A Fun Mixed Media Project

Recently I was asked by a friend to make her daughter a kiddie sized purse as a gift from her parents for her 3rd birthday. Of course I was ever so happy to make something for this sweet little girl! So while I was making her this little bag, I also wanted to send her something that would be a present from us.

When decorating my daughter's room I made some wall art using Anna Maria Horner's painted silhouette technique, and loved how they turned out. But I've been wanting to make some artwork that is strictly fabric to make sort of the same effect, and then add embellishments to make it three dimensional. So I decided that Jordan would be my guinea pig of sorts!

I chose 2 fabrics that I thought worked well together, but were different enough so that her name would stand out from the background. I traced the letters onto fusible webbing (remembering to reverse the image when you're working with words!), and then cut out the letters in Jordan's name. From here I adhered the letters to the center of the background fabric, which I had measured ahead of time to make sure it would wrap around to the back of the size of canvas I had chosen to work with (this was 12"x6"). You could also stitch over the applique before moving on to the next step, but I chose not to.

At this point I grabbed my staple gun, and began to wrap the prepared fabric around the canvas, making sure her name was centered, and stapling at the back so the sides had a nice finished look for hanging. (Make sure to start in the middle of each side, and work your way out with the staples, pulling the fabric a bit taut to make sure no bubbles or wrinkles occur). After I made clean corner folds, and was happy with the position of everything at this point, I started to embellish (my favorite part!). I hand sewed some buttons through the canvas itself, I used Sharpie Paint Pens to add a shadow line to the letters so they would look more three-dimensional, and then hot fixed some clear crystals below Jordan's name - and it was fit for a princess.
Have you tried this kind of project? What techniques do you find the most helpful or most enjoyable? I'd love to keep building on this idea. I was super happy with my first attempt at this mixed-media art project, and I can't wait to get to try it again! Anyone need a gift?

Happy Friday! Amy

12 Weeks of Christmas Tutorial #7

Today I'm going to share with you an easy fabric craft that requires little to no sewing. It's a sweet little wall hanging using two of your favorite fabrics, an embroidery hoop, and some bits and baubles you probably already have hiding around your house.

Embroidery Hoop Wall Hanging

Materials List:
*1 8-inch embroidery hoop (You can find these in wood that are quite lovely in their natural state or painted. I found these colorful plastic Hoop-la hoops in-store at Joann's.)
*1 scrap of fabric at least 10" square for background
*1 scrap of a second fabric the size of your applique design
*iron-on webbing such as Steam A Seam II
*coordinating bits and baubles - ribbons, buttons, crystals, rosettes
*scissors
*glue
*needle and thread

Instructions:
1. Iron all of your fabric pieces. Separate your hoop. Flip the background fabric right side down, and trace a circle about an inch wider than the inner hoop. Cut that circle out with your scissors.


2. Use the inner hoop with the iron-on webbing to figure out how big your applique can be. Draw or trace the reverse onto the webbing (I used a light box which makes tracing very easy!). Peel back the paper backing and press onto the wrong side of your applique fabric. (I'm doing initials for 2 little girls' Christmas gifts, so I found the font I wanted to use, and printed out the letters, then traced the outline of the reverse).


3. Cut out your applique, and position onto your background fabric, checking the placement with your inner hoop. Use your iron to steam set the applique.


4. Now's the time to decide on your embellishments, and truly make it your own! I suggest you play around with your layout to get it just how you want it to look before you do anything permanent. Sew on some buttons, glue on a bow, rosette or flower, hot set some crystals. Voila!

5. Lay your piece over the inner hoop, and place the outer hoop over top of the fabric. Be sure to keep your design centered as you tighten the screw. Tug your fabric every couple of turns to make sure you don't have any bunches. Once you are sure you like the placement within the hoop, use your scissors to trim away the excess fabric from the back side. Hang and enjoy!

Happy crafting! Amy