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Thursday, March 17, 2022

Easy Splatter Painting Art Tutorial For Kids

 Are you looking for an easy and fun art project to do with your kids? 



Splatter painting is not only easy to do but just about anyone can enjoy creating a colorful splatter paint masterpiece! The best part is no two paintings are alike and they always turn out amazing (really, you can't mess this up!)

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My boys just recently finished a study on Jackson Pollack and couldn't wait to try to replicate his splatter art process. They learned that he used all sorts of tools to create his art so, of course, they wanted to find their own "tools" to make splatter art too. 

How To Make A Splatter Painting

Today I wanted to share with you how we did our splatter art so you can try it with your kids too. Make sure to watch and read the easy tips & tricks I sprinkle (hehe...catch that pun!) throughout the instructions to help make your splatter painting more enjoyable. 




Here is the supply list to get you started:

  • Paint - any of these will work: acrylic craft paint, tempera paint, watercolors
  • Art paper, canvas, or cardboard
  • "Tools" - paintbrushes, pipettes, egg beaters (the manual kind), spoons, old toothbrush
  • Small paper cups
  • Water
  • Large empty box (if you do this craft indoors)
  • Drop cloth (optional)

Tips & Tricks - we did this art project inside during the middle of winter and used a large empty box to put our blank art paper inside to keep the splatter paint from getting on my kitchen floor.

Step 1 - Allow your child to choose the paint colors they want for their painting. If you are using tempera or acrylic craft paint pour a little bit of paint into an empty paper cup then water the paint down and mix it well. 

Tips & Tricks - use watered down paint for more successful splatter painting results

Step 2 - If you are painting outside just simply lay your paper or canvas in your yard on top of dry grass. However, if you are painting inside you might want to spread out a drop cloth then put your big box on top of the drop cloth. This is definitely a messy art project so take steps beforehand to prevent a HUGE mess!




Step 3 - To start splatter painting, dip a "tool" of choice into the paint then flick your wrist or wave your arm over the paper to get the splatter effect started. Continue adding more splatters in whatever color paint you want to make your one-of-a-kind splatter art painting. (yes, that is my handheld electric mixer - used under my careful supervision of course!)

Tips & Tricks - allow your child to experiment with a variety of "tools" as well as different arm and body motions to create their art. 

 



Step 4 - Make sure to let your artwork dry completely! 


What To Do With Your Splatter Art Painting

There are a lot of creative ideas you can do with your finished (and dry) splatter art painting. Here is a list of the different things we have done with our artwork:

  • Cut out shapes from the splatter painting (done on paper) and glued them to a piece of twine for a custom bunting
  • Homemade greeting card
  • Folded it into an origami shape (check out this resource to make origami)
  • Picture frame mat
  • Framed it and hung it on the wall
  • Book cover
  • Homemade wrapping paper for gifts
I'm sure you could come up with several more ideas to add to this list but hopefully, this list will get you started!

Art Resources For Your Homeschool

As a homeschool parent, I like to set aside time on a regular basis during our school weeks for art. Whether it is time spent reading about an artist, looking at famous paintings from different time periods, or creating our own artwork my kids always love this time. 

I've been asked many times what I use to teach my kids art and I wanted to share with you the resources I found and love to use for our art class. 

This is the perfect art unit study to do with kids ages Kindergarten through 6th grade. This resource includes a series of art studies focusing on eight of the world's greatest artists. Each series exposes kids to the style, methods, and process each artist used when making their artwork. With several hands-on activities included kids will put together a wonderful Greatest Artists lapbook to refer to. 

In addition to the resource created by Confessions of a Homeschooler, this program also requires the use of the books by Mike Venezia called Getting To Know The World's Greatest Artists. These are GREAT books! You can find these books in your local library or purchase them on Amazon like I did because my kids love to read them over and over! 


Let me just start off by saying that I LOVE this book! Why do I love it? Because is easy to use as a homeschooling mom! It requires very little pre-prep work. Written to be used for grades 1st through 6th your child will learn about the seven elements of art through examples from various fine art in the world as well as get an opportunity to practice each element through the 96 hands-on art projects. 

Not only did my kids learn a lot from this art book but I did too!


More Art Activities For Kids 



I hope this fun tutorial for creating a splatter painting helps inspire you to make art a part of your homeschool day! Let me know how your splatter painting turned out!


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Tuesday, March 8, 2022

How to Make A Simple Rag Quilt

Rag quilts are easy-to-make quilts, perfect for a beginning quilter or even for a seasoned pro who needs to make something quickly. I fell in love with rag quilts because of the soft edges created by the ragging process and how cuddly these types of blankets are!



