Naturally Educational » 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Art, Featured, Home Arts » Glue Batik Father’s Day Banner Craft
We’ve been eager to try out this kid-friendly glue batik craft technique that I saw a few years ago at That Artist Woman. Essentially, you create a glue-resist on fabric with the blue glue gel (we used Elmer’s) and then paint over with acrylic paints or fabric paint.
We decided to make Father’s Day garden banners to celebrate Daddy and Papa.
- fabric (we used canvas bags from Michael’s but almost any white fabric would work)
- glue gel (we used Elmer’s Washable No-Run School Glue Gel)
- acrylic paints (or you could use fabric paints)
- cardboard (a little larger than your fabric; this is your work surface)
- wood dowels or twigs
- fabric adhesive tape
1. Place your fabric on top of the cardboard. Draw your design on the bag in light pencil. My kids drew a little too hard and I would recommend using a hard pencil that will come out lighter. Make sure to leave a margin at the top and bottom if you plan to fold over the top and bottom like we did.
2. Trace over your outlines with the glue. Make sure to start from the top and work your way down to not smudge the glue. My five year old had no problem with this but my three year old needed some help.
3. Once the glue is completely dry (we had to wait a while but this is likely due to our fabric choice), paint with the acrylic (or fabric) paints. Add a drop of water to dilute the paints or just dip your brush in water before using. You could just blend the paints together or color in the outlines created by the glue. My kids tried a combination of these techniques.
4. Let dry completely, then wash off the glue in warm water in the tub. You can also use a stiff paint brush or old toothbrush or nail brush to help get all the glue off of the fabric.
5. Place a twig or dowel at the top and bottom at the back of your banner. Press down your fabric adhesive tape and roll over the top and bottom to enclose your twig or dowel.
6. Hang with yarn, indoors or outdoors!
My daughter really enjoyed this project and made her own banner. She has already asked to batik a t-shirt and a pillow case.
- Culture: Learn more about the history and creation of batik cloth.
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Art, Featured, Home Arts · Tags: Batik, Father's Day, Techniques