Decorated Initials

Initials are quite widely available from craft stores.  While I've used papier mache ones in the past, I've found that the wooden variety are much better to decorate.

They can, of course, be painted but I used one of my favourite fabrics on this one - about 6.5" x 5".  It's an easy technique. Trace the outline of the letter onto bonding material (WondaWeb etc.), iron this onto the fabric, then cut around the shape.  Be careful to trace so that the fabric is the same way round as the letter!

Then peel off the background, place the fabric very carefully and iron.  All this after painting the surfaces which won't be covered by the background.

These make great, personalised gifts.

Of the ones I've been commissioned to do, my favourite was a set - made for a couple called Mel and Simon - ie their initials, including an ampersand (&).  Whichever way they decide to display them, I'm sure they cause amusement!

How To Fabric Paint

This is just a very brief explanation of how to fabric paint, with an example of how I use it.

Firstly, I decided on the size of the cushion I wanted to make.  Then I traced my design and replicated it on the central, in this case muslin, fabric.

I use acrylic paints, and mix them with fabric medium (available in places like Hobbycraft).
To embellish the top portion, I 'spotted' with the darker colour and added a ' jewel' to the lower part.
Then I used embroidery thread for the running stitch around the actual design and the borders of the muslin.

The face is, again, muslin - painted and then stuck with a 'bonding' product: I prefer BondaWeb but there are others.
Lastly, I added the borders.

I've found that actually getting down and doing it is the very best way of learning how to fabric paint.  Practise.  On scraps of fabric.  More endless possibilities, limited only by imagination.  For instance a small cushion like this could be designed and/or customised as a gift  - for babies and children, birthdays, weddings etc - and personalised however you wish.

Baby's Memory Box

A baby's memory box offers all manner of possibilities, as far as decoration is concerned.  I made this this one for my grand-daughter's Christmas present last year.

It took a while to find the right box: her mother wanted quite a large one and it needed to be robust, given that it will hopefully need to last at least one lifetime (I like to think of all my stuff as heirlooms!).  Papier-mache type ones were obviously out of the question and hardwood ones proved to be too heavy.

Eventually I found this plywood one at Ikea and, even though she could probably climb inside it now, it really fitted the bill.

I'd already made her cot quilt and bumper in a patchwork design, so thought it would be a good idea to copy one of the fabrics from those and paint it.  The logistics were easy - since it was flat-packed, I painted the panels separately before construction.  Quite a painstaking job but I enjoyed it and all concerned seemed really satisfied.

Let's hope this particular baby's memory box fills up with wonderful things!

I need to acknowledge Sandra, from The Crafts House (see link), here.  A wonderful woman who has encouraged me to develop my art skills over the years.