Handpainted Scarves - Easy Mother's Day Project #2

Here is another quick and easy Mother's Day project your kids can whip together.........hand painted scarves...I absolutely love these and they are incredibly easy. This was the project I did with Grade 3. So any grade 3 Moms out there avert your eyes.

You need some lightweight material like organza, silk, lining material....I got ours at Walmart for about $4.00 a meter. White works well so your colors stay true when you paint on it but you could also use a cream or beige.

You then need to cut scarf lengths...easiest way to do this is to measure about 14 inches or 33cm and then cut from the fold all the way to the salvage ends. This way you only have to hem the sides and you can maximize the # of scarves you get. I used 7 metres to get 21 scarves.

Now you can hem your sides at this point...I ran out of time on Sunday night so I had the kids paint first and then I hemmed them after.

Take regular acrylic craft paint...you don't need to buy fancy dyes or fabric paint and water it down to an inky consistency.

Lay your scarf down on top of wax paper. I had the kids working on long tables..we put down long pieces of wax paper on top our our Art vinyl tablecloths...we could get 2 to a table.

Paint on your design..the paints will run a bit together but that is the beauty of this technique..you get a soft watercolor effect. Try to choose colors that compliment each other..no black or really dark colors.

I then hung the scarves from a clothesline which had a tablecloth laid out underneath to pick up drips...peel off the wax paper and let the scarf dry...it will only take a few minutes.

When the scarf is fully dry wash in the washing machine with a bit of detergent and fabric softener. The colors will fade only slightly and you will lose the stiffness from the paint...it will also get rid of that paint smell.

Give one to your Mom or Grandma...and make a few for yourself!

The kids got lots of positive comments from other teachers and visiting Moms as they were working on these..I think they will be a hit.

Give it a go and we will see you next time.

HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY !!

gail