Always wanted to try fabric painting but have no idea how to keep it neat and tidy? We’ve got an extremely inexpensive but effective solution for you! Although they have freezer paper in most Malaysian craft stores, they usually come with a really high price tag. Consequently, we were on the hunt to find the perfect alternative for this and guess what we discovered? The brown food wrapping paper used to packet your nasi lemak! It works just as well and you can get 50 sheets for less than RM5 from most supermarkets and hypermarkets near you. Genius!
Using the wax paper method, let us show you how to DIY your own honeycomb painted tote bag. If you’re not a fan of this design, you can always switch it out for something that tickles your fancy. It’s extremely versatile!
You’ll need: A plain tote bag, fabric paint, paint brush or sponge, a ruler, pencil, clothes iron and wax-based food wrapping paper, a piece of unwanted cardboard or a stack of newspapers
Step 1: Using the ruler and pencil, draw the honeycomb design on the food wrapping paper with its wax side down. Try to be as clear-cut as possible.
Step 2: After you’re done drawing, cut out your stencil using the blade and ruler. Make sure to be very precise around the edges of your honeycomb.
Step 3: Put a piece of cardboard or a small stack of newspapers inside the bag to ensure that the paint would not bleed through to the other side. Then, place your stencil on the tote bag and after you’ve decided on its position, iron down the stencil with the wax side down until it sticks to the bag. Don’t forget to get all the nooks and edges.
Step 4: Using your paint brush or sponge, paint over the stencil with the fabric paint.
Step 5: Leave it for about 15 minutes to dry and then peel off the stencil from the bag.
Step 6: Place a cloth over your design and iron over it to seal in the colour.
We also added some hearts to ours to spice it up a little. You now have a hand-painted custom design on your tote bag!
If you attempt to use the same method of fabric painting we taught you, share with us your recreations by tagging us on Instagram at @lipstiqdotcom or hashtag #lipstiqdotcom.
