Dreaming of Spring: Treasure Bags

Use your fingerprints to make these little bags to hold tiny treasures for yourself or to give to others!

Materials

• Muslin Bags (you can get these at craft stores or order them through Etsy)
• Fabric paint
• Paint brush
• Ribbon
• Safety Pin
• Embroidery floss
• Needle
• Cardboard
• Scissors (Whoops!  We forgot these for the photo- sorry!)
• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Cut your cardboard to a little smaller than the size of your bag and insert it inside.  This will prevent your fabric paint from gluing your bag together.

• We wanted to create a series of bags for St. Patrick’s Day treats, using our fingerprints.  We brushed paint onto our finger pads with a brush (to assure a more even coat) and made the leaves of a shamrock, gold and a rainbow.

• Allow your work to dry overnight.

• We then sewed a few details onto the bags to enhance our fingerprints, using our embroidery floss.

• We then removed the thin string that was provided with the bags and replaced it with ribbon or cord by clipping a safety pin onto the end and pushing it through the channel. (So this would be easier for little hands to tie.)

• Voila!

• Here are a few of our further explorations of the materials:  (Even baby got in on the action, creating the greeny-yellow bag!)

Purpose

• Thinking of others
• Exploring sensory experiences (painting with our fingers)

Safety Notes

• Use scissors and a needle with care & supervision.
• Be sure to wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect surfaces and your clothing.
• Be sure to wash your brush immediately after use so as to prevent damage.