DIY Octopus Beach Bag with Free Template

 

 

 

Summer is here and we are really looking forward to spending a lot of time at the beach.  I have been wanting to create a fun beach bag for my daughter and when I saw this adorable octopus pillow on Pinterest, I knew exactly what design I wanted to do:

 

 

After I saw this pillow,  I searched the internet high and low for the perfect octopus image that I could use for a template/stencil.  I found exactly what I wanted at animalclipart.net:

 

 

 

This adorable octopus was created by Pamela Perry who has designed some wonderful clip art images that can be found on her website and throughout the internet.

I wanted to elongate the image to a full page and make him as big as possible, with really long legs.  I created this template on Microsoft Word that you can download and print like I did to create a template/stencil {click directly below to download file where it says Octopus Printable Template/Stencil}

Octopus Printable Template/Stencil

 

I have to warn you that when you look at the PDF file, the image looks really fuzzy.  However, when you print, it will be less fuzzy.  Because I wanted to make this image full page, the resolution became fuzzy when I dragged it, but you can still see {when printed out} exactly where you need to cut to create a stencil.

Ok, so there are several ways that you can get this image onto a canvas beach bag, t-shirt, pillow or whatever your heart desires.  You can print out this image on thick card stock or on to 3M 8.5″ x 11″ permanent label paper and make a fabric applique with Heat and Bond. Or you can use the technique that I did, which is super easy using the template as a stencil and painting with screen print paint {detailed instructions are below}.

For the canvas bag, I found them for $4.99 at Hobby Lobby in the canvas bag section and they are made by a company called “Me and My Bag”. I have seen these large plain canvas totes at both Hobby Lobby and Michael’s, so you should have no problem finding them.

So let’s jump right into the instructions for using screen print paint.

Instructions:

1) Print the octopus template found below directly below on to an 8.5″ x 11″ large permanent adhesive label {available at any office supply store.  I like 3M brand}.
Octopus Printable Template/Stencil

 

 

2) After you have printed the octopus, attach your adhesive sheet to a second large adhesive sheet {for extra safeguard}

3) Using a small pair of sewing scissors for precision, carefully cut out the octopus (I did not cut out the tentacles or other designs on the octopus, except I did cut out the eyes).

Do not worry about where to start cutting because you can cut in from the side and you won’t see it after you line it back up precisely on your fabric.

 

 

4) Tape your canvas bag down to a counter top with cardboard on the inside of the bag:

 

5) Remove the adhesive back and attach stencil to your fabric. Use a credit card to slide over edges several times to make sure that your edges are down good.

 

 

6) I love to use Simply Screen-Screen Print Paints (available in the fabric paint section of craft stores) because it is far more vibrant than fabric paint. The great thing is, screen print paint stays exactly where you brush it on and never bleeds or seeps under a stencil. In my opinion, screen print paint looks so much richer and better than fabric paint as well. It just looks like its been professional done. Screen print paint is about the same cost as fabric paint and is available right next to the fabric paints.

7) I used Simply Screen Blue Lagoon for the blue octopus and I used Simply Screen Cosmopolitan for the glittery pink. Both of these colors have glitter/metallic in it.

8) With a wide acrylic paint brush, I brushed on the paint after I squeezed it into a bowl. You don’t want too much paint, but you want just enough like buttering toast to be sure and cover all of the fibers. Try to avoid going over the edges too much:

 

 

For the pink octopus, I used the inside cut out part of the octopus and taped off a square:

 

 

9) With screen print paint, it takes 12-24 hours to completely dry. After two hours, you can carefully remove the stencil:

 

 

10) After 24 hours, use a thin cloth over the print to heat set for 20 seconds with a hot iron (no steam):

 

 

 

For even more detailed instructions and other projects that I have used for this screen-less- screen printing technique, you can see a previous post that I did on creating geometric pillows by clicking the picture below:

This octopus would be adorable not only on a tote bag but a canvas pillow or kid’s t-shirt. You can use this technique on virtually any fabric.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and don’t forget to check back on Friday for Friday Favorites. If you missed last week’s Friday Favorites “Summer Outdoor Favorites”, you can click on the picture below to go to the post:

 

Cheers!
Cyndy
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