Wear your own art!

Hi friends! This month, we’re going to use the stain-removing power of bleach to create a negative-image design on a T-shirt (that just means the bleach will remove the color and create a fun design!) Bleach is strong stuff, so you will need an adult to supervise or assist you a little with this project. While working on your shirt, it’s best to wear old clothes and rubber gloves and work in a well-ventilated area.

You will need:

• Rubber gloves
• Solid-color T-shirt (a dark color works best)
• Piece of chalk
• New bleach pen
• Paper towels
• Piece of cardboard large enough to fit inside the T-shirt while you work on your design
• Waxed paper
• 2 cups white vinegar

You’ll need to wash and dry your shirt. Place a piece of waxed paper over the cardboard and slip the covered cardboard up into the T-shirt to prevent any bleed-through while you work.

Sketch your design on the shirt with chalk. Keep the design fairly simple so it will show up well when you’re finished. You might draw a sun, a fish, a house, a cat or maybe stick figures to represent your family members.

With adult supervision, shake the bleach pen and give it a couple of test squeezes on a paper towel to make sure it’s flowing well. Carefully trace over your chalk lines with the bleach pen. Leave the bleach on the shirt until the fabric has clearly changed color. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the shirt.

Now have an adult help you remove the cardboard from inside the shirt. Set the washing machine on the smallest load possible, fill with cool water and the vinegar and wash the shirt and then dry it (don’t wash anything else with this shirt or the bleach could ruin the rest of the clothing!)

There — your masterpiece is finished! Now that it’s completely dry, you can wear it. With some practice, you might be able to design a shirt where the design wraps from the back to the front!

•••

Congratulations to last month's book winners! Three young readers will be reading new books this summer! Congratulations to Naomi Felio, Ruslana Boyko and Garret Watts. Stay tuned for more book drawings on future Just4Kids pages here in Rural Missouri!

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Hey buddies, look at this — my new comic book safety adventure is here! Ask your mom or dad to order the new Bear Wires comic book. Tell them it costs $2 (that includes shipping.) If they want more than one copy, have them e-mail me and I'll figure the shipping cost for them. Send a check or money order to:
Buddy's Alien Adventure
P O Box 1645
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Parents and teachers:
Buddy Bear's comics are loaded with important safety information as well as games and puzzles for every age. Please write or call 573-635-6857 ext. 3423 to inquire about bulk purchases.