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One of my favorite gifts to give a new mom is a handmade baby quilt. I recently made a rag quilt for a new mom at our church. I had several yards of camo cotton print fabric I had been saving for the right project and this was it! 

My friend had a baby boy so it was fun using up this black/gray camo print in this quilt. I used a total of four different colors of fabrics from my stash on the front of the quilt and a solid oatmeal-colored cotton flannel for the back. The finished baby quilt measured about 42" x  54".


(You can find quilting fabric and quilting supplies for your project at Fat Quarter Shop.)

Shop at Quarter Shop


Rag Quilt Size Guide

The size of a rag quilt can be easily adjusted to fit your needs. To make a rag quilt larger simply increase the size of the fabric squares or add more squares along the perimeter of the quilt.  If you need a smaller size quilt do the opposite and decrease the size of the squares or don't add as many squares to the quilt. Make sense? Great!



Brainstorming Your Quilt Pattern

I like to sketch out some ideas on graph paper before I start cutting the fabric. This way I know what the finished quilt will kind of look like before I commit to cutting into the fabric. For this rag quilt, I wanted the camo print to be in the center and the remaining fabrics to fill in around it in a symmetrical pattern. 

After I finished sketching out my idea I was ready to cut all of the fabric into 7" squares. My rotary cutter and cutting mat came in handy for this project! If you don't have one yet - get one, they are totally worth it!


 Cut Time, Quilt More  


Batting - To Use Or Not To Use

Typically rag quilts have a middle layer of quilt batting sewn between the top and bottom fabric squares to give the quilt some weight and extra warmth. If you live in a warmer climate you might want to substitute quilt batting for a layer of cotton flannel so your quilt isn't so thick or too warm. You can even leave this middle layer out completely for a very lightweight quilt too. I chose to add quilt batting for the middle layer since I live in a colder climate. 

The middle layer of batting should be smaller than the top and bottom layers of fabric. I cut the batting into 6" squares. Once your batting squares are cut it is time to take all your top, bottom, and middle squares to your sewing machine. 


How To Make A Simple Rag Quilt

Follow along with these easy-to-follow steps to make your own rag quilt. 

Starting A  Rag Quilt - Complete Step-By-Step Tutorial

  • Using your sketch determine how many squares of fabric you will need from each of the fabrics you chose for the quilt top. My quilt was 7 rows by 9 rows for a total of 63 squares for the quilt top. 

Cut out all the squares from the quilt top fabric and then cut out the same number of fabric squares for the bottom of the quilt. For my quilt I had a combined total of 126 squares of fabric! 

  • Next, place one square of bottom fabric face down, then place one batting square on top of the bottom layer of fabric centering the batting in the middle of the bottom square. Lastly, place one quilt top fabric square face up on top of the batting. This is called a fabric sandwich - isn't it yummy! Repeat this step with all the fabric squares you cut out until they are all made into fabric sandwiches.


  • Starting sewing diagonally from one corner of the fabric sandwich to the opposite corner in a straight line. To make this step (and the next) go quicker you are going to want to chain stitch these square sandwiches. Chain stitching means you continue sewing one square sandwich after another without cutting the thread between them. 

How I like to chain stitch is to first sew across the square diagonally then when I reach the other side of the fabric I continue sewing a few stitches past the edge, lift up the presser foot and slide the corner of the next fabric sandwich under the needle, drop the presser foot and continue sewing from one corner to the next diagonally. Keep chain stitching until you sew all of the squares. 

Cut the threads between the chain stitched squares then chain stitch all of the squares across the opposite diagonal of each square until each square has an "X" sewn across it. Here is a picture of what I mean:

 


 

Sewing The Squares Together 

  • After I sew all the "X"s on the fabric squares, I lay out the squares on the floor (or another large area) into the pattern I sketched for the finished quilt. At this point, you will be sewing the squares together row by row. You want the seams to show on the top side of the quilt so start by placing two squares of fabric from the first row together with the wrong sides (backside) facing each other. Sew the squares together with a 1/2" seam allowance. Continue sewing until all of the squares are sewn together into rows.


Sewing The Rows Together

  • After sewing the squares into rows you are now going to sew the finished rows together. Stack the first two rows together, making sure the wrong sides (backside) face each other and the seam lines between each of the squares line up. To make sewing the rows together easier, it is helpful to "nest" the seams of each square along the rows then pin each row together so it doesn't shift when sewing. To nest the seams make sure all of the seam allowances for the squares on the top row face one direction and the seam allowance for the bottom row face the opposite direction. This way when you line up the rows the seams between the squares fit together snugly and there is no extra bulk due to doubled up seam allowances on top of each other.  

Sew the rows together using a 1/2" seam allowance again making sure the seams allowances show on the top of the quilt.

