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Loose Ends

childs-artwork-tote-bag

The weather has been lovely here, so I haven’t been spending much time on the computer or the sewing machine.

But I finally updated last week’s post with the instructions for making these tote bags with your child’s artwork. We sold all of our bags, so I made one more today from these instructions.  I didn’t explain how to transfer your child’s work to fabric, but there are a number of ways you can do it — embroidery, iron-on transfers, printable fabric, fabric markers, etc.  The instructions are for a small, lined tote bag, but you could increase the dimensions and make a larger version.  I used heavy-weight twill tape for the straps, but you could make your own straps with contrasting fabric.

And the winner of the Custom Softie Giveaway was Sora, so look for another giveaway later this week!

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Grid Painting

make-it-monday

grid-painting1

Here’s a project that my six-year-old wanted to try after thinking about this painting that was made by her Daddy.  Can you tell that this is a ladybug?

We used a piece of printable canvas and acrylic paints since that’s what we had on hand.  She drew the ladybug with pencil, then I left the room to look for a ruler.  When I came back, she had drawn her own grid.  Well, OK!  You could make the squares as small or as large as you want them.  I asked her to paint one square at a time and leave some space around the edges, but she took it from there.  She had a couple of spots that she painted the wrong color, but since we were using acrylic paint we let the paint dry and she painted over them.  I think she made some interesting art and managed to use both sides of her brain in the process.

grid-painting-steps

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Etsy Finds Friday

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who came out for Kraftwork last night.  It was a huge success and a great confidence booster for Eva since she sold almost everything!  The organizers Christy and Shannon  do a fabulous job with this event.  And it was really nice to meet some blog readers.  All in all it was a good experience, but man — I’m tired.  Selling at craft fairs is hard work!

If you live in or near Atlanta, be sure to mark your calendar for the Indie Craft Experience May 30-31 at Centennial Olympic Park, where there are sure to be many talented and hard-working crafters.  

Here are the finds for this week.  You can tell that spring is on my mind!

3-6-09

’60s Old Country Wallpaper (vintage), $58 for 150 square feet from My Wagonette.

Easter Egg Emery Sharp, $10 from The Daily Pincushion.

Moss Green Teapot with Bluebird, $65 from Red Hot Pottery.

Bunny Slipper Baby Booties, $24 from Jennifer Ladd.

White Flowers limited edition print, $25 from Gennine’s Art Store.  Read her feature on Etsy.

Cathedral Window Quilting Kit, $9.95 from Marsye’s Shop.

Everyday Bag, $55 from Walking Wardrobe.

The Giraffe, encaustic and mixed media, $85 from Earthtone Studios.

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Dog Gocco Print

gocco-dog-print

We made some gocco print notecards with one of my daughter’s drawings.  I find it frustrating that I can rarely get a good screen impression on these.  The screens are so expensive that I hate to try again.  My tracing probably needed thicker lines.  I’m amazed at all the Etsy sellers who have great gocco screenprints.  I think I’d like to learn how to make real screenprints sometime soon.

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Child’s Artwork Tote Bag

make-it-monday

tote-bag

Do more with your child’s artwork!  I used my embroidery machine to sew my daughter’s drawing onto the fabric, but you could transfer your child’s design and hand embroider, print on fusible paper or printable fabric, have your child draw with fabric markers, or a number of other options.  We use tote bags frequently and I thought it would be nice to have a pint sized version.  They can haul their own snacks to the park, carry home groceries, or tote a change of clothes.

Here is the tutorial for the bag: childs-artwork-tote-bag. The pocket method that I used is a bit different from the version pictured above and the pocket is smaller (6″x6″ finished size).  Also, I did not include specific instructions about creating the drawing on the pocket, but you could use any of the methods mentioned above.  So this is a versatile tote bag pattern that you could edit in many ways.