Mardi Gras Mini Flag

1 Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French. It is a Christian tradition that is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday where people eat richer foods and celebrate before the Lenten season of fasting.

2 The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are green (faith), gold (power), and purple (justice).

3 Have an adult cut a piece of white fabric (100% cotton) into a rectangle about 12in. x 16 in. (30.5 cm x 40.6 cm) with scissors.

4 Protect your work area with recycled newspaper. Place a piece of white paper underneath the fabric.

5 Create a design highlighting a symbol of Mardi Gras, like the King’s crown or Fleur-de-lis using the green, yellow (for gold), and purple Crayola Fabric Markers.

6 When you are finished, ask an adult to iron your design. Set iron on cotton setting and iron on the reverse side using a back and forth motion for 4 minutes. Or place the flag in the dryer for 30 minutes on the hottest setting. This will fix the color to the fabric.

7 Stain Advisement: Fabric markers are permanent on clothing and contain colorants that may stain household surfaces. Wear a smock to protect clothing and cover your work surface. Recap markers as soon as possible and store in a horizontal position. Do not shake markers.

8 Fold over one of the shorter edges about 1 in. (2.5cm) and use masking tape to keep secure it, creating a pocket.

9 Slip a dowel stick through the pocket and tie a piece of ribbon, string or yarn to each end of the dowel stick. Hang the flag and have a celebration with all your favorite foods.