How to make your own cloth bags

You will need

• Plain calico cloth bags x 2
• Stiff cardboard
• Resene testpots in your choice of colours; Fleur used Resene Valour, Resene Tango and Resene Black for the bird bag, and Resene Black and Resene Jalapeno for the ladybird bag
• Medium and small craft paintbrushes
• Willing hand participants

First, iron your bag and then cut a piece of cardboard big enough to fit inside the bag. This keeps the bag taught and flat and stops any paint from bleeding through to the other side.

How to paint a bird bag

Step 1:  Use a pencil to mark where you want the handprints to go. Use a medium-sized craft paintbrush to paint on to the hand.

Top tip: apply two layers of Resene paint. The first layer of paint dries quickly due to the heat of the hand. Be liberal with the second layer of paint – this layer won’t dry so quickly as the first coat acts as an insulating layer.

Step 2:  Carefully put the hand in position and press down firmly, making sure to apply equal pressure to the whole hand and each finger so that a good handprint is made. Remove the hand by peeling it off in a rolling motion.

Step 3:  Use a small craft paintbrush to fill in any areas, such as the hole made with the palm of the hand. Add eyes using Resene Black, beak using Resene Tango and branches using Resene Black. Allow the bag to dry before using.

Step 3:  Use a small craft paintbrush to paint on the antennae, wing spots and flight path. Allow the bag to dry before using.

Top tip: For a little extra bling use Resene FX Metallic testpots for some of the extra details. You can also use footprints for extra variety.

Styling and images by Fleur Thorpe, 2019.