Hammered Leaf Prints Kids' T-Shirt

Kids who love nature will love making the hammered leaf prints kids' T-shirt. Make your T-shirt truly personal by using leaves from your own backyard.

What You'll Need:

  • Small board (1/2 to one inch thick)
  • Newspaper
  • 100% cotton garment or fabric
  • Leaves
  • Waxed paper
  • Masking tape
  • Hammer
  • Alum
  • Water
  • Salt
How to make the hammered leaf prints kids' T-shirt:

Step 1: Cover a small board with two or three layers of newspaper. Lay your fabric on the board. Open up the bottom of the t-shirt and slip the board and newspaper inside.

Step 2: Arrange a variety of leaves on the fabric. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper, and tape the corners of the waxed paper to the fabric.

Step 3: Pound with the hammer until you have pounded every part of the leaf. When you are done, lift off the waxed paper. You'll see a leaf print.

Step 4: To set the print, soak for two minutes in a mixture of three tablespoons of alum and one gallon of warm water. Wring out the excess fluid, then soak the fabric in a mixture of 1/4 cup of salt and one gallon of warm water.

Remove the fabric, rub off any clinging bits of leaf, wring, and let it dry. Wash by hand in cold water.

Sequoias
Some of the world's oldest and largest living trees belong to a family of trees called sequoias (named after Cherokee Indian chief "Sequoyah"). This family includes redwoods and giant sequoias.

In fact, the biggest tree in the world -- nicknamed "General Sherman" -- is a 274-foot giant sequoia. Located in the Sequoia National Park in California, General Sherman is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 years old.

A simple white T-shirt becomes a beautiful, colorful treasure with the batik kids' T-shirt project in the next section. Keep reading to learn more.

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