Stamped Fabric Bags
Modelled by Simba
Materials list:
Unbleached muslin fabric (I find two yards is about the maximum I can work with at one time)
Lumiere paints in your choice of colors (I used Pearl Blue, Violet, and Emerald Green)
Sponge
Cut n Dry foam pad
1/8" to 1/2" wide ribbon in satin, chiffon...
Thread
Charms
Highly recommended: Cutting mat at least 24" wide, 24" Quilting ruler, rotary cutter (great for cardstock too)
Open fabric out on the table and begin to paint on Lumieres with a wet sponge. I worked from the jar lids, pouring in paint as needed so as not to water down the paint remaining in the jar. Try not to get the fabric dripping wet; just wet enough to help spread the paint. The more water you use, the lighter the colors will be. I protected my tabletop with a vinyl tablecloth. (Tip: Pick one up for about $2 right after a holiday when they are on clearance.) With the colors I chose, I found it loooked best to put blue between the purple and green for blending purposes.
If you have time, allow the fabric to air dry overnight, then heat set in the dryer for about 20-30 minutes. Or, do like I did and throw it right in the dryer...
Here is my dryer after about 15 minutes of tumbling... Maybe you
don't wanna try this at home. But... I sprayed it with Shout and wiped it all out with a towel, which came clean after one round in the washer. YMMV
don't wanna try this at home. But... I sprayed it with Shout and wiped it all out with a towel, which came clean after one round in the washer. YMMV
Using a Cut n Dry foam pad as an ink pad, stamp fabric all over with Lumiere paints, using your choice of bold stamp images . Don't leave too much space between images, as you will ultimately be working with pieces only about 6" x 8". I used the same three colors I had painted on the fabric. I tried Pearl Silver but it didn't show up very well. After stamping, heatset by ironing the fabric.
Klimt swirls (large)
and
Sibilla's features
from
Cherry Pie Stamps
Re-fold the fabric lengthwise (it should be about 22" wide) and cut the entire yardage into 6" strips, using a rotary cutter and quilting ruler (or other straightedge).
Using your fingers, make a crease by folding the fabric back 1/2" down the entire top edge of a strip. The top is based on which way you want the stamped images to appear on the finished bags. No need for an iron ; the added stiffness from the paint will help the crease stay in place.
Sew down the entire length of the top edge. I used off-white thread; you may choose to use a matching or contrasting thread. As a design element, you may sew slightly curvy lines rather than perfectly straight ones (remember, you meant to do it that way!). It is not necessary to backstitch at the beginning and end because these ends will be taken care of later.
Again using the rotary cutter and ruler, cut the strip into 5 pieces approximately 8 1/2" long. No need to obsess about them being the same as each other; just make sure the cuts are straight and at right angles to the top edge. It's up to you to decide whether you need to divide 43.5 inches by 5 and measure off pieces that are each exactly 8.7" long...
Cut a piece of ribbon 22" long - here you see 1/8" wide satin ribbon being used. Fold it in half and crease at the fold with your ever-trusty finger. With fabric right side up, place the folded ribbon about 3/4" from the top of the bag-to-be.
Keeping the ribbon in place, fold the fabric "closed" with ribbon and painted side on the inside. Note the ends of the ribbon are peeking out the top to the right of the photo.
Begin sewing at the top of the bag. Don't forget to backstitch to keep the ends from unravelling. Also, make sure the ribbon stays where you put it. I used the outside of the foot edge as my seam guide.
1/4" to 1/2" from the bottom, leave the needle in the bag, lift the presser foot and turn the bag 90 degrees. Lower the foot and sew across the bottom of the bag, again remembering to backstitch at the end to anchor the thread.
Snip off any loose thread ends and turn the bag right side out. Thread charms on the ribbons if desired; fill bag with surprises (Jen's caramels?) and tie shut with ribbons.
