Back-to-School Craft: Apple Print Backpack

Aug19

A is for apple! Get ready for school with this apple print drawstring backpack. Let the kids make their own fabric pattern with an apple and some fabric paint. Then sew it up into a backpack. This one is designed to be small for younger kids, but you could easily make the pattern pieces larger. I sewed this backpack myself, but this is a great beginner project for an older child.
The instructions for the apple printing are below. Click here for the drawstring backpack sewing pattern.

Apple Printing Supplies:
-red and green fabric paint
-cotton, twill or canvas fabric
-apple
-leaf
-paintbrush

We sliced the apple in half and blotted it with a towel to remove the excess moisture. Then we painted the fabric paint onto the apple with a large brush (or you could dip your apple into a tray of paint), then the kids pressed it onto the fabric and carefully pulled it away. Since our apple didn’t have a leaf attached, we used one from the yard and repeated the stamping process with the green fabric paint. Then we painted in the stem with a paintbrush.

My kids had a lot of fun with this, so we printed about a yard of fabric. I ended up making one backpack with a single apple print and another backpack with a repeated pattern of apples. If you want to use only one print, it’s a good idea to cut your fabric in advance.
If you’re not ready to try your hand at sewing, apple prints would make great wrapping paper or cards for teachers. I also think it would be nice to print kitchen towels with various fruits and vegetables. We might try that next.

About the author

Ellen Luckett Baker
http://thelongthread.com/

Ellen Luckett Baker is the author of the long thread, a blog about handmade goods. She has always enjoyed making things, but the flexibility of staying at home with her two daughters along with the creative inspiration they provide has led her to craft on a daily basis. Combining her love of graphic design and sewing, she has created an Etsy shop selling machine embroidery designs and sewing patterns.

Ellen lives in Atlanta with her husband and two young daughters. She holds a B.A. in Art History and a Master's of Public Administration with a focus in Non-Profit Management.

Ellen recently wrote 1, 2, 3 Sew: Build Your Skills with 33 Simple Sewing Projects her crafting book. She is crazy talented!

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6 Responses to “Back-to-School Craft: Apple Print Backpack”

Calee Aug 20 at 2:31 pm Reply Reply

I so needed to be reminded about apple prints. I love the idea of a backpack but maybe I’ll make some reusable grocery totes with this too.
So fun.
Elisa Aug 21 at 3:54 pm Reply Reply

that’s so cool! I remember making wrapping paper with mom on brown paper bags and potato stamps. I like the apples.
Caitlyn Aug 23 at 9:09 pm Reply Reply

apples, cauliflower, mushrooms….my mom *loved* having us make veggie prints. I think we used the mushroom-printed blank cards for years – they looked pretty classy, too.
Then there’s always whole fish, if you’re up for an adventure
Laurie Aug 24 at 9:32 am Reply Reply

Love it. Can’t wait to try it with the girls. Thanks for the backpack pattern too!
Heather - Dollar Store Crafts Sep 05 at 5:24 pm Reply Reply

I love printmaking, and I love apple motifs – well done!
elizabeth ~ so wabi sabi Sep 19 at 10:31 am Reply Reply

Ohhhh…I love these. We had an apple themed day that created itself the other day and had considered doing some apple printing, but I love the simplicity of the backpacks, and you could size them well for smaller kids too.