Craft Camp: Day Three

Silhouette Book Bags.

This craft was the most time consuming of our creations. The prep work was insane. In fact, I was up until 2:00 am fighting with my printer trying to get everything in place.

You'll need:

canvas tote bag

fabric scraps

buttons

needle/thread

black craft paint

textile medium

freezer paper

iron

x-acto knife

foam paint brush

1. Take a profile picture of your subject with a digital camera.

2. Upload the picture to your computer.

3. Cut your freezer paper to 8.5 x 11 inches.

4. With an ink jet printer, print the profile picture onto the freezer paper (just load the paper into your printer like you would any other kind of paper) (make sure the image prints on the dull side of the paper).

5. Using the x-acto knife, cut around the printed image. You will be left with a silhouette template to use as a stencil.

6. Position the silhouette stencil onto your canvas bag. With your iron set to low, slowly iron the stencil to the canvas bag with the shiny side of the paper down. (the dull side of the paper is what your iron should be touching.) Iron until the paper is slightly stuck to the canvas bag.

7. Following the instructions on the textile medium bottle, mix your craft paint and textile medium together.

8. With the foam paint brush, apply the black paint onto your bag within the stencil.

9. Once your paint is applied and begins to dry, slowly remove the stencil. (it should pull up very easily)

10. Cut circles out of the fabric scraps.

11. Add the buttons to the fabric circles.

12. Adhere circles to the craft bag. I used a permanent fabric glue.

This project was a great way for the girls to acquire a few different crafty skills. They learned about stenciling and the techniques that go along with it. They also learned how to sew on a button, which is quite an indispensable talent, if you ask me.