Have you ever tried freezer paper stenciling? If not, you are in for a treat today! I am sharing a project using this method along with everything you need to know to get creative with this stenciling method at home. If you have freezer paper and scissors, you can make something amazing and so can your kids! In fact, you can give these tea towels with our handprint flowers on a watering can for a gift mom will love. This post is sponsored by Testors, however, all projects and opinions are my own.

Supplies needed for freezer paper stenciling:

Freezer paper (yes, the kind in your kitchen) (this MUST BE freezer paper – not waxed paper or butcher paper or parchment paper)
Testors paint (I have a method for using the fabric spray paint as well as the craft paint)
Fabric surface (I am using tea towels)
Iron
Ironing mat or towel
Scissors
Cricut machine (as an optional method of cutting for more intricate designs) (NOTE: you can find the #1 Mom design that I used here)
Sponge (if using craft paint with little kids)

supplies for stenciling with freezer paper

How to Paint Fabric Using a Freezer Paper Stencil

You can watch me make two versions of these tea towels below. I use two different methods for both cutting the stencil and painting to give you options when making your own designs.

Can’t watch the video or missed some of the steps? You can also see the instructions below. I am using a tea towel as my base but this same thing can literally be done on any fabric surface.

Total Time 1 hour

Freezer Paper Stenciling

You can make stencils with freezer paper and paint them using our two methods below!

Ingredients

Freezer paper yes, the kind in your kitchen (this MUST BE freezer paper – not waxed paper or butcher paper or parchment paper)
Testors paint I have a method for using the fabric spray paint as well as the craft paint
Fabric surface I am using tea towels
Iron
Ironing mat or towel
Scissors
Cricut machine as an optional method of cutting for more intricate designs
Sponge if using craft paint with little kids

Instructions

Start by cutting your freezer paper. The first method to do that is to use a pair of scissors and cut any shape. Easy ones include hearts and triangles but you can try other ones as well. This is where it is great to get kids of all ages involved in cutting these shapes.
Then place the shapes with the SHINY side DOWN on your fabric. This is the most important part of stenciling with freezer paper.
Then press the stencils onto your fabric. You can use an iron on a press. Just press a few seconds and the freezer paper will be stuck into place.
Once all of the shapes have been ironed, it is time to paint. For this version, we are using Testors Fabric Spray Paint.
Just be sure to shake well and spray your fabric outdoors. You will also want to wait about 30 minutes before handling your project. I would also recommend protecting your surface well.
I did an ombre look to the towel with the fabric spray paint by spraying a lighter coat as I moved up the towel.
Repeat the same procedure with as many towels as you would like. Here I used the small scraps from my hearts to make triangles on a second towel.
This time I used a blue spray paint. You can use whatever colors you would like on these tea towels.
The second option is for those that want a more intricate design or have smaller children that can't make the cuts with scissors. You can also cut the design yourself from the center of freezer paper or even use a Cricut machine to cut a design.
Press on in the same manner. For this type of design, you will also want to add things like the centers of letters with your iron. If you are going to let small children paint this tea towel, I would add more freezer paper around the edge or tape paper to protect the rest of the towel.
To make this easy for little kids, I used a kitchen sponge cut into some small pieces. Be sure to put paper under the towel to protect your surface. Then just dab on Testors craft paint as it is good to use on fabric. I used two different colors but you can choose as many or as few as you would like.
When using the craft paint, you can remove the freezer paper right away. Just peel it away from the fabric. It really does remove that easily!
You can then remove the centers of letters. I used pair of tweezers to remove mine.
Once 30 minutes has passed, you can also remove the freezer paper from the spray painted towels. Just peel them back in the same manner as described above.
Once all of your freezer paper is removed, be sure to allow the paint to dry and cure completely. I also like to heat set fabric paint with an iron once it is dry. Then your tea towels are ready for gift giving to mom or grandma.

Tried this project?tag us to show off your work!

Mom will love these special towels that kids can help to make. After all, a handmade gift is really a gift from the heart.

I personally love this project because most people have freezer paper in their kitchen. That makes this one easy project to make right at home.

If you have not tried the Testors Fabric Spray Paint, you are really in for a treat. It goes on great and feels amazing on the fabric. It makes these projects even easier!