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Thursday, August 19, 2010

School Glue Resist

A finished square, surrounded by borders

I can't believe it's time for school to start again! I've seen children in the stores buying their school supplies. They are so excited. Did you know that you can help your child "design his own fabric" using that washable, gel school glue?
 
1.Draw design on white paper
First, have your child draw a simple picture or design on white paper or the dull side of freezer paper. If the lines are not dark enough, go over them with Sharpie. Do not use a water based ink!!!
2. Trace onto muslin.
Second, place muslin over the design and tape it down so it won't shift. Trace it off using a pencil or a pen with heat sensitive ink, such as FriXion by Pilot.


3. Trace over lines with school glue.
Third,using the tip of the glue bottle, trace over the lines of the design with the school glue. If you want areas to remain white, fill them in with the glue. Let the glue dry completely. If you live in a warm, sunny place like I do, you can set it outside. (Be sure to anchor the edges so the wind doesn't blow it. In fact, you might tape it down to a surface first.)

4. Fill in the areas inside the lines with watered down acrylic paint.
Fourth, give your child some watered down acrylic paint in the colors needed and instruct him/her to fill in the areas between the lines of dried glue. If you want a more permanent color, use a liquid dye or fabric paint such as Dye-na-flo or Setacolor. (There may be other brands intended for this use also.) Sometimes it might be helpful to wet the areas first so that the paint will blend better. The design will fade when you wash the glue out, so it should be darker than you want the final color. Let the paint completely dry. This can also be done out in the sun.

5. Iron the dried fabric on the back to heat set the colors.
Fifth line your ironing surface with paper towels and iron the back of the fabric to heat set the color.



Sixth, wash the fabric to remove all traces of glue. You can wash it in the washing machine along with an old towel if you have difficulty removing the glue. Press it well and add borders or use as you would any other fabric.

Your child will be so proud of the fabric he/she created! Let him make enough for a gift quilt or pillow. Make a set of table napkins out of them. Make a tote bag for school. How about a nap quilt for your preschooler. Don't worry if the design doesn't turn out to be a masterpiece. The important part was the process. If your child is proud, that is what counts.

Let your child experiment with designing with the glue. Show him how to make swirls, letters, names, numbers. Try designing on a light colored fabric instead of muslin to see what that will look like.

You may have to buy another jar of school glue to send to school! 

8 comments:

  1. oh I love that and I have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait until I get a bit of free time to play.
    It looks beautiful!
    Elisa

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  2. I love this idea. I'm going to try it also. I don't have any children left at home, but the kid inside me will have fun playing with this. Thanks for sharing.

    Nita

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  3. Thanks for the comments! I would love to see what you end up doing. You can also use liquid Ritz dye if you want something more permanent. Have fun! Linda

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  4. Setacolor fabric paints will not fade when washed out if heat set first. I used the blue (dries clear) gel glue and it was not easy to get it all to wash out. Is the clear easier to wash?

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  5. Thanks for the comment and the suggestion of the Setacolor paints. I think that perhaps the clear is easier to get out, because I have used the blue gel in the past and it was more difficult to remove. BUT, this time I put the fabric in the washing machine along with a towel, so that could have been the difference. When I used the blue, I tried just washing it by hand.

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  6. My sister, an art teacher, also recommended Dye-na-flo. She said that if you do not plan on ever washing it, such as for a wall hanging or framed art, you can go back and add details with colored pencils. I think I will go back and add these suggestions for paint. Thanks!

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  7. Ooooh, I came here from the batik post... Now acrylic paints I do have, so I just need to get the gel glue, thanks for this, I'm going to have great fun!

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  8. My DD will love it but I am sure I will do it first .

    http://myeleganthome.blogspot.ae/

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