Canvas Tote Bag - from INSPIRED. event

Nothing like a contest deadline from Prima to get my tote bag finished up! Pressure motivates me! Here's my happy little tote bag. It makes me smile.

Donna Downey's INSPIRED. event began with each of us receiving a canvas tote bag full of goodies. This is just one of Donna's alterable canvas items. See them all here. I'm addicted and loving it!

I was out shopping with my daughter when I spotted this adorable dress on the 75% rack. I loved the colors and patterns, so I bought it for the fabric. I cut it into strips, while my canvas bag was drying from a coat of acrylic paint. During Donna Downey's "Apron" miniworkshop, she showed us how to paint on canvas with watered-down acrylics. It was like ooooooooooooooooh.

At the INSPIRED. event, CD Muckosky taught us how to use die-cut papers as stencils for spray paint or Ranger Color Wash. Here is a brown paper bag I sprayed with various color washes.

I decided to try this same technique on my canvas bag, except I used a stencil brush with red acrylic paint (I didn't want the over-spray look)

I had just adhered the red polka dot ruffle, using fabric glue . . . so my clothespins are holding it in place until it dries.

The author of Canvas Remix, Alisa Burke has TOTALLY been inspiring me lately! I found her blog through a link on Kelly Rae Robert's blog and immediately fell in love. I decided to use two of her techniques on my canvas tote.

The first technique is from her book, making layered flowers from a piece of canvas (fabric). I purchased some canvas fabric at INSPIRED., so decided to try it with Donna Downey's new foam stamp Daisies. It's 10 1/4" ginormous inches tall and I'm loving it.

So I cut three piece of canvas, slightly larger than stamp size and painted each a different color. Then here's where I started my famous habit of "If you give a mouse a cookie . . . " It goes something like this.

1) I liked CD's stencil technique, so tried that again with black spray paint

2) I wanted to stamp image to show up, so stamped it with white acrylic paint

3) I like how Alisa Burke and CD both use so much fun stitching in their projects

So I decided to try them all! Then remembered – oh ya, I was just wanting a floral stamp on the front. I loved all these techniques and had a lot of fun.

I decided to use some of the dress fabric for the tote handle. The handle is adjustable, so I had to get creative. I used Alisa Burke's wrap and stitch method that I saw her use on flip flops! That blog post is here.

Crazy-stitching over these strips was very fun!

I turned under both raw edges and used a whip-stitch.

I sewed together strips of the dress and trimmings that I had. I was thrilled to find out all this bulk would fit into my sewing machine. I really wanted that flower stitched on!

I added the extra petals to the flip side of the polka dot flower for a new look (never ended up using the third red flower – saved for another project). I used my machine for the fabric and trim, along with the flower stems and petals . . . but found I couldn't turn all the bulk of the bag to sew the flower petals – so I hand-stitched them on. Now I need to get online and find the presser foot that will let me move around freely without turning it all!