Create an Independence Day T-Shirt

Treat yourself and your family to fabulous shirts to wear for the Fourth of July this year! Children will love to get involved in creating their own designs for their shirts, and designing them for everyone else too! What could be more fun than for the whole family to be sporting original patriotic shirts at the festivities this year, whether it is the town parade, the family barbecue, or the evening fireworks at the park!


T-shirt painting is a craft that almost anyone can do, and it’s lots of fun. So if you’re lacking Independence Day apparel, why not get out the fabric paint and make yourself a patriotic tee? Or better yet, get the family together and let everyone make their own!


There are many ways you could design your Independence Day t-shirt. In general, you’ll need a plain white t-shirt, a t-shirt board or piece of stiff cardboard to place inside the shirt, newspapers, fabric paint and a paintbrush. Before you begin, wash the shirt and do not use fabric softener. Dry and stretch the shirt onto the board to keep it straight and prevent paint from soaking through to the other side.

Fireworks Design Instructions

To make a fireworks t-shirt, use fabric paint in a squeeze bottle. For each firework design, draw a horizontal line in the color of your choice with a break in the middle (in other words, two short lines of the same length side by side). Then make a vertical line that intersects with the horizontal one, again with a break in the middle. This will look like a plus sign with the middle removed. Use another color to make an X in the same manner, but make the lines slightly shorter. Add some dots at the end of each line to finish.

Stars and Stripes Design

Extra Supplies Needed

• Masking tape
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Star-shaped sponge or foam stamp
• Rectangular sponge or foam stamp
• Plastic plate, bowl or lid

Directions

1. Stick a strip of masking tape across the shirt from seam to seam, starting just below the neck opening. Place another strip below that one, overlapping slightly. Repeat until you have taped off a stripe approximately 1 ¾ inches wide.
2. Measure 1 ¾ inches below the stripe you made, and make a light mark with the pencil. Make another stripe just like the first one.
3. Continue placing stripes of tape 1 ¾ inches apart all the way to the bottom of the shirt.
4. Put some red paint in a plastic plate, bowl or lid. Dip the rectangular sponge into the paint, and dab it onto the areas that are not taped off. When finished, let the paint dry completely.
5. Put some blue paint into a plastic plate, bowl or lid. Dip the star-shaped sponge into the paint, and press it carefully onto the shirt anywhere you like. Pull straight up when removing to avoid smudging.
6. Continue adding stars to the shirt as you like. When finished, let dry.  Remove the masking tape.

If you’re particularly artistic, you could try your hand at a Statue of Liberty t-shirt. If you’d rather not paint, try using markers! For a different twist, make a tie-dyed Fourth of July shirt with red and blue dye. For your children's safety you may want to try your hand at creating your tie-dye with food coloring or Kool-Aid! Use your imagination and create a patriotic tee that’s as individual as you are!

Patrotic Necklace

This is a perfect craft for this time of the year! Your child(ren) will love being able to wear jewelry that they had a hand in designing and crafting.


Independence Day is a wonderful time to show your patriotism. In the weeks before the holiday, you can find red, white and blue t-shirts, hats and jewelry in almost any store. But it’s also easy to make your own patriotic clothing and accessories. This patriotic necklace is easy and inexpensive to make, and it’s sure to be quite the conversation piece.

What You Need

• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ½ tbsp. water
• ½ tbsp. salt
• Toothpick
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Nylon cord or strong fishing line in desired length, plus about 8 inches (for an 18-inch necklace, the cord should be about 26 inches long)
• Beading needle
• Small red, white and blue beads
• Clasp
• Scissors

Directions

1. Mix flour, salt and water until dough forms.


2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.


3. Model dough into a star shape for the pendant. Make it at least ¼ inch thick. You should have some extra dough when you’re done.


4. Poke the toothpick through the star about ¼ inch from the top, going from side to side so that it will face forward when placed on the necklace.


5. Bake the pendant for 2 to 2 ½ hours. Let cool completely.


6. Paint the pendant with acrylic paint. You could make it solid red, blue or gold, or paint designs on it. Let dry completely.


7. Thread the nylon cord onto the beading needle. String beads onto the cord in the pattern of your choice. Keep stringing beads until the necklace is half done.


8. Add your finished pendant to the necklace. Then continue beading in the same pattern until you’ve added enough beads to make a necklace in the desired length. Make sure you have several inches of cord left on each side so that you can add the clasp.


9. Hold the necklace up to make sure the pendant is centered correctly. If it isn’t, remove beads from one side and add them to the other until it is centered.


10. Tie the eye of the clasp onto one end of the necklace, getting it as close as possible to the last bead. Knot securely, and cut off the excess cord. Tie the hook of the clasp onto the other end, knot and trim.


Want a matching bracelet? You can make one in no time! Just cut a piece of nylon cord about 16 inches long, and string beads in the same pattern you used for the necklace. Make the beaded portion about 7 ½ to 8 inches long. Then add a clasp the same way you did with the necklace, and trim the ends. Now you have a matching set of patriotic jewelry!

This craft could be easily adapted for toddlers by using just elastic cord and beads!

July 4th Themed Utensil Holder and Matching Napkin

Gatherings of family and friends is quite common for the Fourth of July. As you talk about the importance of the holiday with your child(ren), why not enjoy preparing a craft with them that can be enjoyed by all at your gathering!


Independence Day is associated with many things. Most importantly, it’s the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. It’s also a day full of fun and festivities, including parades and fireworks shows. And for many Americans, it’s a time for a picnic or barbeque with family and friends.


An occasion such as the Fourth of July deserves some special table décor. This napkin and utensil holder has a patriotic motif that everyone is sure to love, and provides an attractive and convenient way to store your knives, forks, spoons and napkins.


Supplies Needed

• 4 short cardboard tubes (about the size of bathroom tissue rolls, or slightly longer; but make sure they’re not so long that it will be difficult to remove plastic utensils from them)
• Construction paper in red, white, blue and black
• Blue and gold chenille stems
• 5 ½ inch square of corrugated cardboard
• 4 plastic milk jug lids
• Craft glue or glue stick
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Cut four strips of white construction paper wide enough to cover 2/3 of a cardboard tube and long enough to wrap around it. Cut four strips of blue construction paper wide enough to cover 1/3 of a cardboard tube and wrap around it.
2. Use a thin layer of craft glue or a glue stick to cover each tube with a strip of white construction paper, starting at the bottom. Then glue a strip of blue construction paper starting at the top.
3. Draw a star on white construction paper and cut out. Use the star to trace and cut eleven more white stars.
4. Glue three stars onto the blue section of each roll, spacing them equally.
5. Cut strips of red construction paper 2/3 as long as the cardboard rolls. Glue them lengthwise onto the white portion of each roll, spacing equally to create red and white stripes.
6. Cut out a 5 ½ inch square of black construction paper. Glue it onto the cardboard square.
7. Using the hot glue gun, glue a plastic milk jug lid into the bottom of each tube (the side with stripes) with the flat end to the outside.
8. Arrange the tubes on the cardboard two by two, with the ends containing the lids on the cardboard base. Leave an inch or so in between the rows for napkins. Glue the tubes down. Let dry.
9. Using the hot glue gun, glue a piece of blue chenille stem around the top of each tube. Glue gold chenille stems around the edges of the base.

As you lay out your decorations for the Fourth of July, don't forget to add this to your table. Place utensils in each tube, and stand napkins up in the middle for a beautiful and useful Fourth of July centerpiece.