Decorated t-shirt DIY: Key Imprinted Design

I love old style keys. I would love to sift through a drawer full of them, daydreaming about what doors, suitcases, wooden chests, or jewelry boxes they opened back in their day.  

I was so happy with how my Dots Fabric Painted t-shirt turned out, that I had to keep up my momentum and make another.

This time I used fabric paint and yes, metal keys.

Here's how I made this "Key imprinted design" t-shirt, in case you want to make one for yourself!

As with my dots shirt, I started with a plain grey men's t-shirt. This was both a re-fit and a refashion. I share my link below, how I re-sized this men's t-shirt for a womanly fit.

The decorative metal keys, I'd bought at TJ Maxx for home decor, but since I never got them on the wall, why not cover them in fabric paint?!

I laid out my design.

I found a clean old towel to use in-between my shirt layers as protection, but more importantly, to provide cushion for the keys.

For the painted polkadot shirt I designed with sponges, I used a flat/firm surface (cardboard in-between shirt layers).

For the Key tee, I needed something plump in-between the t-shirt layers in order to get all the imprinted details of the key transferred to the shirt.

Tuck the fluffy towel in between shirt layers where you want your keys to be.

Paint the key generously, but not drippy, with black fabric paint, on one side. I use SoSoft Fabric Paint because I love the soft flexible feel it leaves when the paint dries.

Carefully pick up your painted key and press into the shirt. See how the towel "snuggles" around the key? Got a better word for it?

I helped it a little, just to make sure all the key details transferred to the shirt.

Carefully remove the key to reveal your design.
Love it!

Now on to the next two keys.
Paint them on one side just like you did the first key.

And press

And press

Yay! I love how it turned out.
I left it for up to 48 hours for the paint to dry completely.

Once fully dry, I heat set the design using a cover cloth, a no steam iron, moving constantly, and 3 minutes of my time.

Cool design! My husband was very impressed and said it looked like a designer t-shirt I would have spent $60 bucks on. He really liked the detail the keys left behind. And so did I.

Next, see this link for how to re-size a men's t-shirt for a woman's fit. It's the same process I used for this t-shirt, but I rounded the hemline, just to be different.

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