Disclosure: We are celebrating Mo Willems’ new book in a paid partnership with Disney-Hyperion!
It’s Shoe Time! DIY Kids Coloring Shirts
We’re huge fans of the Elephant & Piggie books which is no surprise that we loved Bryan Collier’s It’s Shoe Time! which is part of Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. Today’s tutorial is inspired by It’s Shoe Time! My daughter has a stack of books that she loves but It’s Shoe Time! by Bryan Collier has become an absolute favorite in our home. She has requested it every single night. I knew I had to do something special for her because she adores it so much. These It’s Shoe Time! DIY kid’s coloring shirts can easily be made for other occasions but today we’re making shirts that are all about one of my daughter’s favorite books.
It’s Shoe Time! DIY Coloring Shirts Instructions
Materials:
- Plain white kids t-shirt
- Heat transfer vinyl (black)
- Die cutting machine (like this one)
- Washable color markers
- Preferred design (I used files from the Silhouette Design store)
- Measuring tape (to make sure the design fits properly on the t-shirt)
Directions:
- Open Silhouette Design Studio and open up your desired design. I picked boots and flip-flops because that’s what my daughter wanted. But you can pick whatever your child wants. Adjust the height and width to make sure it fits perfectly on your child’s t-shirt.
- You want to “Offset” the design and adjust the “offset distance” – this is what gives you the outline of the image. Gives it the coloring book look.
- Once you have it the way you want it, load your vinyl (shiny side down), and send to cut. Note: Flip your image horizontally if you want it to look like your screen. You may also leave as is (like I did).
- When the vinyl is cut, weed your image keeping in mind that you want the outline. Remove the extra filling of the image. I use a weeding tool to weed my image – much easier than using your fingers!
- Prepare the t-shirt by passing a hot iron where the image will be placed. Place your image on your desired location (place a piece of cloth on top of the image to protect it), then press firmly down for about 20-25 seconds. You may need to move the iron around the image to make sure every part of the design gets heat. Slowly remove the clear backing – if the design is lifting, put the backing back down carefully and press the iron again.
- Once the shirt is done, let your kids go crazy with markers!
I used Crayola Washable Markers because the shirt can be washed and used again and again. The type of markers is totally up to you. I added a piece of cardboard or cardstock inside the shirt to protect from ink transfers while the kids colored.
The possibilities are endless with these DIY Coloring shirts. They make a great birthday party favor, Easter basket filler, stocking stuffer, and more! It’s Shoe Time! was the perfect book for these coloring shirts. My daughter had a blast coloring her shirt – she even got extra creative and colored each sleeve a different color.
About It’s Shoe Time! by Bryan Collier
Tie your laces. Zip your zippers. And tap your toes. It’s…SHOE TIME!
This lyrical beginning-reader by multi award-winning artist Bryan Collier turns the closet on its heel and redefines what it means to be a pair. Beautifully rendered art paired with rich, rhyming dialog creates a powerful reading experience.
The book is told in a way that many kids can easily relate. We laughed, we “awwed”, and we cuddled extra long at the end. Definitely a must-have book for the bookshelf.
See my other Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! DIY projects:
Elephant & Piggie Watercolor Magic
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What is your favorite Elephant & Piggie book?
