Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Rainbow Batik

I saw this wonderful project at this great site Pink and Green Mama (a favorite of mine)- as soon as I saw the project, I just had to try it out with Holly as this was right up her alley. When I showed her what we were doing, she was very excited. We started with a white cloth napkin and if she enjoyed this project we would later tackle something larger like an apron or book bag. This was just the right size for now though.

You take your Elmers Gel Glue and draw a design all over your fabric. Let is sit and dry for a couple of hours, we set ours in the sunshine. Then you paint your design with acrylic paint - rainbow colors for us. Again, let this dry for a couple of hours, we set ours in the sunshine. Once the paint is dry you will then soak your fabric in a sink of hot water for about 15 minutes and the glue will begin to dissolve. You can scrunch/rub the fabric together to encourage it to happen quicker, this will not ruin your paint job. Once the glue has fully dissolved from the fabric it will reveal the design you created, a batik.











This project, though it looks fancy, was amazingly easy and quick! Holly truly enjoyed this - we'll be doing more I am sure! A fun art project!!!

45 comments:

  1. That is SOOOOO cool! I'm going to have to try that with Anna. She'll love it.

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  2. That is just gorgeous! I will have to try it.

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  3. Oooh! Very cool--and a lot easier than the usual way!

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  4. i love this! my daughter will too. my oldest is at summer camp this week and next during the days .. and we are doing our own "camp" at home... great and different idea!

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  5. question.. we are doing this project today :) did you use just regular craft paint? and did you water it down? thanks!

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  6. Yep I have the same question, don't you have to use special fabric paint? Regular acrilic patin doesn't come off when it's washed?

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  7. I'm wondering how these will survive the laundry if you use them as napkins. Or do they need to be a wallhanging and never get washed?

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  8. Why didn't the acrylic paint come off in the water?

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  10. Acrylic paint is permanent on fabric once it has dried or been ironed. It is washable and does not fade much.

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    Replies
    1. That was the question/answer I was looking for! Thank you!

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  11. This reminds me of a project I did in 7th grade. WOW I won't say how long that was.lol I like this way much better then doing the wax thing.Hmm I think I need a new scarf. Thanks for sharing. Paper Wishes & Crafty Dreams :0)

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  12. es una idea preciosa, excelente para los niños pero en mi pais no hay la pega gel de Elmer, a great idea, excelent for kids, but i cant find gel glue elmer in my country, what is? silicon?

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    1. I do not have access to Elmer's , either, but am going to try woth another craft glue of which I know it is water soluble (aleenes , in fact) . You can ask in hardware store whether they have such a glue available for you ? Will use a hanky or so for try out .

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  14. I did this today with my 3 year old and it was such fun, I did most of the glue designs for her but she got to do the painting. It still winter enough here in Iowa that I didn't have any sunshine to dry the glue so I did use a hair dryer to speed things up. I also watered down my acrylic craft pain so it would soak into the fabric and made some pretty color blending effects where two colors meet. Can't wait for the paint to dry so I can get the glue off and hang it up in her room. Thanks for the great idea!

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  15. Where is a good place to buy small hemmed white fabric swatches in bulk? I am an art teacher and would like to do this with some of my kids but I need to buy bulk.

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    1. Here are some... http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1525-AA.shtml

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    2. I have purchased a king sized 100% cotton sheet from Goodwill and I am planning to cut it up into scarves and go from there with my 2.5-3.5 year old class. The sheet cost me 4.99.

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  16. Does the glue have to be gel cause I have craft glue?

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  17. I love this idea! I would like to invite you to link up this post to Money Saving Monday so others can find this great idea as well. I hope to see you there.

    Thank You,
    Stephanie
    http://lifesallaboutlittleadventures.blogspot.com/2013/04/money-saving-monday-week-3.html

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  18. After all is said and done, is the fabric soft or does the paint make it crunchy or stiff?

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  19. hei, batik is my country's heritage. Thanks for that idea, it hard to find Canting and Malam here.

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  20. This was a great lesson. Worked just as described. Thanks for posting it. My "Science as art" camp loved it. We talked about adhesives, water soluble materials and why some materials stain other materials. :)

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  21. Truly love this and will try with my son in this summer holiday! I have shared this with my FB fans ^^

    https://www.facebook.com/ShineKidsCrafts

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  22. Hi, I'm from England and I was wondering if you knew of any alternatives you could use for Elmers glue because it isn't sold over here? Is it just PVA? This is a brilliant idea and I've got a young friend who would love to try it! Thanks!

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  23. Any water soluble glue will work. All it has to do is dissolve in water.

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  24. Thanks so much for posting this. I did this with my four nieces over Thanksgiving weekend on t-shirts and it was a big hit.

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  25. It turned out beautifully!! Just found you via Pinterest -- so glad the project was a hit.

    Warmly,
    Pink and Green Mama,
    MaryLea

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  26. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I've been looking around for some batik fabric for quilting. But it looks like a lot more fun to make my own. http://www.fabricfanatics.com

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  27. Did you thin the acrylic paints?

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  28. Looks so nice. Pls can u help me with- what is that elmer blue jel?? I m not american.... what will work?

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  29. Thank you for the great idea. I have a workshop class at school. it is 90 minutes for 5 weeks. Would the glue set too much if it had to wait a week to be painted?

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  30. Does the fabric need to be cotton? B/c Oriental Trading has these poly bandanas that I use for other crafts. Thanks!

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  32. I am looking to do this project this summer. Do you have to use clear glue or would regular white elmers glue work?

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  33. Your rainbow batik project is absolutely mesmerizing. The vibrant colors and intricate patterns truly make it a work of art. I can only imagine the time and effort that went into creating such a masterpiece!
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