Ombre Toiletry Bag

How to Make

1. Wash the bag by hand then squeeze out most of the water until it is damp.
   Place the polythene sheet from the kit on your work surface. Place the bag flat on top then pull out any creases or wrinkles.
2. Wearing the disposable gloves in the kit, follow the instructions adding water to the dye bottle and applying it onto the fabric.
   Choose 2 colours (or more if you like) to use for dying the bag. Choose colours that
   will blend easily together, for example dark blue and turquoise or orange and red.
3. Leave the bag to dry for 6-8 hours over a bowl with newspaper or paper towel underneath.
   Rinse the bag in water then leave it to dry out again.
4. Printed patterns:
   Before adding a printed pattern on the bag, cut a piece of card to fit inside so the stamping or stencilling doesn’t seep through onto the reverse side.
   Make sure the dye is fully dried before printing a pattern on top.
5. Stamping:
   Use a sponge dabber to apply fabric paint onto the surface of a flower foam stamper. Carefully press the flower onto the bag. Leave to dry.
6. Lettering:
   Use a sponge dabber to apply fabric paint onto the surface of a wooden letter. Carefully place the letter onto the bag then press firmly to make a print. To apply more pressure, use a roller. Carefully lift up the letter up holding it at the edge so the paint doesn’t smudge. Leave to dry.
7. Polystyrene Printing:
   Draw a simple shape (eg. a leaf) onto polystyrene then cut it out to make a printing block. To add more detail, use a pencil or ballpoint pen to emboss lines into the polystyrene.
   Use a sponge dabber to apply fabric paint onto the surface of the polystyrene then carefully press it onto the bag. Press firmly to make a print, to apply more pressure use a roller. Lift up the polystyrene and make more prints to cover the bag. Leave to dry.
8. Stencilling:
   Stick a flower stencil over the bag with masking tape, making sure they as flat as possible. Use a sponge dabber to apply fabric paint over the stencil, remove the tape then lift up the stencil. Clean the stencil before making another print.
9. Follow the instructions on packaging for permanently setting textile paints.

Top Tip

Printed patterns will show up more clearly if you keep the dye colours on the bag fairly light.