How to Make a Handprint T-Shirt for Mother's Day

If you want to make a unique gift for mother or grandmother for Mother’s Day, consider a handprint tee shirt! This is a project that the kids can help with, and it’s also inexpensive. The final project will be not only an apparel item, but also a treasured keepsake.

You can purchase kits for this, but you don’t need one. These are easy to make if you follow a few basic instructions:

What you’ll need:

A plain tee shirt. White and pastel shades work best.

Different colors of acrylic paints. The kind in the tubes will more durable than the ones in the bottles. You’ll need a color for each child.

Different colors of permanent paint pens.

Acrylic or Swarovsky stones. The Swarovskies will be more expensive but will maintain their sparkle through many washings.

E6000 glue. You can find this at craft stores and in the craft section of Walmart.

How to make the shirt

The first thing you need to do is wash and dry the shirt. Next, place a piece of cardboard inside the shirt and lie it out flat on a table or other work surface. Smooth out any wrinkles, but don’t stretch the material.

Have each child dip their hand in a different color of acrylic paint. Lightly blot the hand on paper towels to remove excess paint. You’ll probably want to experiment a little with the handprints on paper towels before committing them to the shirt to get just the right impression.

Have the kids place their painted handprints on the tee shirt. Allow the shirt to dry overnight in a dry place. You might want to ensure proper drying with the use of a blow dryer.

When the painted handprints are completely dry, write the name of each child in his or her handprint. You might also want to add the date the shirt was created, or the child’s birthdate.

For extra bling, you can use the stones to make rings or bracelets on the handprints of the female children. Just coat the back of the stones with the E600 glue and press them onto the desired location on the shirt. If you’re using very small stones, place a dot of E6000 on the shirt with a toothpick, then press a stone onto each dot.

Allow the shirt to dry overnight again, and it’s done!

I have one of these tees that my grandchildren made for me, and I love it! This shirt makes a truly unique gift for Mother’s Day – for mothers and grandmothers!