Weddingbee Blog

For my bridesmaids gifts I purchased reusable water bottles and had their names engraved on them. Then I purchased plain canvas tote bags and “silkscreened” the bird image we’ve used throughout the wedding. I wanted something that was leaning toward being eco-friendly and that would remind them of the our wedding. I say “silkscreen” because I didn’t use photo emulsion or screen blocker, I really used a stencil. If you’re only doing a few items with a simple image, then a stencil is perfect. Here is how I did it, D’orsay style. Acquire a Speedball silk screening kit (do a Google search), the fabric ink in the color you’d like (available online and at Jo-Ann’s) and choose your image.

Print your image, then trace it to freezer paper.

Cut the image out using an X-Acto knife. Be sure to leave “bridges” if you need them. Bridges connect the base of the image to the inside bits. I’m probably horrible at explaining the white space issue, but basically, the parts you’ve cut out will the parts that get inked. So if you cut out the eye without a bridge, the bird won’t have an eye; it will just be completely colored in.

Using a nice, flat surface, place down a barrier, then lay your item (shirt, dress, tote) with a piece of paper inside (so the paint won’t bleed through), and pin it down using your screen. Pour your paint onto the screen and make a few deliberate passes with your squeegee. After you’re positive the image has been fully covered, peel up your screen and freezer paper.

Then you’ll go back through and fill in the bridges.

If you aren’t careful when you’re pinning the screen down, or if you aren’t careful when you peel the screen and paper up, then you can get ink on the back of your stencil. You can re use it, but you have to wait for everything to dry. It’s also important to wash your screen. Every time I use it, I stain it, but you just really don’t want your screen to dry with paint particulate on it. So after the stencil looked like this, I had to take a break.

Let the tote (or whatever) dry then iron it a bit to make sure the image has set. You’re all done!

Are you DIYing your bridesmaids’ gifts?