Most moms don’t wear aprons anymore but decorating an apron to give as a gift is a wonderful craft idea for children. Aprons can be used as kitchen decorations as well as be worn. My grandmother used to have several aprons that she always kept hanging on a hook in her kitchen and she always wore one while cooking or washing and drying her dishes. She would always use the end of the aprons to dry her hands with and the apron protected her clothes from getting dirty while she was cooking and wet while she was doing her dishes.

To create this apron you will need a solid colored apron, different colored fabric paints, paper plates, and a fabric pen. A white apron would probably work best as the colored handprints will show up easier against the white background, but you can choose any color. If you choose a darker colored apron then you will want to make sure that the fabric paints you use are light enough to show up against the darker background. The same concept goes for the color of fabric pen that you choose to use to write with.

Before starting this project you are going to need a large flat surface to use as your work area. A kitchen or dining room table works best. Make sure that the table or work area has been washed and dried off so that no grease or food will transfer to the apron. You are also going to want to make sure that the children wear old clothes as they will be using fabric paint and you don’t want them to ruin any good outfits.

Lay the apron front side up on the table or work area and smooth out any creases or folds. Line up the paper plates and fill each paper plate with a different color of fabric paint. Place one hand into a color making sure that the entire hand is covered, and then place your hand firmly onto the apron. Once you remove your hand from the apron your painted handprint will be left on the apron. Repeat this step for each child until the apron is covered by different colored handprints.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to remove the paint from your hands and then dry them off before completing the rest of the project. Once your hands are dry, use the fabric pen to write your name beneath your handprint. Repeat this step for each child until every handprint has a name beneath it. Let the apron completely dry for at least one day before giving it as a gift or wearing it.

Jonathan Pitts

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