Katya Messenger Bag (by Anne)

Good morning. I was so excited about the launch of the new fabric panels from Chocolate Baroque – enlarged images from my favourite stamp company printed onto fabric ready to paint and stitch – yay!

I have been working on a bag design big enough to carry A4 folders plus craft stash for when I am out & about. The large bag flap was a perfect place to feature the Katya panel. You could create similar using a commercial bag pattern (messenger style or tote), or by applying the panel to a ready made bag front.

I have used fabric painting, stamping, applique of stamped images, stencilling, machine and hand embroidery – but don’t despair if you are a non stitcher. I have included an idea for decorating a ready made tote bag with no stitching involved. The panels are also fabulous to use in mixed media projects such as book covers or canvases too – just stick it down with some gel mat medium or book binding glue. Then add stamping and embellish as for other mixed media work.

Materials used:

• Printed fabric panels (3 Ladies)
• Stamp sets: Take It or Leaf It, Large Crackle Background, Artistic Affirmations, Harlequin Rose, Bold Blooms
• Stencils: Silhouette Palace 1 and Silhouette Palace 2
• Range of fabric paints from my stash – all fixed by ironing: silk paints (fluid), transparent and opaque fabric paints plus multi surface paints (off white, cream, red, orange, yellow, blue, turquoise, pink, purple, metallic pink/purple, transparent pearl and green glitter)
• 3D fabric paint (pearl green) – such as Appliglue or similar
• Alcohol ink pens (yellow, turquoise, pink, green)
• Archival Inkpad (Jet Black)
• Tonertex foiling fabric glue and foil (gold)
• Cotton quilting fabric scraps for applique (white, purple, lilac, cerise, plus waste strips of printed batik)
• Cotton fabric (black) for backing and framing panel
• Machine embroidery threads (black, variegated pink/blue plus green/orange)
• Hand embroidery threads: Stranded cotton (variegated pink/purple and orange/yellow), Pearl 5 cotton (variegated blue/green/turquoise)
• Iron on paper backed glue mesh (such as Bondaweb or similar) and Fray Check Glue
• Paint brush and Cut-N-Dry Foam
• For making the bag I also used: sewing thread, heavy weight cotton fabric (blue), light weight linen patterned fabrics for lining (blue & cream), plastic sink drainer (for base), Bosal foam stabiliser (one side iron on), bag feet and magnetic clasps (silver colour), zipper (blue), shoulder strap (recycled from old bag)

How it was done:
I first made a lining using my heavy weight cotton and linen printed fabrics. I wanted a heavy weight long lasting lining so layered my fabrics and treated as one layer. I also included plenty of pockets. I haven’t included details of my pattern here – sorry – but it’s something I am working on for my own business. You could choose a commercial pattern for a messenger bag with a large front flap to decorate, or a tote style bag to feature the panel.

I painted the Katya panel using transparent coloured paints so as not to obliterate the black outlines.

Fabric paints designed for light coloured fabrics are best suitable. Opaque colours (designed for dark fabrics) would obliterate the printing so you need to bear this in mind. I also used some paints designed for multi surfaces (including fabrics). These can sometimes leave a stiffer finish than those specifically designed for fabric. However, for a bag this can actually be a bonus and it is not essential to keep a soft fabric feel. If you are not intending to wash your fabrics then you can use just about anything that you would use on paper. However, I would recommend heat fixable paints for a bag as you don’t want colours to transfer from the bag or run if caught in the rain! Painting was fixed by ironing.

Tip: I like to leave my fabric painting overnight before heat fixing with an iron (follow the manufacturer’s directions). The panel is silk/cotton so can be ironed using a cotton setting safely. I usually iron from the back.

I did test the panel for compatibility with alcohol markers and found that if over wet and rubbed with alcohol the printing did bleed slightly so I would avoid these, or use with care (i.e. without flooding close to the printing).

I then applied some of the Tonertex glue, left to ‘dry’ (goes tacky as dries clear) and applied gold foil to elements of her headdress.

If you are not a sewer you could stop at this stage. As with card making the panel benefits from ‘mat & layering’. Black fabric provides a nice frame. You could back the fabrics with fusible web and iron onto a ready made bag. Heat fusible webbing does not always provide a strong hard wearing bond so gel mat medium, book binding glue or a fabric decoupage glue could be used to prevent the panel lifting off or fraying with extensive use. There are also several types of 3D paint that could be applied around the fabric edges too (e.g. Appliglue).

