ombré Tote Upcycled t-shirt cat... Meow! Little Helper Stenciled Kids Apron DIY Easter Egg Shirt - Silhouette Heat Transfer & Rhinestones DIY: Crazy Cat Lady Shirt + Free Cut File

1. Cutesy Crafts // 2. Mama Sonshine // 3. Morena’s Corner // 4. Simply Kelly Designs // 5. Coral + Mint Design Co. // 6. A Time For Seasons // 7. Architecture of a Mom // 8. Where The Smiles Have Been // 9. Haberdashery Fun // 10. The Thinking Closet // 11. The Crafting Nook // 12. Get Silvered // 13. Tori Grant Designs // 14. From Wine to Whine // 15. Create & Babble // 16. Curly Crafty Mom // 17. unOriginal Mom // 18. The Small Stuff Counts // 19. The Experimental Home // 20. Creative Ramblings // 21. Adventures in All Things Food // 22. Minted Strawberry

Heat Press Giveaway

Win a Heat Press from the Silhouette Challenge Facebook Group!

And I’ve saved the best for last!   Pro World Inc is giving one lucky reader a Heat Press Valued at $300! 

Pretty sweet, huh? To enter: just complete the entries in the Rafflecopter widget below. You have 26 potential entries, which means a lot of winning power. So, hurry up and enter!

{This giveaway runs from today through Monday, March 21st at 11:59p eastern and is open to anyone 18 years of age or older with a lower 48 U.S. mailing address. You can read the rest of the terms and conditions in the widget below.}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cutesy Crafts is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This post contains affiliate links.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alexis says

    May 21, 2016 at 2:13 pm

    Such a genius idea! I have seen people just use large shirts before, but I love how this is so much easier to put on and take off.

    Reply
    • Jessica @ Cutesy Crafts says

      May 21, 2016 at 9:04 pm

      Thanks Alexis! They have been so useful already. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Marni says

    March 15, 2016 at 10:32 pm

    Love it with the handprint.. Very cute idea! – Marni

    Reply
  3. Cami @ The Crafting Nook says

    March 15, 2016 at 5:27 pm

    Awww she’s gorgeous and that art smock looks awesome and unique! Love the handprint detail! Love this idea!

    Hugs

    Reply
  4. Meredith @ Coral + Mint Design Co. says

    March 15, 2016 at 6:18 am

    These are so adorable! Such a great idea, and it will be so nice to look back on once it’s covered in paint 🙂

    Reply
  5. Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom says

    March 14, 2016 at 8:11 pm

    These are SO cute and such a great idea! I should make one for my daughter for all her paint projects around the house. I love how you cut open the back and added a tie, too! The phrase on the front and the hand print is perfect!!!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    Reply
  6. Pam - GetSilvered says

    March 14, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    These are great – pretty and practical.

    Reply
  7. Aki @ Minted Strawberry says

    March 14, 2016 at 8:19 am

    Love the idea of the fingerprint! It’s so cute. I definitely need to make one for my little sister.

    Reply

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