Lilla Le Vine The small purse1with no flap is pieced onto a rectangle of muslin which I fold in half later to form the pouch and sew the sides. I use one of my own silk prints, done on my printer using bubble jet set on the fabric. All the prints are done like this if they are on silk. Then I stitched on short pieces of ribbons, laces and trims in a sort of log cabin effect. I embroidered some seams, added trim at the top, lined it and sewed a cord handle on. One of the flap purses had a silk print, the other was a print onto gauze fabric. For that I used an iron transfer sheet and ironed it onto polyester fabric, a sheer look I love. I layered the prints with hand dyed fabrics and laces, some were fragments I had to bond to Wonder Under first. I crumpled some fabric and ribbon before sewing on to give texture. There are hand stitches and hand made cords used. The text that says Paris I also printed onto poly fabric like the print. To construct flapped purses, I again cut a rectangle and make it longish. Fold it into roughly thirds for the flap, I lined the purses flat then sewed the side seams of the pouch part. Adding a cord handle came next, beads and a snap closure. The flap can be cut any shape you like. |
Belinda Schneider Keely Barham taught me how to make art quilt bags. Check out her website Fabric Frog Designs for further inspiration and read her article in the Somerset Studio March/April 2003 issue Following her instructions, I cut three rectangular pieces of cotton for each quilted purse. I dyed two of them with dye-na-flows. Then I sandwiched a dyed piece and the white piece together, inserted a thin layer of batting. Next I laid on the image fabric pieces and decorative ribbon and stiched everything on. I embellished further with embroidery stitches and beads. Once done, I pinned/stitched on the other dyed fabric piece (lining) and stitched it together by rolling in the edges of the layers and oversew which results in that great roll effect. Then I folded the piece up, stichted the sides together, added a loop from wool and a button as a closure. The images from the "Heavenly" and "Out in the Field" purse are from the "Vintage Images of Children" swap page All images on the purses were printed on my inkjet printer applying the freezer paper technique For the Red Angel purse I took two pieces of fabric from Sherril Kahn's Horizon line and sewed them together. I punched eyelets into both sides and added fibers. For a closure I stitched on two rows of beads and added beaded fringes. Belindas online Gallery. |
Sheilagh Casey Spring bag Foil candy wrappers bonded between gold acrylic painted tissue paper and cotton organza. Foil paper stamped and embossed. Acrylic stamped tulips. Stitched with metallic embroidery floss. Interior iris is fabric crayon transfer onto acrylic glued tissue paper. Stickers, gold colored copper wire, grommets. Handle is silk ribbon and metallic floss bonded between polyester organdie ribbons. Green, gold, purple bag Muslin printed with bondaweb. Gold wire-edge ribbon applied with fabric glue. Gold-colored copper wire bound. Crocheted copper wire closure with twisted coated copper wire button. Coated copper wire embellishments with Swarovski crystals. Braided silk ribbon and metallic embroidery floss handle. |
Green-eyed bag Pearl Ex cardstock clear-embossed with texture. Copper mesh side inserts. Vellum eye appliques stamped, embossed, colored with various media. Found brass filigree ornament. Applied wire eyes and beads with gemtak cement. Copper wire and bead embellishments. Braided silk ribbon and metallic embroidery floss handle. Blue-green bag Pearl Ex cardstock clear-embossed. Bound with coated copper wire embellished with foil-lined beads. Small brad fastener attaches beaded wire embellishment over velcro fastener. Punched decoration. Foil candy wrapper and metal foil filaments applied to back with fusible webbing. "Dance your dreams" written inside top flap on back of foil paper. |
Tracy Webster Asian Handbag. This was a project I really enjoyed. I'm not a sewer, so this was a bit of a stretch for me, but I managed, and had a great time stamping and embellishing. I made my own pattern for the bag, with decorative topstitching, reinforced stitching at the straps, and no visible raw edges. The purse is lined, and made of cotton. The strap is made from grosgrain ribbon. The embellishments vary for each purse, but mostly consists of glass seed beads, hand-made shrink plastic adornments, healing stone beads, hand dyed buttons and fibres |
Gillian Allen Victorian Ladies: Two pieces of material was dyed and various fabrics- antique lace, burnt letter stamped cotton, chiffon and transfer photos were collaged on with bonawebed. A layer of fibrefill was sandwiched between the dyed top and muslin. Some embroidery thread stitches were applied in harmonising colour. An inner lining of satin washed with colours was rolled up and overstitched, then the purse was stitched together and a vintage glass button used for closing. Fibres and beads were added as a handle Victorian Ladies 2: Same method as above, without the overstitching Vintage purse: Photoshop was used to distress adding my own and assorted grungy stamps (courtesy of nocturna ) to a vintage image of 2 girls and on the back an old sepia slide photo. This was printed onto T shirt paper and ironed on with Bondaweb to satin. Overstitching dyed ribbon and a vintage buckle completes Vintage purse 2: Same as above but ironed onto Pelmet Vilene for a stiffer texture, distressed steel wire bound the edges (quite tricky to do) |
Victorian Girls. Acrylic painted Pelmet Lining covered with Bonda Web (Wonder Under)
Photo transfers using T Shirt paper applied to silk and (front) stuck onto
card at back and edged with verdigris copper mesh (using Chemtek) Eyelets added
at corners. Metal washer also treated with verdigris with antique button as was
the gold ball chain treated with for the handle |
Circus Girls: Composed in Photoshop layers with grungy stamps (courtesy of Tribe Radio ps brushes) images scrounged off of e-bay--(great source). Printed onto T shirt
transfer paper then ironed onto Pelmet Vilene. Satin lining turned over and overstitched
incorporating charms, vintage buttons, beads and game pieces. Eyelets
added to hold large silver jump ring for the handyed fibres of the handle |
Bobby Besley The "Paper Bags" started life as just that, brown paper bags! The paper was crumpled, painted and waxed, then layered with little card shapes and muslin with a diluted PVA solution. I then bonded the paper to felt and embellished with machine embroidery, more paint and stamp embossed fabric images. The felt bags are hand painted felt embellished with machine embroidery and images which were stamped and embossed onto hand painted cotton. The Hare purse was photographs of my garden and hares printed on cotton fabric treated with Bubble Jet Set. This was bonded to felt and embellished with machine embroidery, dyed net and punched shapes. the hardest bit was getting those hare photo's....I waited hours hardly daring to move to get those :O) Incidentally..just about everything I used is recycled except the thread and paint. The cotton was actually old prison sheets that were given to me years ago ;O) |
Creating from your own resource from whatever materials you like, this challenge
has a hint of practicality, but is all about the aesthetics. Basically simple to
make from a rectangular piece of richly coloured, decorated/ textured/ stamped
fabric or paper. Sewed up or coiled wire bound to make into a "treasure purse".
Embellished with charms, jewels, beads and fibres complete the look. Mini
quilted purses also make an appearance. Cursor on picture for artist's name |
