Kraft-tex Zipper Pouch Tutorial

Washable Vegan Leather Paper

I was delighted to be asked to make a zipper pouch for this month's Buddly Craft blog post with Kraft-tex a paper product which  looks, feels and wears like leather but sews, cuts and washes like fabric.  It is basically the same material as the label on denim jeans and they often seem to outlast the jeans themselves!

I stitched up a 'Back to School' pencil case for my son and was able to use a label from a well-known British supermarket, as he has the same name as their clothing range!

Should you not have had the foresight to name your child after a shop, then you can still personalise your Kraft-tex creations as it can be put through an inkjet printer, decorated with stamps or simply doodled on.

http://www.artchalahandmade.com/

Pinterest is full of inspiration for this wonderful material 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DoodooShop

I'm now off to order some in each of the five colours available, especially the very gorgeous black!

SewforSoul Feature in Reloved Magazine!

Shabby Chic Tin Cans

August's edition of Reloved Magazine is in the shops now and features another SewforSoul project, these upcycled tin cans which I created for our guests at this year's Easter party.

They make fabulous flower vases and are perfect for a country wedding, with guests being able to reuse them as pen pots for a lasting momento of the great day!

They are really easy to produce and can be customised or embellished in hundreds of ways and colours, so get saving your soup and bean cans now!  

Happy Crafting!

Free Hand Machine Embroidery Treat Box

Buddly Crafts Design Team Makes

Over at the Buddly Crafts Blog the theme this month is 'Handmade Sweet Packaging' and, as the sewing and felting contributor, I whipped up this little free motion embroidered treat box;

It's a perfect project for beginners as it's such a small scale design and if the first one goes wrong you can discard it without too much waste - However, don't forget that a few wobbles are all part of the appeal of raw edge appliqué and free motion embroidery!

The full tutorial can be found here and the wooden display top box is available for purchase in the Buddly Crafts shop.   

A visit to the Buddly Blog, will also reveal these lovely makes by my fellow DT members;

Hand Painted Strawberry Box by Gill

Stencilled Sweetie Box by Kim

Acrylic Heart Box by Kyriakos  

Altered Peat Pots

Oh So Shabby Chic!

I was so pleased with how my shabby chic tin cans turned out (full tutorial here) that I decided to make some more but the only member of our family to eat canned food is the cat and I didn't have enough empties to hand.  So I turned to the internet for alternatives....... 

......and saw these stunning altered peat pots.

I really wanted mine to have an aged look, with the lace forming an integral part of the design rather than appearing 'stuck on', so I used Powertex fabric hardener. This brilliant product allows fabric to be set solid into any position whilst still allowing the original colour and texture to show through. 

The lace will be permanently fixed into soft ruffles with an application of  Powertex.

Once the Powertex was dry I sponged the pots with gentle shades of cream and white, allowing the paint to crackle between coats.  The lace really does look part of the pot and has the feel of antique ceramics or pottery.  

Peat pots are ridiculously cheap, I purchased mine in a pack of thirty from our local 'Everything for a Pound' store! 

I had such fun altering these and whilst I used the lace the possibilities are endless, what about twine, raffia, pearls, gems, glitter...etc...etc?!

The pots are featured over at the Buddy Crafts Blog, where you can also find other fabulous Powertex projects.