How many times have you walked through the Thrift Store and found an adorable handkerchief but passed it by because you couldn’t see a good use for it? Well, if you have little kids on your Christmas shopping list this year here is a very quick and inexpensive craft you can make for the little Artists you know.

These little paint smocks are so much fun. Plus you can toss them in the washer too. We have about six of them around here and we use them for everything from painting to baking. I recommend making a bunch!

To make this craft you’ll need a cotton bandanna, elastic lace or other elastic band, and about a yard of matching bias tape.

Fold your bandanna in half. Cutting through both layers, remove the corner with an angled cut. The piece you remove should be about 7″ high by 7″wide.

When you unfold your bandanna it should look like this.

Then you grab your bias tape and cut the yard in half. These will be the straps for the smock as well as the finish for the cut edge. Open the bias tape in half and fold it over the edge you cut on the bandanna with one foot of bias tape extending from both edges. Those will become the neck and waist ties for the smock.

For quick projects like this I set the machine to a wide zig zag stitch and sew over it once catching the edge with the zig zag to make sure I get the front and the back at the same time. Continue the stitch all the way from one strap end to the other.

Tie a little knot at the end of the straps to finish them off. This is simpler than sewing the edges in, and it looks really nice as well.

Now to make the pocket cut a rectangle of cotton to about 6″ by 5″. Lay out the elastic lace on the pocket and cut it to the same length.

I did this step with my middle child on my lap. Sew across the elastic in one inch increments to make crayon/scissors holders on the outside of the pocket. Then sew the raw edge in with a 1/4 inch seam.

Here’s the pocket about to bed sewn to the smock.

Top stitch the pocket down to the smock, being sure to back tack on the tops of the pocket so it will stay put even when little hands are tugging on it.

And here it is! A great child sized smock, stocked with scissors, and ready to craft and paint without smudging up our favorite clothes.