Summer Camp Crafts: A Graffiti Logo Sweatshirt With Splashes Of Color

1. 
   I am so grateful that my teen daughter loves crafting, as with no school for months now due to Covid-19, she has had lots of time to delve into creative activities that she loves, the latest being grafitti sweatshirts! Her friends are begging her to make some for them, and while I was just thinking she could do a class, maybe just buying an airbrush and semi-mass producing them would be a better idea? Just to be clear, my daughter isn’t wearing this sweatshirt out and about, but she certainly has fun wearing it as pajamas! The graffit sweatshirt idea all started with a Purim costume which led to a black and white graffiti sweatshirt, which then led to this colorful creation, all done by aforementioned teen daughter on the floor of her tiny Israeli sized bedroom……of course the bedroom is a cute as can be, complete with tiny lights and dreamy decor, so it is actually a nice sanctuary for creativity. This project is perfect for summer as a whole family or group of kids could make them together and even make each shirt or sweatshirt together to reflect the group as a whole, which could be a really great memento of time spent creating together. The instructions for this project are quite loose, so you’ll really have to rev up the creative gears, but if you start with a word or a logo in the middle and then go from there, you really can’t go wrong. And if you do, just pour some paint over the areas that weren’t so successful and keep on going! Okay, lets take a look at the supplies we used for this graffiti sweatshirt……

You’ll Need:

• a white sweatshirt or t-shirt, or how about a set of sheets or a comforter cover (very ambitious but possible!)
• a variety of fabric paint, fabric crayons, and permanent markers
• something to put inside the sweatshirt to prevent leakage to other side
• a small spray bottle (optional but adds a lot)
• masking tape for marking off straight lines

How To:

While my daughter did not work with any process in mind, this is what I would recommend:

1. Do the center logo/name first, using masking tape to define the area and to make sure all the letters are the same height. This center name/logo is the focus of the piece, so make sure you love it!
2. then add a bunch of colorful splotches all over the sweatshirt, in different sizes and colors (but keep it light colored if you like the look of this sweatshirt) My daughter applied the splotches by making her own fabric spray paint, mixing water and fabric paint in a small essential oil spray bottle and then having fun. Always test something like this on a scrap piece before spraying on actual sweatshirt.
3. Now go to town with words and drawings.
4. Set the piece aside and then take another look at it with fresh eyes another day to see where you could add some more designs to really make it great.
5. Heat set according to instructions on fabric paint you’ve used.
6. Once you’ve constructed your perfect customized shirt or sweater, accent it with some accessories. Costume jewelry can bring out the details and appeal of your creation. You can find some great options from Adina’s Jewels like butterfly necklaces, bracelets, anklets; then, voila!
7. Enjoy!

Ah yes, and just by the way, learning how to write things in alphabets other than the one we use sure is useful for projects like this: my daughter somehow knows how to write something in Korean, which she added here as well as what looks like another Asian language on the shoulder, and I am just thrilled that she is following her interests, yippee!