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Crafts from India Peacocks are a popular symbol in India. The pattern shown below is
based on a wooden toy from the Bengal region. Your peacock can be made from poster board,
and either hung or made to stand in a foam board base.
Peacock
Materials needed:
Posterboard
Markers
Hole punch, string (for hanging)
Thick foam board (for standing)
Using the pattern shown, cut a peacock out of posterboard.
With markers, color the peacock--turquoise for the body, and bright colors for the
tail--orange, pink, green, purple, etc.
Turn the peacock over to color the other side. When
finished either punch a hole in and put a string through for hanging; or
Cut a piece of foam board 3" by 4". Cut a slit
in the middle, just big enough to slide the peacocks feet into. If you wish, color the
foam board with bright flowers and green grass.
Toran
A toran is a type of hand-painted banner that is strung
across a doorway of a house to welcome visitors and bring good luck. The banners painted
in India are carefully painted, using a special paste as an outline to keep the colors
from running into one another.
You can make torans to welcome visitors to your house. Or
the group could make a single toran for the church. Change the given measurements to fit
the church doorway (a wider door may also need a deeper toran for the proportions to look
right. Along with peacocks, birds, and flowers in bright Indian designs, add a Christian
message and symbols, such as "God is Love," "God has the Whole World in His
Hands," "Christ is Risen," etc. Symbols could include butterflies, hearts,
crosses, hands, fish, and so forth.
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Materials needed:
Muslin or canvas fabric (an old white cotton sheet could
be cut up for many toran)
Fabric tracing marker that is easy to remove
Ruler
Glitter fabric paint
Plain fabric paint
Paint brushes
Scissors (to cut fabric)
Paint smocks for younger crafters
Newspaper
Cut fabric pieces 42 3/4" by 10 ½". With
tracing marker or pencil, divide the fabric with the measurements shown. (Adjust this if
you are making a larger toran for the church. Plan the design you will make. Leave white
space between the flags along the bottom edge, so that they will have the effect of being
separate flags.
Spread newspaper on your work area before painting. Once
the designs have been drawn, outline them with glitter or plain fabric paint. After the
outlines dry, the insides of the designs can be carefully painted with fabric paint and a
brush. The background can be painted in a like manner, but leave a bit of white space
between the designs and the background.
Dry flat, and when dry you will have an Indian welcoming
toran!
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