Canada Day T-shirt is patriotic and creative

Every Canada Day I wear my anthem T-shirt. And every July 1st people in the crowd ask me where I bought it. When I tell them I decorated it myself, they can’t believe it. The truth, though, is that it was very easy to do.

With the help of some real maple leaves, acrylic paint and textile medium, plus iron-on T-shirt transfers, you can decorate your own Canada Day anthem T-shirt before the big birthday celebrations next week.

Have a very happy Canada Day!

What you’ll need

White T-shirt

T-shirt transfer sheets

Scissors

Textile medium

Red acrylic paint

Maple leaves (assorted sizes)

Foam tray

Toothpick

Sheet of paper

Paper towel

Cardboard

To make an anthem T-shirt you will need a white T-shirt. (If you choose a red T-shirt, be sure to get T-shirt transfers for dark fabric!) For an inexpensive, plain white T-shirt, check the men’s department at the department store where you shop. White T-shirts often come in packages of two or three and range in sizes.

You will need iron-on T-shirt transfer sheets. These can be found at stores that sell stationary and office supplies.

To begin, type in the lyrics of O Canada on your computer (see sidebar for official English and French lyrics). Choose an interesting font and fairly large font size. Get as creative as your computer software will allow you.

Next you will print the lyrics onto a sheet of T-shirt transfer paper. You must print the words in reverse. If you don’t they will appear backwards when ironed onto the T-shirt. Some computer software programs allow you to flip the words before printing. Or you might have a reverse/flip feature on your printer driver. Your package of T-shirt transfers should come with instructions to help you find the feature using your brand of software or printer.

When the lyrics are printed, cut around them leaving about a ¼-inch border. Follow iron-on instructions given in your package of T-shirt transfer sheets and transfer the words onto a laundered (no fabric softener) and dried T-shirt.

When you’re finished ironing and have removed the paper backing, you can start stamping. For this step you need to go outside and pick an assortment of maple leaves from your maple tree. Choose small, medium and large leaves. Leave the stems on.

On a foam plate or tray, mix red acrylic paint with textile medium according to the directions on the bottle of textile medium. At this point you need to have some paper towels, a sheet of paper, a toothpick and a sheet or two of cardboard on hand.

Dip a maple leaf into the paint/textile medium mixture until the good side of the leaf is covered with a thin layer of paint. Practice stamping the leaf onto a sheet of paper first. Use the leaf stem to position the leaf. A toothpick will help with this step. Place a half-sheet of paper towel on top of the leaf and press. Remove the paper towel, peel away the leaf and you should be left with a good impression. Practice until you’ve got it just right.

Place a sheet of cardboard inside the T-shirt to prevent the paint from soaking through. Stamp small, medium and large leaves randomly on the T-shirt, moving the cardboard as you go. Replace the leaves when they become limp and difficult to work with.

When the paint is fully dry to the touch, flip the shirt over and stamp leaves on the back.

Read and follow heat-setting instructions given on your bottle of textile medium.

Now you’ve got a beautiful, patriotic T-shirt to wear on Canada Day.

Here are the official English and French lyrics to our national anthem from the government of Canada’s heritage website.

English version

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

French version

O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!

Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!

Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.

Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Jennifer Roos is a freelance writer, crafter and author of Simply Seasonal – Easy Crafts for Winter, Spring, Summer & Autumn. For more crafts, check out Jennifer’s expert blog at http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/home-garden/experts/. Reach her at simplyseasonal@yahoo.ca.