When I first learned about this challenge, I was racking my brain on what medium to use! Paper? Seed sack? Lace handkerchiefs? Redecorate a gift bag? Use a brown lunch bag?
I decided to use up some of my seed sacks that I bought from my cousin's yard sale last summer! She wanted to get rid of them, and I knew that I could find something useful to do with them sometime! Well, that time came now!
Seed sacks are kind of like the old laundry bags from college, but without a flat bottom. If that makes any sense! It's tough, hard, stiff canvas.
Throughout this whole process, I did not measure. I eyeballed all of the sides, and roughly eyeballed the handles.
I went through and cut the sides into actual panels, and prepped them all with gesso. Once that was dry, it was ready to paint! I used my Acrylic Glaze paints mainly because I wanted something vibrant and I wanted it to stand out. I don't have too many other options in the paint department, so the Acrylics worked beautifully! (I think so anyway! ;D)
The first panel was my face. Which, it's not MY face! My 4 yr. old daughter and I had a discussion about this face! She asked who it was a picture of and I responded no one. She said, "No Mom, really, who is it?" I replied again, now a bit agitated, "It's no one, ok?!" She came back with, "Jeez Mom, you don't have to be mean about it!" LOL!
So, the face just kind of drew itself. I used black gesso and a paint brush.
To create the background, I just used different stencils and more Acrylic Paint colors and more gesso!
I pretty much did the same thing for all of the sides.
The difference for the back/front panel w/ the words 'My Craft Bag', are that those are sprays with different stencils and black gesso for the tiny circles stencil.
The difference for the rose panel is that I used white embossing paste, which I mixed a color into and using the edge/end of my palette knife, laid down the paste in the form of a rose.
I did have help on this, in the sewing it together portion! I only sew on paper! I NEVER sew fabric! Hey, I'd actually have to measure something! YIKES!
Anyway, I did the handles, and was successful at attaching 2 panels together, and then my sewing machine decided not to work right. So, I handed my project over to my mother to sew the rest of it together. I had strict instructions on how I wanted it done. And she is such a darling and finished it for me so that I could post it here on my day!
I hope that you have been inspired by my bag and want to try out for our challenge! This is a perfect opportunity to think outside the box!!!!
Erin
Links:
white & black gesso
white embossing paste
Antique Bronze Distress Paint
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pen (black and white)
Stencils: Mini Reverse Chicken Wire, Mini Tiny Circles, Distressed Honeycomb, Bubbly
Silks Acrylic Glazes Honey Amber, Pink Anthurium, Bolivian Blue, Love Struck, Olive Vine,
Apricot Nectar
Dylusions: Pure Sunshine, Funky Fuschia, London Blue, Cut Grass, & Melted Chocolate
