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fabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillowI had so much making these fabric resist art pillows with my girls.  Fabric resist art can also be called gel glue batik.  This art project was a collaborative effort since my girls are only toddlers.  I think the ideal age for a resist art project like this would be 7 and up.  You can skip the pillow making part all together and just create fabric art if you want.  We made the “I Love My Dada” pillow for Father’s Day last year and my husband absolutely loves it.  This easy art project for kids is part of an art series I’m doing with a bunch of other super talented art and craft bloggers.  You can check out their resist art projects by clicking on the links below.  Last month we experimented with watercolors.  We made Spring watercolor paper flowers.  I’m loving this series!

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fabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillowThe first step is super simple and great for any age.  This is the part my girls helped with.  For the big pillow, they spread Elmer’s Gel Glue all over a big piece of canvas fabric with their fingers.  Seriously, I just turned the bottle over with the cap off (because the real glue top totally stinks and never comes out properly-note to company) and squeezed gobs onto the fabric.  Then my girls pushed and spread it all around.  It was that easy.  For the I love Dada pillow I wrote the words using the gel glue.  Then we let them dry for 24 hours.

fabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillowfabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillowOnce the glue was totally dry I painted fabric paint in red, yellow and pink all over the fabric.  The paint will completely cover all the glue and that’s ok.  This paint is not suitable for young children that might put it in their mouth, so use accordingly.  After I painted all the paint I squeezed some yellow puffy fabric paint all over the fabric, which gave the fabric a nice texture.  Too bad Gigi couldn’t do this part.  It comes out so easily from the bottle and is really satisfying to squeeze.  Fabric paint is always on sale at Michaels too.

fabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillowAfter adding all the fabric paint, I let it dry for another 24 hours.  I love projects that happen over time, especially when we’re so used to immediate gratification all the time.  Worthwhile art experiences are often a longer process.  I love showing that to my kids.  Once the fabric was totally dry I popped it into a super hot wash in the laundry machine.  The heat from the water melts the gel glue and you get this awesome effect on the fabric.  Isn’t it cool?!

fabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillowMy last step was sewing the fabric into a pillow.  Like I said before, you could definitely skip this part but I wanted this fabric to live so a pillow seemed like a great option.  We had made the “I Love Dada” pillow using the same technique last year for fathers day and my whole family loves it! So if you want to take this next step, I encourage you to go for it.  Just cut the size you want from the fabric and cut a plain piece of the fabric the same size for the back.  Place both squares on top of each other pattern facing in.  Sew about an inch along each side connecting all the edges except one.  Turn the fabric inside out and stuff the pillow with a pillow insert or batting.  Last, turn in the edges of the remaining edge and sew it together.  I know these aren’t the best directions but there are about a million tutorials for pillow making on youtube.  You can try this one if you need a little extra guidance.

Fabric Resist Art - How to make resist art pillowsresistart6fabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillowWe love our new resist art pillows! To see more awesome resist art ideas, check out some of my favorite bloggers.

Tape Resist Art on Foil from Learn Play Imagine

Wax Paper Resist from Housing a Forest

Splatter Paint Tape Resist from Buggy and Buddy

Watercolor Resist Easter Egg Garland from Fun at Home with Kids

Clay Resist by Babble Dabble Do

Resist Art Project: Andy Warhol by Art History Mom

Watercolor Resist Envelopes by Willowday

Resist Art Stepping Stones by Twodaloo

Cracked Wax Resist Art by BlogMeMom

fabric resist art activity for kids - how to make a resist art pillow3 - 5 Playful Preschool ebook