How to Make A Splatter Paint Sweatshirt – Free Tutorial

Most people don’t realize you can use Acrylic Paint on Clothes, but you totally can! Splatter painting is so much fun and so is creating your own clothing, so why not combine the two and make this super cute Splatter Paint Sweatshirt?!

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I live in Maine where warm clothing is needed for 3/4 of the year and even at night during the summer, so as you can imagine our closets are packed with warm layers. I am always looking for great sweatshirts!

I am also always looking for projects to make on my Cricut. I just adore working with vinyl to add personality to my stuff, such as bags, shirts, aprons, and even mugs.

Cricut Maker Machine

Speaking of mugs, this is how my sweatshirt phrase came to be! I bought mugs from Joann Fabrics a few years ago and one of them said “Little Miss Crafty Pants”, which is honestly why I bought it to begin with. Unfortunately the mug broke, so I’d been wanting to put that phrase on other items.

Fast forward to this past Christmas: I wanted to make a gift for my younger sister and I wanted it to be something unique, since I usually get the same type of items year after year; art supplies. She is the amazing artist behind ‘Caution: Artist at Play‘, so I know she both loves and needs art supplies, but sometimes I just want to switch it up… just a little.

This is how I came to decide on a Splatter Paint Sweatshirt! I was thinking specifically of a gift for her, thought splatter paint would be fun, then remembered that fun saying and boom, ideas just started running together! I did change the wording just a bit, so her shirt says “Little Miss Artsy Pants”!

I made myself a “Little Miss Crafty Pants” version at the same time and it is definitely my favorite sweatshirt to wear!

These sweatshirts really do make amazing gifts! You could make one for relatives, friends, and even teacher gifts!

Let’s Make a Splatter Paint Sweatshirt!

Materials

Sweatshirt (White or Black work best)
Acrylic Craft Paint (I used Plaid FX Flexible Acrylic Paint)
Paint Brushes (I found the larger flat and round brushes to work best)
Large Round Circle (I used 12″)
T-Shirt Rulers
Vinyl Cutting Machine (I have a Cricut)
Heat Transfer Vinyl / Iron-on Vinyl (I love Siser EasyWeed HTV)
Tarp or Drop Cloth

Skill Level

Easy

Craft Time

Varies by paint used – Mine took approx. 4 hours including drying time.

Notes

This tutorial includes instructions for items made in Cricut Design Space with the Cricut Maker, but you could easily make this with any cutting machine software, or you can have it made by someone with a cutting machine, such as a shop on Etsy.

If using Cricut Design Space, I suggest joining Cricut Access because you get more image options! There are also lots of great fonts and pre-made projects included AND you save an additional 10% when making purchases on Shop Cricut!

I will give instructions for the phone app and use the word “tap”. You would “click” on the computer.
I used FX Flexible Acrylic Paint from Plaid Crafts, but any acrylic paint will work! Specifically, I used FX in Enchanted (pink), Fool’s Gold (yellow), Goblin Green, Aquarius (light blue), and Malevolent (purple).

I used a 12″ circle, which I found worked well for the size XL, but was a bit too big for a size Small, because it left a lot of extra white space where there was no paint. I think a 10″ may work better for smaller sizes, but I have not tested this theory.

Splatter Paint Sweatshirt - Splatter Paint on a Sweatshirt - Splatter Paint Clothes - Acrylic Paint on Clothes

Instructions

Starting on the front side of the sweatshirt, lint roll it to make sure there are no hairs that will get trapped in the paint, then lay your shirt out flat with the arms outstretched on top of a tarp or drop cloth.

Place the shirt ruler at the neckline as directed in the package instructions, place the wooden circle underneath the ruler and center it width wise, then remove the shirt ruler, so you don’t get paint on it.

White sweatshirt with a wooden circle in the center and a black t-shirt ruler at the neckline. Splatter Paint on Sweatshirt.
White sweatshirt with a wooden circle in the center. Splatter on Paint Sweatshirt.

Next start splatter painting your shirt! I used 5 colors, because I wanted mine to be rainbow-y, but you could use less colors if you wanted.

White sweatshirt splatter painted with pink, yellow, green, light blue, and purple paint.

Once the paint is dry, remove the wooden circle, and flip the shirt over. You will not need to place the wooden circle on this side. Now, splatter paint the back side.

Once the paint is dry on the backside, flip the shirt back over, and add your vinyl centered in the blank spot you made with the wooden circle.

Caution Artist at Play artist Shana Rowe Jackson wearing Splatter Paint Sweatshirt that says "Little Miss Artsy Pants"
Shana Rowe Jackson from Caution: Artist at Play in her
“Little Miss Artsy Pants” Splatter Paint Sweatshirt!

Here’s a screenshot from my TikTok video of me in front of the nearby Michael’s Craft Store with my Splatter Paint Sweatshirt on!

Now you have a Splatter Paint Sweatshirt!

That’s it! Easy peasy!

I can’t wait to see yours!

Come on over and join the She’s So Creative Crafter Community! And don’t forget to like me on Facebook and Instagram!

Written instructions and photos Copyright 2021 She’s So Creative / Sonya Blackstone. Please do not sell, share, or modify this pattern, but instead share the link to where the pattern can be found. Do not use these photos for advertising without written permission. Do not post this tutorial on your own website without written permission. You may sell any finished items you create using She’s So Creative tutorials.

Sonya Blackstone is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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