Our Cadette troop recently ran our service unit’s CSA camporee. The Cadettes voted on a Hunger Games theme.

We wanted to have T-shirts for the scouts, but we ran into two problems.

1. Licensed Hunger Games shirts were going to blow our budget.

2. Screen printed shirts with themes printed along the lines of Hunger Games were not cost effective nor would they be available in time for our camporee.

Our solution? A DIY Mockingjay shirt the girls could create on a rotation.

We were investigating ideas on Pinterest for DIY district shirts when we combined a few ideas.

Making inexpensive Hunger Games shirts

You will need:

Black T-shirts (see below on how to get the best price)

A Mockingjay template

Fabric spray paint (We choose a mix of colors, including silver, rose golds, bronze and golds.) The Tulip Color Shot brand has held up well through multiple washings.

Cardboard for inside shirts to prevent bleeding to back of shirt.

Saving on black T-shirts

If you are buying shirts in bulk, I priced options at Amazon, Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Joanns.

I found that Hobby Lobby afforded the least expensive individual T-shirts when not on sale, but if you needed 6 or more of a particular size, you could buy black Gilden brand T-shirts in packs of 6 for less than $2 a shirt online.

How to make a Mockingjay template

Making a Mockingjay template for T-shirts is easy. Print a Mockingjay pumpkin carving template, adhere to cardboard and trim with an x-acto knife.

Enjoy! This was a great craft for girls. Just make sure you have newspaper or cardboard between the shirt layers, and plenty of paper or plastic around the spraying area.

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