I found some lovely strips of batik fabric in my ‘waste’ scraps bag (I knew that they were too nice to bin – ha ha) so I had to include them in my bag panel design. Nothing was stuck down yet.

Next I stamped various colour fabric scraps to use as applique elements, using an Archival Inkpad. The images were dried and then heat set with an iron. Colour was then added using alcohol ink pens. Again colours were heat set. 

Fusible web was applied to the back to prevent fraying and the stamped and coloured images were cut out.

When stamping with paints I prefer to apply them to my stamps using Cut-N-Dry Foam. I find that it gives a more even application with less clogging of the stamp than brushing or using kitchen sponges etc. In addition if placed paint side down in a plastic tray (recycled) they stay wet for longer. This is particularly so for multi purpose paints that can dry out very quickly. I also spritz the tray lightly with water to help keep them wet while working.

The fabric background was first coloured using the fluid silk paints (they are like an ‘ink’ formulation rather than thicker paint) – encouraging them to bleed and blend with a light water spritz. As with card making I tried to create a darker blended edge to frame the scene.

Next the bag panel was stamped and stencilled. The applique elements and panel were ironed down (using the fusible web backing). I used the border stamp across the top edge and lovely crackle stamp in the background. I had to add a little bling with the metallic colour too (you know me! – ha ha).

Tip: Stamping onto a darker fabric you will need to use darker or more opaque paints (or they won’t show up). Metallics work well too.

I added some 3D glue ‘pearls’ to Katya’s headdress and overlayed some areas with transparent pearl paint for extra shimmer. I also added glitter paint to some areas. Simply wasn’t enough bling already.

The panel was backed with foam stabiliser before embroidery (I wanted a quilted effect). I stitched down the panel and fabric strips and then used free machine embroidery to stitch down and decorate the applique. Hand stitching was added for additional texture.

Note: The fusible web backing does help prevent fraying but some areas may benefit from a little Fray Check along the fabric edges (e.g. my batik strips were not backed with webbing before stitching down so are likely to fray with wear).

Detail showing stencilling, stamping and embroidery.

I used free machine embroidery and black thread around the applique motifs, then further embellished with hand embroidery. The stamped smaller flowers were free machined with variegated thread.

Here you can see the stencilled palace with additional hand embroidery to highlight. 

The back panel was also decorated.

Love this sentiment stamp – describes me perfectly.

So happy with my decorated bag (back).

The pockets on the front panel were also decorated (sits under the front flap).

Detail – love this sentiment too.

The finished pockets with magnetic snap closures (to hold down the front flap).

I also decorated the little side pockets.

Texture added with hand embroidery.

Here you can see a little more detail of the free machining and hand embroidery on the main Katya panel.

I hope that you have enjoyed my latest creation.

Hope to be back with more soon, Anne xxx.

Lavender cushion by Brenda

Good morning to you all, Brenda here and I am excited to be sharing my Lavender Cushion which I made using one of the beautiful new fabric panels for the show on Hochanda when Lesley launched them last month, there are six different designs available, you will find the one I used here and the others here.

The fabric has a lovely soft finish but is very sturdy and will take inks, acrylics and various colouring mediums, I used watered down acrylic paint and coffee on mine, the latter because I wanted to give a slightly vintage feel. Firstly I added a watery wash to the areas around the Rose, left it to dry for a few minutes and then coloured in the flower and flourish with the same colours but of a slightly thicker consistency. I added a few highlights to the leaves with a cream acrylic pain, again watering it down a little.

When I was happy with the colouring I stitched it to a piece of cream cotton (inside out) leaving one end open so I could reverse it, filled with Lavender which I had bought in France in the Summer, sewed up the end and then stitched the string pearls all around the front edge to decorate.

These fabric panels offer something really different to expand your crafting and I do hope you will give them a go as they are such fun to work with and make super gifts.

Timeless Fabric Panel (by Rachel)

Hello there! Rachel here today with a bag I decorated using one on the fabric panels from the January shows. Sadly my samples were still in the post so weren't seen on the show itself....

The fabric panel was a dream to work with - I loved the design and used paints that work on paper and fabric to do my painting. I chose lovely bright colours for the main part of the panel but edged it with grey to tone it down slightly. Next I worked on the main bag fabric and added some of the main colour through a stencil that matched (in my mind at least) the leaves on the fabric panel. Once dry I sewed on the fabric panel and ironed the whole thing to make the paint washable. 

I hope you like this as an idea of how to use one of your fabric panels if you ordered them!

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel x