OCTOBER

“Halloween Sweatshirts”
—presented by the Community Center

SUPPLIES/MATERIALS:
You will need 1 sweatshirt for each person. It does not need to be a new sweatshirt. In fact, this is a good way to recycle an old sweatshirt that might be a bit stained. If using an old sweatshirt you just want to make sure it is washed and you do not use any fabric softener

You will need fusible webbing. This is available at any craft or fabric store. Fusible webbing is a glue like product you iron onto the back of fabric. This will make any material an “iron on.”

You will need to find fabric with patterns on it connected to the holiday you want to celebrate. We are using Halloween fabric for our sweatshirt. The fabric can be purchased at any fabric store. You want to find fabric with large prints that are plentiful and easy to cut out.

You need sharp scissors. A large pair of scissors is good. A pair of embroidery scissors might be helpful when cutting out more intricate patterns, but they are not necessary.

You will need fabric paint. This can be purchased at any craft store. When you pick out the fabric paint keep the colors of the patterns you have selected in mind. The paint can be made to match the fabric pattern or you can just get black paint to outline everything.

You will need 1 large button for each sweatshirt and a small 3-inch loop of ribbon for each sweatshirt.

You will need a needle and thread to sew the button and ribbon on to the sweatshirt.

You will need an iron to attach the fusible webbing to the fabric and to attach the fabric to the sweatshirt.

You could use some waxed paper to keep the fabric paint from dripping through the sweatshirt.

A few safety pins might come in handy too!

LET’S CRAFT:

Okay, you have your sweatshirt, material, fusible webbing, scissors, fabric paint, buttons, ribbon, iron and waxed paper and now it is time to begin the project.

You want to cut straight down the front center of the sweatshirt. The cut does not have to be exactly straight or exactly in the center of the sweatshirt. Just make it as close as possible.

Now that you have the sweatshirt cut open you want to begin removing the ribbing off the bottom of the sweatshirt. Hold the sweatshirt so you can see the inside of the sweatshirt where the ribbing is joined to the rest of the sweatshirt. A safety pin will come in handy here. Starting from the cut edge you want to gently tug on the ribbing and the shirt until you see the threads that are holding them together. It should be easy to use the safety pin to gently separate the two pieces by undoing the stitching. If you are using the embroidery scissors and are really careful you can use them to help separate the two pieces but we recommend using the pin. It may take longer, but it will look nicer.

You can put the sweatshirt aside and you can throw the ribbing away, but we would always recommend you save it. You never know when you will need a piece of ribbing for something.

Next you want to measure out the fusible webbing to match the size of material you are using. There is a paper side on the fusible webbing and a glue side. You can feel the difference. Place the glue side of the webbing against the backside of the fabric. Set your iron to the setting recommended by the type of fusible webbing you are using. These directions will come with the webbing.

Once the iron is hot enough lay the fabric on a hard ironing board printed side down with the fusible webbing on top. Make sure the glue of the webbing is against the fabric and the paper side is facing up. Iron the webbing in place. Do not move the iron back and forth, but pick it up and place it on each section until the whole piece is fused. This is a good way to practice ironing skills.

Allow the fabric to cool for a few minutes. Once the fabric is cooled you can begin cutting the design out of the fabric. You can ask someone to help you cut if you need some assistance. You don’t have to be exact. You can cut the design out a bit wider than it actually is and have someone put the finishing touches or you can use it like that.

Now, take your sweatshirt and lay it on the ironing board. You want to decide where you want the pieces to go. You definitely need to place cut out designs along both cut edges of the sweatshirt and along the bottom edge. Once you have decided on a design you can begin ironing you design onto the sweatshirt. To begin you will remove the paper backing off the piece and place it back down on the sweatshirt. You are still following the direction for the fusible webbing. Iron on one piece at a time and make sure each piece is well adhered before moving to the next.

The time has come to use the fabric paint. There are a few things to remember when using fabric paint. First you want to make sure your work area is covered. Here you can slip a piece of waxed paper on the inside of the sweatshirt and underneath the sweatshirt. This will help keep the area clean. You should use safety pins to pin the sleeves out of the way and to pin the sweatshirt closed.

Before you open the fabric paint you want to whap it down. You do this by holding the fabric paint with the point of the bottle facing the floor and flicking your wrist almost like you are playing a drum. This will bring out an air bubbles. If you don’t work out the air bubbles the paint will burp as it comes out of the bottle and will splatter a bit which wouldn’t be good. You are almost ready to start painting but there is one more thing you should do. You should always test the paint on a piece of paper before you begin painting. You want to make sure the paint flows easily out of the bottle when you squeeze it. Okay, now you are set.

If you are left-handed you will begin on the upper right and work your way to the left and down. If you are right-handed you will start on the left and work your way to the right and down. This will help to keep you from dragging your hand though the paint. You hold the tip of the bottle against the edge of the fabric and squeeze lightly until the paint comes out. Then you keep squeezing and move the bottle along the design.

Once you have the front completed you need to set the sweatshirt aside for a day so the paint can dry. The next day you will lightly touch to paint to see if it is really dry. If it is you can turn the sweatshirt over and repeat the painting on the back of the sweatshirt. And again you need to let is sit overnight to dry.

Once the back is dry you need your scissors again. You will cut the edge of the sweatshirt following the pattern of the material you have fused along the edges.

Now you need to sew one button on to the top of one side of the sweatshirt and on the other side you will sew the loop of ribbon to act as a fastener for the button.

Your holiday sweatshirt is ready to be worn!

Some Helpful Hints
Your sweatshirt is washable. You want to wash it in the gentle cycle and do not use any fabric softener since this interferes with the way the fusible webbing works.

If you are using an old sweatshirt with a stain make sure to cover the stain with the fabric.It will look like new.

You can use the same steps to create a holiday wearable for any holiday. You can also use the same idea to make decorative wall hangings for the holiday. Just fuse the fabric cut outs onto another piece of fabric instead of on a sweatshirt. Use your imagination and have fun.