St. Patrick's Day Pinch-proof T-shirts

St. Patrick's Day is almost here, and what better way to celebrate than by crafting a new t-shirt for you or your little ones to wear, using their hands to craft the shamrock!  This craft is simple, cheap, and has (almost) instant gratification, and will save the wearer from the dreaded St. Patrick's Day pinch.

Materials needed:
t-shirt (white, pre-washed)
fabric paint (white or green- see instructions)
large piece of cardboard/thick paper
paintbrush and plate/paint tray
two hands (yours or your child's)
*optional* extra fabric (green- I used another t-shirt so that it wouldn't fray), thread, sewing machine

Instructions:

There are two ways to do this t-shirt.  We chose to paint on green fabric with white paint, then sew it to a white t-shirt.  The other, slightly easier option is to use green paint and paint directly on the white t-shirt.  Either way, it turns out great!

The shamrock is made using the little finger side of a balled up fist, repeated 3 times with each hand to make the 3 leaves of the shamrock.  You could easily choose to do a four leaf clover by adding a leaf in step 2.

1. Lay the fabric to be painted over the large piece of cardboard, as the fabric paint may bleed through the fabric slightly.

2. Paint the side of a balled up fist (little finger side) on the right hand, using the paintbrush and fabric paint.  If you are helping a child, help them place the painted hand on the fabric.  Repeat this step with the right hand until you have 3 "half-leaves" on your fabric.  Then, do repeat the entire step multiple times with the left hand, matching up the hand imprint to make the leaf shape.  *I found that the hand prints needed a little "filling in" with extra paint, especially the white paint on the green fabric.

3. Use the paintbrush to paint a stem on your clover, and your painting is done!  If you painted directly onto your t-shirt, you're done- let the t-shirt dry and enjoy!  If not, continue to step 4.

4. If you have chosen to sew this fabric onto a t-shirt, let the paint dry, then cut out your shamrock and sew it onto your t-shirt using a simple straight or zig-zag stitch.  Trim the extra threads, and enjoy!

*Be sure to follow all washing instructions for your fabric paint- most say to wait 72 hours before washing.  I suggest washing all fabrics before you start the craft!

I hope you had a great time making this craft for yourself or with your kids, and have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!