I think everyone needs a personalized bag. Teachers can't have enough bags for all the things they are working on. For those of you who have been around awhile, you might remember the tutorial I did for these monogrammed totes, last year.
Showing posts with label totes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label totes. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2012
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Camp Shirts and Totes
Our family had "Bear Camp" this summer in Big Canoe, GA.
For Bear Camp, I made my parents, my brother, and my daughters t-shirts.
I made these shirts using the freezer paper stencilling method.
First, I designed the image on my Silhouette and cut it out on freezer paper. If you don't have a Silhouette, you can still do this. It may take longer but Jill and I have done it many times. All you do is print the image on your printer. Then, trace it on the freezer paper, then use an exacto knife to cut it out.
You iron the freezer paper stencil onto the item you're stencilling. You also put a piece of freezer paper on the inside of the item. This does two things: it helps adhere the first piece of freezer paper to the item and it provides a protective barrier to keep the paint from leaking through.
I used three colors for this shirt. It was very easy to do one color at a time. I always use fabric paint for these projects. I know many people don't and are still pleased with the results. I find the fabric paint to be durable, soft, and it doesn't crack. It just works well and when I find something that works well, I stick with it.
All the painting is done.
The paint is dry and I removed the main part of the freezer paper. You can see the letter and number insides are still in place in this picture. Tweezers and/or the exacto knife make it easy to remove these.
Done!
Mariella's Tote
I also made tote bags with the same image. I followed the exact directions above. The only other thing I did was sew a ribbon to the top of the plain canvas bag. This just added a touch of fanciness. The canvas bags were used to hold the girls camp projects and are a great camp souvenir.
Here they are at home with their camp bags!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monogrammed Tote
I have an inexpensive gift idea for you that will make a big impression. Last year I made these totes as gifts for some friends. This year, I wanted to make them for Ryan's teachers as an end of the year gift. If you haven't noticed, I think Ryan's teachers are two very special loving ladies who took great care of my little man this year.
I'll give you the full tutorial, but first I wanted to show you the finished product with the gift I put inside. (I'll give you the clipboard tutorial another day).
Here is what you will need:
I am going to give you the tutorial for all those of you who don't have a Silhouette, but you can easily cut your letters on freezer paper using the Silhouette as well. Shannon has done this many times and suggests selecting "Vellum" speed 3, thickness 25. Make sure to use a mat that has plenty of stickiness left to it. Rub the freezer paper down well to avoid any bubbles, which could cause the paper to tear.
If you don't have a Silhouette, here is the tutorial for you!
1. Print off your letters or any design that you want to use. Cut a piece of freezer paper larger than the size of your letters. With the waxy side down, trace your letters or design. A typical monogram is your three initials. The first initial goes to the left, your second initial goes to the right and your last initial is the large one in the middle.
2. Here are all my letters ready to be cut out. If you make the freezer paper too small don't worry, you can add more freezer paper to the shirt so that you don't get paint where it shouldn't go.
3. Now take your exacto knife and cut out your letter. Make sure to keep any pieces that make up the letter (see my D and L as examples-they have little portions that will need to go back in).
4. Measure the rim of your tote bag with your ribbon and add about 3 inches to overlap the ribbon when you sew it on.
5. Heat up your iron to the highest or cotton setting. Turn off any steam settings. Iron your tote bag. Then cut out a large piece of freezer paper that will fit the inside of your tote bag. You want this piece to cover the entire inside so that you don't have paint bleed through. Place the freezer paper waxy side up and iron your tote again. This will help the freezer paper to adhere to the inside.
6. Take your ribbon and put it at the top of your tote. You are using to help gauge where to put your letters or design. Center the freezer paper of your large letter in the middle of the tote bag. Iron it down making sure it is flat and without any bubbles. Then center the freezer paper with your smaller letters to the left and right, iron down too.
7. If you use fabric paint, then you can go ahead and paint away. If you are using acrylic paint, you need to add textile medium according to the directions on the bottle and mix it. This makes the acrylic paint safe to machine wash. You can get many more uses of your acrylic paint by doing this as it is much less expensive than fabric paint.
