Glue Batik Pillow Cases

My oldest daughter left for summer camp this week and one of the projects her group did was decorate pillow cases for each girl. My daughter had play practice so she missed out so we decorated her pillow case at home. Of course all her siblings had to join in and I am so glad they did because they turned out adorable!!

We used Elmer’s white glue and made a batik looking fabric. So easy and fun!

Supplies

• Elmer’s white glue
• White pillow case (you could do shirts too)
• Freezer paper or wax paper
• Acrylic paint in desired color
• Gloves (optional but highly recommended)
• Water
• Big Bowl
• Scrubbing brush ( I used an old potato scrubber.)

Design

First you want to lay out your pillow case and put wax paper or freezer paper inside. I used freezer paper because it is the exact width of my pillow cases.

Side Note: I was totally not organized enough to wash my pillow cases first or iron them flat and they worked fine but you definitely could do those things before you start if you want.

Second let the kids go to town drawing their designs. You don’t want to go skimpy on the glue because you want it to saturate the fabric. Let the glue soak in and dry completely. We left them overnight.

Painting

First get a large bowl and fill with 2 cups of water.

Second add 1-2 Tablespoons of paint depending on how dark you want the paint.

Third mix the paint up in the water.

Side Note: WEAR gloves!!! The first one I made I did not and I still have a blue tint to my fingers 3 days later!!

Next dunk the pillow case in the paint water moving it around until it is all covered.

Squeeze the excess water out of the pillow case. This helps it dry faster.

Next lay it flat to dry completely. We laid ours outside on old towels to speed up the process.

Batik Finish

Soak the painted pillow cases in hot water for 30 minutes.

Scrub at the glue under water with a scrubbing brush to remove. This takes a little bit of time but the longer you soak the faster this part goes.

Ring out the water and the lay it out to dry again! Lastly we washed them in the washing machine and they are good to use.

The perfect summer craft with the kids!! I would love to see pictures of how yours turned out. Please Share!

Linked to: I Heart Nap Time, Lil’ Luna, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots & Jello & Today’s Creative Blog, Strawberry Mommycakes, Craftaholics Anonymous, LollyJane Get Your DIY On (ThankfulHouse)