A TECHNIQUE DRIVEN Blog dedicated to mastery of surface design techniques. First we dye, overdye, paint, stitch, resist, tie, fold, silk screen, stamp, thermofax, batik, bejewel, stretch, shrink, sprinkle, Smooch, fuse, slice, dice, AND then we set it on fire using a variety of heat tools.

Friday, July 25, 2014

What can I do with this?


When I was going through my fabric stash looking for likely victims candidates for the self round robin, I came along this old piece which was a "failed" deconstructed silk screen on linen. The fabric was so scrumptious and the pale colors so appealing That I had hung on to it thinking there might be a place for it in my life one day. 

I badly needed a new purse and if I folded this is half it was just about the perfect size. Hum...let me see. There were bits of these colors.  


So I decided to thermofax screen some ginkgo leaves in all three colors.


This is an old thermofax screen I had made by Lyric Kinard 



Now I need a lining fabric. I think mint green is one of the ugliest colors ever created!! BUT, I needed a light colored fabric so my old eyes could actually see inside the purse, plus I had it in my stash so....


Fabric trimmed square, horrible green about to be trimmed to size and a binding color needed to be chosen. Second from top I think!


Yes


Heavy quilting done. This is just so relaxing to do.


Quilting on lining side.


I stitched it up with my new Baby Lock Eclipse which I bought myself for living through chemo and radiation. It threads itself by vacuuming the thread through the lower loopers. Be still my heart!!

I made the box seam on the bottom then...


Cut, ironed, folded, and ironed in half both the binding and the handle fabric


I cut a half inch wide strip of warm and nature cotton batting for inside the handle for heft, strength, and a dense surface for stitching.


 Binding was attached with the cut edge (top) of the purse like binding on a quilt. I started the binding with about 4" unattached so that at the end I could get a perfect fit. You can see the seam in the center top edge of the picture.

After ironing the seam open, I stitched it down with a double row of stitching.


Now the handles could be attached.


I also tacked the "corners" of the box shape to keep the purse square and not so floppy.


Done






 I was out of magnetic snaps so I just ordered them from ebay. I usually use the poke through kind. I have various ways of hiding the metal plate on the outside but


This time I also ordered some sew in kind. First I will use some E6000 fabric adhesive then stitch them down as well.


Snaps in with stitch and E6000


11 comments:

  1. So great to see the go to woah on a whole piece. From interesting fabric to beautiful finished (and useful!) article.

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  2. what an amazing transformation and such a beautiful bag. Well done :)

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  3. It is amazing how we can sometimes transform an un appealing fabric into something scrumptious! It's beautiful now.

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  4. Beth, That transformation was amazing. Wow! Love that bag and your quilting is beautiful.

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  5. Just beautiful , the addition of the leaves and your quilting has really set this off , love your bag !

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  6. Love it! I need to get busy and have some leaf screens made... the ginko shape is great, and the colors you used are wonderful! Lots of inspiration here...

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  7. Your transformation from interesting fabric to fabulous bag is amazing. Thanks for the step by step photos.
    BTW, I LOVE ginkgoes! I may have to borrow this idea.

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  8. So great to see the stages of the transformation... I love the Ginkgos, too :) Very inspiring!

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  9. Wonderful bag. Beautiful colors. What great inspiration. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. amazing...love what you did with the ginkgos and the stitching

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  11. Once again you proved that there is no ugly fabric, just fabric waiting for something extra :-)

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