Crafting Cupboard: Designing on a Budget
By Marci Watterson
The family expenses have become top priority and having a few options to cut costs or stretch the dollar is a big bonus, especially while sprucing up or refreshing our surroundings and wardrobes.

Browsing through store sales, yard sailing, or looking for creative activities our children may enjoy during the summer months, could lead to viewing items quit differently. Although restricted budgets are a concern, reasonable options may empower you and your family.

This inexpensive crafting option is fun to create, enjoyable to watch and easy on the budget. A budding new fashion designer could be residing in your own home.

Key Materials: A warm, calm day; Lighter shades of clothing and /or sheets, (ours were purchased at: New Hope Community Closet in Quarryville); Fabric paints for natural or synthetic fabrics; A clothes dryer; Spray bottles, (one per color); Tall plastic kitchen trash bags, (three per shirt, two per shorts or pants and one per child as clothing shield); Hangers, (shirt hangers and pant clip hangers); Clothes line and/or tree; Goggles; Water.

Optional Materials: Stickers, stencil adhesive or double sided tape, (line the double sided tape side by side on card stock paper and cut out your own sticker); Paint brushes; Water squirt guns; Sponges; Small washable or throwaway bowl; Cookie cutters; Fabric stamps and an eye dropper, (used to insert the fabric paint into the squirt guns).

Thoroughly wash clothing and/or sheets although omit the bleach and/or fabric softener and dry. At this time poke a very small hole through the unopened end of a trash bag. Holding onto the hole you just made, push the rest of the bag up your arm. With your other hand, insert the hanger hook into the hole and roll down the bag from your arm over the hanger. At the hook tie two bags, one for either side, it will resemble a plastic shirt. You will be placing the shirt over this, with the tied bags going through the arm holes. For pants, just tie two plastic bags onto where pant clips are located and push the plastic down the pant legs. This is your paint barrier, so the paint doesn’t bleed through.

Locations, location, make sure a water hose reaches the area in which this project is done.

A rule of thumb for this project when adding paint is one tablespoon to every eight ounces and about two eye droppers full of fabric paint per gun then add the water, keep the gun nose up so not to drip. Do this over a sink or outside, this gets rather messy.

Stickers and sponges are blockers and blotters; before hanging clothing and sheets outside, you may decide to press a sticker you purchased or one you cut out onto the article you intend to spray paint. After which a bottle of fabric paint can be misted on or blotted around the sticker with the sponge. After drying the sticker can be removed. Be careful not to overspray the area, the paint will work its way under the blocked area.

Fabric stamp are also very creative, with a sponge sitting in a bowl and a tablespoon of the fabric paint on top, along with enough water to soak the sponge, you have a stamping pad. Gently dab the stamp on top of the sponge to load the color and place something firm, (a hand or a piece of cardboard) underneath the fabric to be stamped and press. The paint brush can also be dipped into this dish to splash paint onto the clothing.

Helpful Hints: 1.) Try to have the wind at your back and I purchased a couple pairs of goggles for the kids to wear from our local Family Dollar Store. If the wind changed directions, they were covered. 2.) If you’re trying to make homemade stickers, use some cookie cutters to trace. 3.) Wash down your work area after painting and allow clothing to dry completely.

Hang up the clothes and/or sheets and get the kids! Take a plastic bag and make a small hole for the head of a child, then slide it down over their clothes and make a small opening for each arm, don’t forget the goggles. This is a fashion statement all by its self.

Remind them no pointing at anything but the clothing you have provided for them. Quickly review the directions with them and let them go spray, stamp, and splash on the paint. You can now enjoy the entertainment.

Ok, time for drying outside on a clothes line or tree branch and then you will want to heat set the clothing in the dryer for sixty minutes on the normal cycle. Please remember the clothing must be completely dry, before heat setting in the dryer.

Photos by Marci Watterson

 

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