Messenger Bag created using fabric panel from Chocolate Baroque

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.

Sneak Peek Chocolate Baroque on Hochanda Tomorrow

Lesley Wharton is on Hochanda tomorrow (Sat 23rd Dec) with FAB pick & mix shows of Chocolate Baroque stamping goodies. Freeview Channel 85 or watch online (12 and 3pm)

 

Here is a sneaky peek.

Katya Missing Home Card created for Chocolate Baroque

 

Good morning. Here is the last of my TV show samples using the lovely Katya stamp (recently featured on Hochanda). The idea was to create a sort of dream scene depicting Katya missing her home.

 

Materials:

• Katya, Silhouette Palaces, Babushka and Words to Dazzle & Sparkle stamp sets
• 8 X 8 inch card blank (white stamping card), copy paper to make masks
• Distress Inkpad (Tumbled Glass), Multi coloured dye based inkpad (blues & purples)
• Glitter pens (Sakura Gel – blue, purple) and sparkle pens (Spectrum Noir – teal, clear)
• Clouds stencil (Sheena Douglass)

 

How it was done:

1. I first stamped Katya 4 times onto the corners of the card, leaving ink off the bottom portion of the stamp. I chose Tumbled Glass Distress Ink to get a pale effect.
2. I cut a circle mask from copier paper. Covering the central section I then applied Distress Ink through the cloud stencil, lightly using a sponge. I coloured Katya’s headdress with glitter and sparkle pens using a water brush to get some shading.
3. I edged the card with Distress Ink and stamped the sentiment around the border.
4. Using the other part of my paper mask I covered the background leaving just the central opening to work though. I stamped and cut out the buildings from copier paper to make more masks. I first stamped the foreground image (using multi coloured ink), then covered it with the mask before stamping the next building behind. Finally I covered both foreground images and stamped the silhouette palace at the back.
5. I used the cloud stencil again to add detail to the sky area. I then coloured the images picking up ink from my mat with a water brush.
6. Finally I added a little spatter by picking up watered down ink and sparkle pen from my mat onto an old toothbrush.

Katya Pendant created for Chocolate Baroque

 

Good morning. Here is another of my TV show samples using the Katya stamp recently featured on Hochanda. I have used it in a different way to make a jewellery pendant. I hope that you like it.

Materials:

Katya stamp

Air dry clay*

Pebeo Gilding Wax (various ‘golds’)

Bronze Powertex

Recycled gold plated necklace chain

*I am currently evaluating various air dry clays and their suitability for jewellery making. Some are too brittle when rolled out to make thinner items, others too light to make pendants that hang nicely. I added a coat of Powertex to this to give it a base colour (dark brown) and with the hope of hardening the slightly porous clay. When I have finished my experiments I will blog more details of my finds.

Make a Wish card created for Chocolate Baroque

 

Good morning. Here is another of my TV show samples using the Katya stamp recently featured on Hochanda. I have used in in a different way to make a decorative mandala. I hope that you like it.

Materials:

• Katya and Words to Dazzle and Sparkle stamp sets
• 8 X 8 inch card blank, stamping card (white), coloured card (blue with lighter blue core)
• Multicoloured dye based inkpad (All Night Media – Berry Rainbow) and Distress Ink (Tumbled Glass)
• WOW Embossing powder (Clear Gloss)
• Spectrum Noir water based sparkle pens (blue, purple, yellow)
• Dies (circle and decorative lattice circle – Tonic)
• Decorative embossing folder (Embossalicious) and sanding block

How to make it:

1. Emboss the blue card and lightly sand to enhance the texture. Glue to the card blank.
2. Stamp Katya 4 times onto stamping card using rainbow ink. Heat emboss with the clear powder. Dye inks dry quickly so you need to add the powder immediately after stamping. Cut out the headdress to create a mandala. Colour with glitter pens adding some shading by dragging colour with a water brush. Glue to the card front.
3. Cut the decorative circle from blue card and add additional colour with sparkle pens. Cut the plain circle from white card and stamp the sentiment. Edge with Distress ink and glue to the card with 3D foam.

Easter Egg Card created for Chocolate Baroque

 

Good morning. The recent shows on Hochanda featuring the Russian themed stamps and stencils from Chocolate Baroque were simply brill – great demos and such a lovely range of samples from my Teamies. If you missed the shows they do remain available online (23/24^th March) for a while so you can catch up on the FAB demos from Lesley Wharton.

 

I am sharing one of my show samples today created with the lovely Russian Floral egg, Katya and crackle stamps. These stamps are exclusive to Hochanda until the end of the month. After that they will be available directly from Chocolate Baroque.

 

I used the decorative headdress from the beautiful Katya stamp to create a shaped card on which to mount the egg.

 

Materials:

• Russian Floral Egg, Katya and Large Crackle Background (sold out individually on Hochanda)
• A5 white card blank, coloured card (lemon, Kraft and black)
• Inkpads: Versafine (Onyx Black), Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire), Versamark
• Polychromos pencil (blue)
• Heat embossing powder with mica (Lindy’s Stamp Gang – Hyacinth Blue Jade)
• Pebeo Studio acrylic paint (Iridescent Gold)
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen (gold)
• Glossy Accents
• Pebeo Gilding Wax (Empire Gold)
• Satin ribbon and sequins (blue)

 

How to make it:

1. Stamp the Katya headdress twice onto black card with Versamark and heat emboss with the powder. Colour the images with gold sparkle pen and blue pencil. Cut out to make a shaped topper, making the top and bottom edges parallel, horizontal and straight. Edge with gilding wax. Mount onto lemon card and cut out to leave a fine border.
2. Glue the topper to the card blank aligning the top horizontal edge with the fold on the card blank. Trim away the card blank (omitting the top edge) to make the shaped card. Add Glossy Accents to emphasise some of the patterned areas and glue on sequins.
3. Using the crackle stamp add texture to the Kraft card by stamping with Distress Ink and gold acrylic. Stamp the egg with Versafine and cut out. Colour with gold sparkle pen and blue pencil. Mount onto black card and cut out to give a fine border. Edge with gilding wax. Apply Glossy Accents over the floral, swirl and leaf elements. Mount onto the card front with 3D foam and finish with a bow.