A T-shirt for Grandpa

Here’s an idea for a very special shirt you could give Grandpa on Father’s Day. This will be a very personalized gift that will help Grandpa remember just how old each of his grandkids is. And it will help him brag to his friends about being a grandpa. On this shirt you will show all the first names and birthdates of his grandkids, each preceded by a stick figure. The stick figures will show how many grandsons he has and how many granddaughters he has.

What You Need
(1) A light-colored T-shirt in Grandpa’s size. (Better a little big than too small, especially if there is a “grandpa belly.”) Many craft stores have T-shirts to paint on for a very reasonable price.
(2) Black, fine-tip fabric markers. I bought a package of two Tulip brand markers at Michael’s for a pretty low price. You might check the internet for sources. The directions on my markers state that the markers will not show up well on dark colors.
(3) A ruler, some plain 8-1/2 x 11 paper, a pencil, and some tape.
(4) A piece of fabric like the T-shirt you plan to paint, to practice using the fabric marker. Maybe you have a stained T-shirt you could practice on.
(5) Some wax paper or plastic wrap
(6) A list of the grandkids’ birthdates and correct spellings of their names

T-Shirt Preparation
The first step of preparation is to wash the T-shirt to remove chemicals that might fade the paint and to make sure it won’t shrink after you paint it. Don’t use fabric softeners, since the waxy residue could prevent the marker from working well. Iron out any definite wrinkles that might prevent you from painting smoothly.

Your Rough Draft
Practice writing stick figures, names, and dates on the test fabric first. Place something underneath the fabric to protect the surface under it. Use a very light touch. You can’t make fine lines, even with fine-tip markers. Therefore, you can’t make your stick figures and writing too small. They will blur together.

Next make a rough draft of your design with paper and pencil. Take two pieces of 8-1/2 x 11 paper, turn them horizontally, and tape them together on the back side. Making a rough draft will help you plan how to center it and how large to make your figures. If there are only a few grandchildren, you can make your figures larger. If there are quite a few grandchildren, you can make them a little smaller and maybe alternate left side, right side, left side. If there are lots of grandchildren, you could even tape two more pieces of paper together and plan to put some of the grandkids on the back of the T-shirt. You could try to leave space at the end, if there might be more grandchildren later.

In order to avoid having to start your rough draft all over, you could do a little math first. Add the height of the stick figures you would like to use and the height of the space you would like to use between the figures. Multiply that total by the number of figures you need to make. If the math doesn’t work out, you can make adjustments before you start drawing your rough draft.

Put the grandchildren in order by birthdate. Start with the oldest at the top and progress downward to the youngest. Draw a stick figure for each grandchild, with a “skirt” for the girls. Next to the stick figures write the first names. Then write their dates of birth in a numerical month-day of the month-year format. (Write the full year, such as 2026 instead of just 26.) Use a
ruler to help you keep the size of the figures and the space between lines fairly uniform. Placing the ruler a little below the line you are working on can also help you keep the lines level.

Last-Minute Prep
Before you start painting on the real thing, put some wax paper or plastic wrap between the front and back of the shirt, to make sure the marker paint doesn’t leach onto the back of the shirt. If there are lots of grandkids to list, you might plan to take a break halfway through and relax a little. Your work doesn’t have to be perfect. Imperfections will add to the authenticity of its being
a handmade project. Being well-centered from left to right is the most important.

Instructions for Laundering
Some markers require heat setting with an iron. The ones I purchased don’t require that. Check to see if the marker you used has instructions for laundering the garment you painted. If there are special instructions, you have several options for ways to pass on the instructions. If you’re delivering the gift in person, you could just tell the recipient verbally. A more sure way that the
instructions will be remembered is to write the instructions on a little index card and include it with the gift. Even better, you could take a little piece of white bias tape, write the instructions on it with a permanent, waterproof ink pen, and stitch it into the back of the neckline.