When TJ and I first moved into our home, we both had eyes on big purchases. For me, it was light fixtures. I’m a sucker for unique lighting throughout a home. For him – it was a grill.
A grill.
I didn’t get it. What was so special about a grill that made him eager to make it one of our first big purchases? It wasn’t until after he bought his grill that it all made sense. A grill for men is like a new handbag for women. He was heaven. At least twice a week, he’s outside cooking any and everything that’s deemed”grillable”. With Father’s Day being a few weeks away, I wanted to create a DIY gift from Nori that incorporated his love for grilling.
As always, I turned to Pinterest for some inspiration. I came across the below image, however the source was unknown, so there was no link to a website with step-by-step directions.
After examining the photo, I realized only three items were used – an apron, acrylic paint, and puff-paint. Seemed easy enough. I didn’t want to completely duplicate their work, so I decided to switch things up to make it fit my style.
Below I walk you through how to create a tie-dye “King of the Grill” apron for Father’s Day using similar materials. Please note, the above photo works as a great option and is slightly easier than the tutorial below. If you decide to go with the above option, acrylic paint was used for the handprints and puff-paint was used for the lion’s face and the wording.
Let’s get started!
- White Cotton Apron
- Liquid Dye (I used the Rit All-Purpose in Brown)
- Plastic Squeeze Bottles
- Large Ziplock Bag
- Rubber Bands
- Drying Rack
- Gloves
- Acrylic Paint
- Paint Pallet
- Paint Brushes
- Iron-On Letters
- Puff Paint (Optional)
- Pencil (Optional)
- Fine Point Sharpie (Optional)
Part I – Tie Dye:
1. Wash and dry the apron prior to beginning to help remove any chemicals that could prevent the dye from taking properly.
2. Lay the apron on a flat surface. Locate the center of the apron and slightly pinch and hold it. Using the hand that’s pinching the center, slowly begin twisting the apron until the entire apron is in a spiral shape. Tightly bind the apron with rubber bands alternating directions to create multiple wedged shapes.
3. Prepare the dye in the plastic bottles according to the packaging instructions. I created two brown colors, one slightly darker than the other.
4. Lay a trash bag or piece of cardboard underneath the drying rack. Lay your apron on top of the rack.
5. Begin applying the dye one by one to the wedge shapes. For the best result, make opposing wedges the same color. Flip the apron over and repeat on the back.
6. Once fully dyed, place the apron into a ziplock bag and allow it sit for 6-8 hours.
7. Remove apron from the ziplock bag and run under cool water to remove any leftover dye. Add the apron in the washer and wash on gentle cycle with cold water. Tumble dry on low.
Part II – Painting:
8. Lay the apron on a flat surface. To create the outer coat of the lions mane, I painted my hands orange mixed with slight strokes of white paint. If you have more than one child or older children, allow them to do this step instead. Once the hand is painted, place it slightly above the center of the apron and firmly press down. Lift the hand and repaint it. Place the hand back down again, slightly overlapping the previous handprint. Repeat above steps until you’ve created a circle of handprints. Fill the center of the circle with imprints from your palm. Set aside and allow the paint to dry.
9. Paint your child’s hand yellow and place it in the center of the mane. Lift the hand and repaint it. Place the hand back down again, slightly overlapping the previous handprint. Repeat this step until you’ve created another circle. Set aside and allow the paint to dry.
Tip: If you have more than one child, you can create multiple layers to the mane. Have the oldest child create the outer handprints, the middle child create the next layer of handprints, and so forth. You can also adjust the colors of the paint by having the outer layer bright orange, the next layer orange mixed with white paint for a lighter orange, the next layer yellow, etc. Have fun with it, there’s no right or wrong way to do step!
10. Once the handprints are fully dry, you are ready to create the lion’s face. This is where you can get super detailed or take a simpler approach. Neither option is wrong and both turn out great! As a reminder, here is the example found on Pinterest for the easier approach. If you choose the route, you will create the face using puff paint. Paint on the eyes, nose, mouth and whiskers.
To create a more realistic lion, I first located a few faces on google as references. Here are some great examples: click here.
Begin by lightly sketching the face on top of the handprints. Once I had a general outline of how I wanted the face, I went back over parts of the sketch with a fine permanent marker. Once complete, I started filling in my sketch with paint. To create a gradient effect, I started with a brown base coat for the face. I then mixed a small amount of white paint with the brown and added this new lighter shade to various parts of the face. Once you’ve completed the face, set aside and allow paint to dry.
Part III – Add Words:
11. Option 1: Create the words using puff paint:
12. Option 2: Create the words using iron-on letters. Place the letters on the apron and rearrange as needed. Once you’re satisfied with the placement, begin ironing the letters (I ironed 2-3 letters at a time). Move the iron back and forth on top of the letters for 30 seconds. Repeat until all the letters have been ironed. Flip apron over and repeat this step again, ensuring the heat is applied to each letter for 30 seconds.
That’s it! Now dad has a custom apron to sport while he’s outdoors grilling! I had some left over dye and letters, so I made a t-shirt for Nori to wear alongside her dad while he grills!
I hope you found this tutorial helpful! If you decide to try this DIY out, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Xo,
Brooke
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