DIY stenciled graphic tee (on the 8th day of XMAS tutorials)

 I have always been a fan of stenciling! For a project with LOTS of letters or shapes/patterns, I find it way more efficient then freezer papering because there is no exacto knife cutting, die cut machines, or ironing involved...just good old stenciling. Just a quick placement, painting and done! This is the one of the best ways to do letters on a tee shirt! Or repeated patterns (like I did here). This can be a perfect last minute gift for Christmas or whatnot! If there are any of you scrambling to buy gifts like me. P.S. this top was made from a men's tee shirt - looser version (tutorial here)!

top: self-made (tutorial here - looser version) and stenciled (instructions below) //bottom/jacket: hm (old)//plaid shirt: refashioned (tutorial here)//beanie: self- made (tutorial tomorrow)//shoes: shoe cult or here
Supplies:
Stencils - I find Michaels (Oli's - helvetica font) and Hobby Lobby (mine - Ariel font) to have the best fonts
Fabric paint
Stencil brush or foam brush
Painter's tape
Pen
paper or something to put in between shirt

Instructions:
1. Apply painter's tape in straight across in rows you spaced the way you want your wording to appear. Mark the center of tee shirt on each strip of tape. This will help you line up the letters down the center.
2. Place something in the shirt to make sure the paint doesn't go through the other side.
3. When I start to stencil I usually stencil the very middle of the word like the "S" in MESSY is where I would start. I would place that center letter (or the center in between 2 letter for even  lettered words - like the space between "C" and "R" from the word CARE) or space above the center parking on the strip of tape. Then stencil outwards from there adding the same amount of space between each letter. You can immediately stencil each letter one right after another because it won't ruin or smudge the previously stenciled letter.