Wonder Family Book Club: Make Via's craft project - a tote bag

Auggie’s big sister Via is super-crafty! Let Via take the lead and help us make some Wonder inspired tote bags. Check out the video and instructions below.

For our third activity of the Wonder family book club, we would get crafty in Via’s honour! We’re making Wonder inspired tote bags.

I give Olivia a heart necklace for valentine’s day, and she gives me a messenger bag she’s made out of old floppy disks. very cool how she makes things like that. earrings out of pieces of circuit boards. dresses out of t-shirts. bags out of old jeans. she’s so creative. i tell her she should be an artist someday, but she wants to be a scientist. a geneticist, of all things. she wants to find cures for people like her brother, i guess. -       Justin, Valentine’s Day, (Wonder: R.J. Pallagio p190)

you will need:

• Wonder eye stencil template (from the resources page)

• scissors

• duraseal

• sharpie

• cotton tote bag

• a large square of scrap cardboard to put on the inside of the tote bag

• sellotape or masking tape

• fabric paint

• brush or sponge

• tea towel

• iron

The supplies you will need

making your wonder tote bag

1. Print out the Wonder eye stencil template
   

2. Cut this shape out and then trace onto the duraseal’s paper side
   

3. With an adult’s help, cut the stencil from the duraseal. Be sure to keep the inner parts of the eye, as you will need these to complete your stencil. KEEP IN MIND: the pieces that are important are the outside of the eye and the inner parts of the eye. These need to be intact as they create the frame within which you will paint.
   

4. Place the piece of cardboard inside the tote bag. And secure the bag around the cardboard. Use Sellotape or masking tape to make sure the bag is fixed around the cardboard in place so it is nice and flat and doesn’t wiggle.
   

5. Now peel the back from your duraseal template and place onto the tote bag.
   

6. Using fabric paint, carefully paint the eye.
   

7. Leave to dry. I would leave the tote bag for at least 24 hours just to be safe.
   

8. Take the stencil off the tote bag, and remove the cardboard and any tape you used.
   

9. To set the fabric paint, place a tea towel over the bag and iron over the painted design for 30 seconds.

NOTE FOR PARENTS/CAREGIVERS: this craft is especially fiddly and your kiddos will need help close at hand.

The finished tote bag

...and if you haven't yet, grab your own copy of Wonder here