Jack-o-lantern Top: a tutorial

For the past few weeks I've been student teaching two days a week in a kindergarten classroom. I never thought kindergarten would be for me, but I am LOVING it. I'm starting to remember why I picked the teaching field to begin with. My classes have a way of beating me down with all the projects, papers, quizzes, etc. that seem to be...well, useless. Being in the field has reignited that passion I felt when I first started college. My mentor teacher has been amazing at helping me to really learn about everything that goes into her teaching, all of that "behind-the-scenes" teacher stuff. It's really starting to all connect for me. You may remember this post, where I questioned my direction in career. I can't say I won't change my mind at some point in time but, I'd say for the time being I'm perfectly content on the teacher track. I mean what's more rewarding than a career where you get to help children learn each and every day? 

Anyways, all of that was a round about way of saying I'll be at the school on Halloween and want a fun shirt to wear. My first thought was to find an orange t-shirt and sew black the black felt on. But then I found this cute orangey red tunic from Old Navy and decided I could make it work without permanently dedicating it to Halloween. Hobby Lobby sells this great peel and stick felt that's perfect for a project like this. It gives the same effect that sewn-on felt would, without ruining the shirt. It's really more of a one day wear though. At the end of the day you can just peel the felt right off!

Materials are easy and simple: Shirt. Peel and Stick Felt (comes in lots of colors!). Scissors. Pen. 

The back of the felt is paper lined. Perfect for sketching out your design before cutting. 

One sheet is enough for two jack-o-lantern faces. I didn't like my first smile, so I made another. 

I'd suggest trying on your shirt to get an idea of where you'd like the placement and how do space it before sticking it on. 

And there it is! This picture almost looks photoshopped doesn't it? I promise it's really there. 

Of course I can't promise you the same results because of differences in fabric, but I tested it on the inside of the shirt and found that, even after hours in place, the felt comes off cleanly. I would definitely recommend performing a similar test before risking marring your shirt. 

No sticky residue!

And now I'm all set for our Fall Festival! Good times in kindergarten (; 

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