Help for the Project Runway Silk Screen Kit

My eight year old daughter is very into "fashion" - or at least her version of fashion. Basically she has very specific ideas as to what she wants to wear and the way in which she wants to combine outfits. As a big fan of Project Runway, I decided I would allow my daughter to watch the most recent season, Season 6. She absolutely loved it (Carole Hannah was her favorite), so when relatives were asking for birthday suggestions last month, I suggested something from the new Project Runway line of toys. My daughter was very excited when she opened the Project Runway Silk Screen Fashion Designer Set, and was eager to make her first creation.

I had seen an online video on HSN (the home shopping network for the uninitiated) that showed the product (actually a slightly different one that had over 200 pieces...ours was not as extensive), and it certainly seemed very easy to use. I pulled out the directions, and noticed that they were only marginally more helpful than those supplied by IKEA. In other words, some pictures, but no actual directions. I studied the photos and thought I had it all figured out. Except I was wrong.

The pictures (kind of) show you how to insert the silk screen into the back of the plastic frame. The next photo shows the plastic frame right side up with the pink stencil now firmly in place. Except, you can't install the pink stencil on the front side of the frame - it is too big. So, though this is not in the instructional photos, I took the silk out, put the stencil in the back and then reinserted the silk...except now it didn't fit well. ARGH!

I then decided I couldn't possibly be the only person with this problem, so I Googled "Project Runway Silk Screen Fashion Designer Kit help". That didn't provide any useful information, so I tried "problem with Project Runway Silk Screen Kit". Still no help. I found a lot of sites from which to purchase, but it seemed like either we were one of the first users or no one else had had a problem.

Finally, I decided to look for that HSN video that had made the Project Runway silk screen kit so easy to use. Obviously, I had to blow through the big sales pitch, but eventually I got to the product demonstration, where I discovered the error of my ways. The pink stencil goes underneath the silk. Yes, the instructional photos were misleading. After fastening the silk into place, you then insert the stencil underneath the silk (there are tabs which will hold down the stencil), so that the stencil is closest to the t-shirt or whatever item you are decorating. Now this may seem obvious to some of you silk screen experts (like my husband), but I had no idea, and certainly the enclosed instructions were misleading.

So if your daughter happens to receive this gift this holiday season, I hope my experience will save you a little bit of frustration. Make it work!