8. Using a foam brush for each color, paint your letters. Make sure not to use too much paint as it might cause the freezer paper to bubble and paint to bleed underneath. I painted the large letter to match my coordinating ribbon and the small letters in black. I did two light coats on each letter. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process if you get impatient. Just make sure that the first coat is completely dry before painting the second coat.
9. Peel off the freezer paper. If you have any difficulty, use your exacto knife to get under the freezer paper.
10. Using your sewing machine or just needle and thread, sew your ribbon to the top of the tote. I put my seam in the back and tucked the ribbon underneath for a clean look.
Ta Da! Finished tote bags that are personalized and special for the recipient. Ryan's teachers loved these and the clipboard that I included inside (the tutorial is coming soon).
Freezer paper stencils are fantastic and let you make inexpensive personalized gifts. If you have any questions, please let me know!
I'll give you the full tutorial, but first I wanted to show you the finished product with the gift I put inside. (I'll give you the clipboard tutorial another day).
Here is what you will need:
- A tote bag (you can get these in a three pack at most craft stores)
- Decorative ribbon for top of tote
- Apple Barrel paint (cheapest at Walmart)- in black for small letters and matching color of ribbon
- Textile Medium (to make it washable)
- Foam paint brushes
- Freezer paper (found in the plastic wrap/foil aisle of any grocery store)
- Exacto knife
- Self-healing cutting mat
- Iron
- Pencil to trace letters
- Printed letters in your choice of font (I used Annabel Script 400pt for Large letter and 200pt for small letter)
- sewing machine or needle and thread
I am going to give you the tutorial for all those of you who don't have a Silhouette, but you can easily cut your letters on freezer paper using the Silhouette as well. Shannon has done this many times and suggests selecting "Vellum" speed 3, thickness 25. Make sure to use a mat that has plenty of stickiness left to it. Rub the freezer paper down well to avoid any bubbles, which could cause the paper to tear.
If you don't have a Silhouette, here is the tutorial for you!
1. Print off your letters or any design that you want to use. Cut a piece of freezer paper larger than the size of your letters. With the waxy side down, trace your letters or design. A typical monogram is your three initials. The first initial goes to the left, your second initial goes to the right and your last initial is the large one in the middle.
3. Now take your exacto knife and cut out your letter. Make sure to keep any pieces that make up the letter (see my D and L as examples-they have little portions that will need to go back in).
4. Measure the rim of your tote bag with your ribbon and add about 3 inches to overlap the ribbon when you sew it on.
5. Heat up your iron to the highest or cotton setting. Turn off any steam settings. Iron your tote bag. Then cut out a large piece of freezer paper that will fit the inside of your tote bag. You want this piece to cover the entire inside so that you don't have paint bleed through. Place the freezer paper waxy side up and iron your tote again. This will help the freezer paper to adhere to the inside.
6. Take your ribbon and put it at the top of your tote. You are using to help gauge where to put your letters or design. Center the freezer paper of your large letter in the middle of the tote bag. Iron it down making sure it is flat and without any bubbles. Then center the freezer paper with your smaller letters to the left and right, iron down too.
7. If you use fabric paint, then you can go ahead and paint away. If you are using acrylic paint, you need to add textile medium according to the directions on the bottle and mix it. This makes the acrylic paint safe to machine wash. You can get many more uses of your acrylic paint by doing this as it is much less expensive than fabric paint.
8. Using a foam brush for each color, paint your letters. Make sure not to use too much paint as it might cause the freezer paper to bubble and paint to bleed underneath. I painted the large letter to match my coordinating ribbon and the small letters in black. I did two light coats on each letter. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process if you get impatient. Just make sure that the first coat is completely dry before painting the second coat.
9. Peel off the freezer paper. If you have any difficulty, use your exacto knife to get under the freezer paper.
10. Using your sewing machine or just needle and thread, sew your ribbon to the top of the tote. I put my seam in the back and tucked the ribbon underneath for a clean look.
Ta Da! Finished tote bags that are personalized and special for the recipient. Ryan's teachers loved these and the clipboard that I included inside (the tutorial is coming soon).
Freezer paper stencils are fantastic and let you make inexpensive personalized gifts. If you have any questions, please let me know!
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