 

Here is my quilt all sewn together before I clip the seams: 


  

Your quilt should be all assembled and sewn at this point! But....we aren't done yet. Hang in there, we are almost done!

  • This is a very forgiving quilt however it is important to square up the entire quilt before the next step. I like to lay my quilt on my self-healing mat and trim any wonky edges with my rotary cutter. 
  • Next, sew around the entire perimeter of the quilt using a 1/2" seam allowance. (I actually like to sew around the perimeter twice but that is just personal preference.)


Start The Ragging Process

Grab a sharp pair of scissors or spring action rag quilting scissors, which I highly recommend if you think you might make more rag quilts in the future. These spring-action scissors are the bomb when it comes to rag quilting! 

Now, start cutting all of the seam allowances on the top of the quilt and around the perimeter. I usually make cuts about 1/4" to 1/2" apart as I cut the fabric. Be very careful when you are snipping the seam allowances - you DO NOT want to cut through any of the seams! When you finish cutting the seam allowances take the quilt outside and shake it out. Shake it really well and when you think you are done... shake it some more! There will be a lot of small bits of fabric flying everywhere. 

Washing Your Rag Quilt

After shaking the quilt out (forever) it is time to throw it into your washing machine with a few old towels for a quick wash then into your dryer. Do not use liquid fabric softener since it will gum up the ragged edges. Make sure you empty your lint trap because I guarantee it will be FULL when the dryer is done. 

I actually like to wash and dry a new rag quilt several times to encourage the ragging process and reduce the amount of lint produced after each wash/dry cycle. Every time you wash and dry a rag quilt the frayed edges will get softer and softer!

If you are gifting a rag quilt to someone who has never owned one it would be wise to let them know that the quilt will continue to give off lint but it should be drastically less as they use it and wash it.

What Kinds Of Fabric Are Best To Use For A Rag Quilt?

Fabric that frays like cotton or flannel is the best type of fabric to use for a rag quilt. For an extra soft rag quilt, you can combine cotton or flannel with non-fraying fabrics like jersey knit, Minky or fleece. The edges won't be as frayed and fuzzy but the softness of these other fabrics will still give the quilt a nice soft touch.

How Much Fabric Do I Need to Make a Rag Quilt?




The amount of fabric you will need to make a rag quilt will depend on the size of the quilt you want to make. The standard width of a bolt of fabric (WOF) is 42" so depending on the size of your squares you can easily calculate how many squares you can cut from a 42" long piece of fabric.  Remember that graph paper sketch you made earlier? Get it out and use it to help you figure out fabric requirements. Here is an example of how to figure out fabric requirements:

Example: 
Fabric for a baby size rag quilt measuring 30" x 40" requires 48 - 6" squares of your quilt top fabric. Assuming your fabric is 42" across (WOF) you can cut 7 squares for each 42" x 6" section of fabric (42/6 = 42). Therefore for the quilt top you will need about 1 1/4 yards of fabric. You will also need the same amount of fabric for the back of the quilt. If you choose to add batting you will need a 30" x 40" piece of batting of which you will cut 48 - 5" squares. 


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Monday, March 7, 2022

How To Make Tie-Dye Coffee Filter Butterflies

Looking for an easy craft to make with your kids this Spring? Tie-dye coffee filter butterflies are fun and easy to make. From toddler to teen this craft project is sure to be a hit! 

Follow along with this tutorial to make your own tie-dye butterflies. These cuties make great decorations for a birthday party or even Easter! 




Your child is going to love watching the marker colors mix and spread on the coffee filter once they spritz it with water. Once dried they will have a beautiful and delicate-looking butterfly. I highly recommend doing this craft on a protected work surface so the markers don’t stain your table. 


Tie-Dye Coffee Filter Butterfly Tutorial

Supplies:
round coffee filters
variety of colored markers
pipe cleaner
spray bottle & water

How to Make a Coffee Filter Butterfly:




  • Lightly spray the entire colored coffee filter with water from a spray bottle until the entire surface is damp. The colors will begin to blend together. Let the coffee filter air dry completely.




  • Fold the coffee filters accordion style and stack them one on top of the other




  • Fold a pipe cleaner in half then place the center of the stacked coffee filter on the fold. Twist the pipe cleaner around the center of the coffee filters a few times to create the butterfly body. Gently curl the ends of the pipe cleaners into the butterfly antennae 




  • Open the coffee filters to create butterfly wings




Great Job! Now go make a whole bunch more!! 







Once your child has made one of these colorful butterflies they won’t want to stop crafting! Insert a wooden skewer into the pipe cleaner and stick the butterfly in a houseplant to make an indoor butterfly garden. 


Here are some more easy & fun craft projects I'm sure you will enjoy:




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