Personalized Baby Clothes: Freezer Paper Stenciled Onesie

Have you heard of freezer paper stenciling?  I found out about it not too long ago and filed that idea away in the back of my brain waiting for the right time to try it out.  If you haven’t heard of it, it’s cool.  It’s a great way to personalize baby clothes!  Since embellish-your-onesie-month arrived, so has my post on freezer paper stenciling!

This project goes SUPER fast.  The slowest part is figuring out what in the world you’re going to stencil.  I seriously pondered this in my brain for the better part of a week, and I still think what I came up with was lame.  So I hope the technique will inspire you, because my stencil probably won’t.

Supplies needed:
Freezer paper
White onesie
Fabric paint
Xacto knife
Pen
Foam brush or sponge
Iron
Old cotton cloth or towel


You can find freezer paper where you buy wax paper.  The roll I found is huge, and it was the only size the store had.  So you know I’m going to be stenciling in the future!  Freezer paper is not wax paper, and this is important.  Do not cut corners.

Cut out 2 pieces of freezer paper that are the same size.
On your first piece, Draw your design on the non shiny side (or you can trace a design since the freezer paper is translucent).

Use your Xacto knife to cut it out (exercise caution with the knife, please).  Carefully keep any island pieces that are needed for the design.

Now iron time!  Iron on your blank, uncut piece on the INSIDE front fabric of the onesie.  This should be shiny side UP. This will act as a barrier to keep the paint from soaking through.  Using the cotton setting (no steam), iron this in place until it is stuck to the fabric.  Hold the iron in place, count to ten, move a little, count to ten, etc. until the paper is stuck.

Next, take your first piece with the design cut out, and place it right side up on the onesie (shiny side DOWN).  This piece will be directly over the piece you just ironed on, only on the other side of the fabric.  I recommend using a thin towel or cotton cloth between your iron and your fabric.  If you have any island pieces iron them in place next.

Let everything cool for a minute or two and grab a scrap of freezer paper.  Squirt a decent blob of fabric paint on it, and using your foam brush, dab paint on your stencil.  Don’t paint, dab, up and down.  This keeps the paint from possibly leaking under the edges.

Now let it dry.  Give it a good 4-6 hours or overnight.  Then carefully peel off your freezer paper from both sides.  Use your x-acto knife to help remove any stubborn stencil pieces.

I’ve read that it’s good to take your newly embellished onesie and throw it in the dryer (inside out) for a few mins to heat set the design.  I’m not sure it it’s necessary but it probably won’t hurt.

Launder on gentle cycle inside out.  Yay!!  A silver cow.  Erin, that’s a genius stencil.  Thanks, friends, Thanks.

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