I know it’s not Back-to-School quite yet, but I wanted to get this idea out there so that when you’re ready to find Back To School craft ideas, it’s here and ready for you. I had my girls help Design and Create a Custom Backpack and it was so much fun! And it turned out soooooo cute – you’ve got to try making a backpack for yourself. I have all the details on the one we made for you, in case you need tips and ideas.
This post is a part of my participation as a Michael’s Maker – all opinions are my own, and my opinion is that is so so cute!!
Custom Backpack Craft
You’ll need (I grabbed all my supplies at Michael’s )
–blank backpack
–stencil (love the ones with a sticky back!)
–craft paint that works on fabric, or craft paint and fabric medium
–stencil dauber foam or brush
–fabric marker
Custom Backpack Craft Tutorial
Guess what – I put together a VIDEO Tutorial for you today – it’s only a couple of minutes long, and it will walk you through all the steps I used to create this fun Cactus Backpack. If you prefer reading instructions on how to make a cactus backpack or stenciled backpack, I have that on down as well.
How to Stencil on Fabric
- use a stencil with a STICKY back – it helps seal it to your fabric
- use paint that is made for fabric, or mix fabric medium into your craft paint
- “pounce” the paint onto the stencil, do not “paint” it on – pouncing is dabbing the paint on over and over and using minimal paint so it doesn’t seep.
- Peel up stencil while paint is still wet, and voila!
You can see how using the “pouncing” and the sticky stencil can make for a nice crisp stencil. The very first cactus bled just a little, because I used to much paint on my very first pounce, but after that I got the hang of it and the rest of the cactus turned out so great!
You can obviously use whatever stencil design you’d like and place them wherever you’d like. I used 4 different colors of paint and just placed the cactus randomly on the backpack.
Tips for Stenciling on a Backpack
- Iron the backpack first if there are any wrinkles (mine had some)
- Use something solid inside the backpack to press your stencil against – I slid a piece of wood into the backpack to give me a firm place to push along the stencil.
- Use tips for stenciling on fabric above to get nice clean crisp lines. Place your first stencil in an inconspicuous area (I put my first one right up front, whoops!) because that’s the one you might mess up a little on.
- Add keychain flair for a finishing touch!
Design and Create a Custom Backpack Craft
What would you design for your backpack? We picked cactus but there are SO many options!! We almost did a fruit backpack!
Enjoy making a backpack for yourself and bring that crafty vibe into all your back-to-school projects! Create a Custom backpack and enjoy!
Back to School Craft Ideas
If you love Back to School Crafts, you’ll for sure want to check out:
Painted Lunchbags for Back To School
What a cute idea!!! I would have loved to do this when I was growing up!
me too!!
That’s just about the cutest thing ever – love the stencils and love the charm!!