This simple reindeer tablecloth is a fun project for the kids to do on a cold and snowy day. They can spend hours making it and then enjoy their hard work when they sit down to dinner with the family. If you have some picky eaters who don’t want to sit still at supper time, then this fabric tablecloth project may be all they need to pay attention to what is one the table.
To Make This Fabric Reindeer Tablecloth You Will Need:
Unprimed Canvas or Fabric Tablecloth
Brown Fabric paint
Red, black, white and green fabric paint
Paint Brushes (Small artist brushes)
Plastic or foam paints
Sponges (the flat kind with no scrubby side)
Scissors
The first step is to decide how big you want your tablecloth to be. Once you do this you will know how much canvas material you will need. In place of the canvas you could also use a simple store bought fabric table clothe. You can find them in a variety of colors. Red, green, or white will work well for this.
The first step is to have the kids dip the palm of their hands into the brown fabric paint. Squirt some out on your foam or plastic plate. Swirl it around to get an even layer. They shouldn’t cover their entire hands, just the palms. You may want to keep some paper towels handy of overly ambitious kids.
Now, have the kids choose a spot on the table clothe to stamp their hand. They need to press their hand onto the tablecloth and hold it there with some force for a couple of seconds. Make sure they are working on a stable and flat work surface.
Repeats this hand stamping process randomly over the entire table cloth surface. You are going to add some other Christmas details, so be sure to leave space between the kid’s hand prints.
Once you have stamped enough crown hand prints have the kids wash their hands off.
Now, let the kids use a black magic marker to trace Christmas shapes out on the sponges. Tree, bells, reindeers, ornaments, and candy canes are all great shapes. Christmas stockings and Santa hats would also work.
Have the kids cut their Christmas shapes out of the sponges.
Squirt some of your other colored fabric paints out on plastic or foam paint. The kids can dip their sponge Christmas shapes into the paints lightly then pres them onto the fabric tablecloth. Be sure to mix up the colors and get some variety.
Now, once all of the paint has dried you can use some more of your fabric paints and paint brushes to add the little details to really make this Christmas table clothe pop.
The brown hand prints are obviously the reindeer heads. Have the kids add simple eyes, noses, and mouths to the palm of the hand. They can use black fabric paint to outline some antlers in the finger portions of the hand print. Don’t forget to have a Rudolf. Now, you can also use puff paint for this detailed part. It would work really well and add some dimension to the table clothe. The kids could even use the fabric paint to write the names of the reindeer on the tablecloth.
Next, add details to the Christmas trees, candy canes, bells and stockings.
Let this paint dry completely.
You can sew on a border in accent fabric to finish off the table if you want. If not, then you just need to simply hem the edge of your canvas fabric.
Tip:
Always wash your fabric before you start to paint with fabric paint. It is necessary to help the paint adhere to the table cloth. It will also allow the fabric to go ahead and shrink if it wants to!
