DIY Firework T-Shirt

Learn how to make a DIY Firework t-shirt with Plush fabric paint and a firework stencil. This is the perfect 4th of july t-shirt for summertime!

There’s lots of different things to love about summer, but fireworks are so magical. It’s so fun to see my kids eyes light up when we watch a firework show.

I designed a t-shirt based off of the magical qualities of fireworks. I used Plush fabric paint with puffs up off of the fabric when it’s ironed and steam. It’s a really fun and easy to to make your own t-shirt design!

The raised paint gives a great 3-D look and makes the fireworks look like they are coming out of the t-shirt. I love how the colors pop against the dark t-shirt just like fireworks pop in a dark sky.

I ended up adding a little ruffle to the bottom for an extra detail. You can use this tutorial for adding a ruffle to a dress to do the same thing.

Do you want some more 4th of July sewing projects to make? Try one of these projects:

supplies

Black t-shirt
Plush fabric paint* in multiple colors – I did sugar plum, lavender, and lemonade
Firework stencil* – I bought one that wasn’t sticky on the back, and it was hard to use. Get a sticky one for a crisper result.
Stencil paintbrush*
Iron with good steam

Stick the stencil onto the t-shirt in one corner.

Using a stencil paintbrush dab the paint onto the t-shirt through the stencil. Make sure you are using an up and down motion so the paint doesn’t bleed out.

Cover the whole design with one color. The design will look the best if you use one thick layer.

Carefully peel the stencil off of the t-shirt when the paint is still wet. Don’t worry about the design being a little messy. The firework style is pretty forgiving because it just looks like more explosions.

Place the stencil in another spot and do another thick layer of paint with a different color.

place stencil on t-shirt paint thick layer

Before I could place the third spot I had to wait for the lavender and yellow paint to dry. The paint looks shiny when dry, but it doesn’t take too long to dry. Maybe 30-60 minutes.

Place the stencil in the last spot and do another thick layer of paint with the last color.

Wait 24 hours for the paint to fully dry.

Lay the t-shirt with the paint side down. (In the picture I have a teflon sheet for protection, but I found it got in the way of the stem.) With a cotton setting and full steam heat the back of the paint.

Each spot should be heated 30 seconds. Some sections I heated multiple times to get the full raised effect, but it didn’t hurt the paint at all.

It would heat the whole back of the t-shirt, and then I would flip it over to look at the front. I could see where the paint was rising. Anywhere where the paint wasn’t rising I would flip the t-shirt over and heat again.

works best without one protective layer of fabric

Handwash after 72 hours.

If you make something using this sewing project, I’d love to see! Please share it on social media with the hashtag #heatherhandmade and tag me!