We have printed T-shirts before as a fun activity, but none of our previous efforts resulted in anything you may wish to wear. This time we have been more organized with the design. Inspired by the graffiti style Alternative ABCs book, which I reviewed not so long ago, we picked a graphic that was cool and easy to make. We reproduced it on thick paper and I cut it out with a scalpel to make a stencil; this part must be completed by an adult as scalpels are more precise than scissors but they are also more difficult to handle. Once the stencil was ready we positioned it firmly on a simple white T-shirt that was in need of updating and Luca carefully traced the edges of the letter F of our stencil with a black marker suitable for fabrics. We coloured in the fire background with yellow paint and wrote the word flames with red paint with a trembling effect to give the idea of the moving flames.

To avoid the paint staining the back of the T-shirt we inserted an old magazine inside the Tee, which also gives a solid base to work on. The paint used here is specific for fabrics so it won’t leak in the wash, but acrylic paint does the same job and it is cheaper.