Where I Create

I figured it's time to show an update of my "studio". It's a lot different than my first post a while back.  You can compare from this post if you would like! You will probably agree...it's so much better now.  But unfortunately it's temporary.  I'm still living in my grandparents house (they passed away this past January and March), and the home now belongs to my uncle, who is graciously letting us live here a while longer.  I love this place, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.  

When I posted about my studio a while back, I showed a table that my sewing machine barely fit on, in a little corner of the basement.  It was better than nothing so I'm not complaining.  A few months ago I was able to move all my stuff upstairs to the den and spread it out.  I'm having so much fun with it now!

I think just having that mini quilt on the wall makes things a whole lot happier.  :)

I think I need to make more mini quilts! This is the Love Triangle quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman.

My WIP box.  A few unfinished quilts are waiting for me.

I've even been using my grandpa's fancy desk as my art desk.  Don't worry it's covered. :)

Well that's about it.  Not all fancy and nice like many I have seen, but I'm still able to create, and that's what matters!

Kid's Crafts: Stenciled Pillowcases!

I went to the store for glue, and came back with stencils, 4 plain white pillow cases and some sponge brushes.  Typical.  But who would've guessed that Walmart sells such cute animal stencils?  Anyway, they caught my eye, so this is what we did with them, plus some fabric paint I already had.

If you want to do this too and can't find fabric paint, you can use regular craft acrylic paint.   I've done it before, it works!  Just remember to heat set it with an iron before washing and you're good!

We put a cardboard box inside the pillow case to protect the other side from bleeding paint.  I had paper plates for the paint, and plastic spoons to scoop it out.  

Since there wasn't much room on the table, and I knew my kids would need a little help, I decided to have one child work at a time.  I like to keep my messes contained!

Seriously these cheap stencils are pretty cute! The kids were thrilled to be able to choose the animals they wanted on their pillowcases.  

I had to teach them each how to dab the brush up and down without scrubbing it.  We also didn't want any big globs of paint.  Sometimes they needed a little guidance from me, but mostly I just let them at it while I helped to hold the stencil. 

 This 6 year old caught on pretty well.

My eight year old did most of it on his own.  I helped hold the stencils every now and then.

This one surprised me with how careful she was.  For a 4 year old, she did great.  I just held the stencils for her while she painted.

She was very proud of her work. :)

The last thing we did was heat set the paint with the iron.  This step also seems to melt the paint into the fabric more, making it feel smooth.  I was a little worried the paint would be scratchy on their faces, but after the heat setting, I threw them in the washer and they came out just fine!  I tested it out myself and there is no scratchiness.  :)  

Thanks for stopping by!