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Boring fabric gets a makeover with this cool technique by Kathy Cano-Murilla, AKA The Crafty Chica. It’s brilliant in its simplicity. She uses a bleach pen to create designs on fabric. Get the tutorial and then go running for the bleach pen.
[tags]fabric, upcycling, bleach, tutorial[/tags]
I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.
And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.
The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.
They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.
The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.
Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.
Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.
Using the bleach pen … I tried it!! I am in the process of creating beachwraps using voile fabric. I tried the bleach pen on orange voile – LOVE IT!! The only thing is, my design was a little toooo intricate, and used ONE pen to create a design on one side of the fabric. Will have to invest in a few pens.
On the whole – I am SOLD on this idea. Design ideas are now running amok!
If you are having fun with the bleach pen, try 1/2 cup of Cascade dishwasher GEL mixed with a couple of tablespoons of bleach, apply to the back of some coarse textured leaves and apply in a pattern on a black cotton t-shirt! The design possibilities are endless. The results are unpredictable, but beautiful.
Thanks for the tip! That sounds soooo cool!!! –Anne