Silk painted box

Silk Painted Box

First of all I made the decorated material by painting with silk paints onto cotton.
The Box is a fairly simple square box shape made with mount board . four sides and top and lid with pieces of mount board slightly smaller for the lining.
proceed with box making techniques, then embellish with sequins on the top.

For more things to do with silk paints try my DVD Silk Painting for Card Makers, send request to my email leisurelearners@gmail.com

Knitted Cakes

These were fun to make for a granddaughter's pretend teatime favourites.

A book is available from Amazon " Knitted Cakes"

Water Soluble machine embroidery

This bag was made with Dorset Embroiderers Guild.

The handle is a belt from a charity shop and the fabric is linen from India.



Shadow applique and quilting

This shadow applique and shadow quilted hanging was completed in a workshop with South West Quilters.

Ear Muffs - Stick Weaving

Stick weaving is an ancient craft. These ear muffs are available at £3.50 plus £1 p&p.  Contact leisurelearners@gmail.com.

Hand painted silk ties

Silk Painted Ties

Available for £11,99 plus £1 p&p - please apply to leisurelearners@gmail.com

For more silk painting ideas try my DVD Silk painting for Card Makers

available for £6.99 plus £1.99 p&p from leisurelearners@gmail.com

Embroidered Picture

This embroidered picture was done on a workshop with www.gingerfig.co.uk

Handbag notebook

Using fabric and mountboard this project was made with Shirley Sutton

Embroidered picture

This embroidered picture was done in a workshop with Gingerfig  http://www.gingerfig.co.uk/

Strippy embroidered bag

This bag was made in a workshop with Jan Tillet  http://www.jantillett.co.uk/

Felt beaded necklace

This is an easy project and can be done in one evening.

Using felt wound around a BBQ stick and then embroidered with  beads these felted beads look stunning.

For more information the book is " Beaded Felt Jewellery" by Helen Birmingham.

The result is a glamorous necklace that is very light to wear.

Christmas craft - Cup cakes with flannels and buffers

Cup Cake Base in Card

• The Template for this cup cake base and the small motif on the card is below.
• Use mirror card for a Christmas affect
• Either use a flannel or a buffer for the cupcake and embellish with a craft bobble at the top
• Finish the effect with cellophane and wrap with Christmas ribbon

Christmas craft - Santa Sack

Santa Sack

• This is a simple patchwork sack made from Christmas material remnants.
• I used children's wooden letter set available from toy shops to make the letters and bonda webbed them , then Zig Zagged them down.
• I made two little pockets on the front. One to hold a toy Santa and the other I embroidered Letter from Santa on the outside with a small envelope top to hide the letter.
• I made a drawstring top and used ribbons to pull together.

template for a base for a flannel cupcake

Download this onto card cut around it and then use this as a template to make a cup cake base.

straight lines cut to the small circle, dotted line fold then fold to the centre where the smaller circle is to make the base.  Glue with a strong craft glue and peg until completely dry.

The small decorations cut around and the fold in a circle this makes a pretty decoration for cards and the top of the cup cake.

Buttons

Buttons from Polymer Clay

It is very nice to decorate your work with handmade buttons.
These are simply made from white polymer clay then painted with acrylic paint.  Then varnished.
I used sweet cutters to get small flower shapes.  But you can use square, triangles etc.

Silk Painted padded necklaces

Silk Painted necklaces

This is a bit more advanced as it is done with an embellisher.

First of all, make six small silk paintings ( see my DVD " Silk Painting for Card Makers available from Leisurelearners@gmail.com)

Embellish these onto white felt.

Decorate with embroidery thread

Cut out and zig zag around the edges, but include a small loop in one side to hang the necklace.

Use cord from any reputable haberdashery supplier.

Cat's Cushion

This is a cheap alternative to bought beds which sometimes your cat will not use.

I got the outline for the cat from clips from the Internet, posted into word and enlarged it to A4.

I bought a cheap blanket which are very easy to buy.

I cut out the cat shape from print material and appliqued it onto the blanket.

1 blanket will make two pillow covers.

I then used a soft pillow for the insert.  Make sure it is a new one or wash an old one thoroughly as cats like new smells.

Cushion made with felt

This was a workshop I did with Madelaine Millington  www.madelainemillington.com

Using old blankets and colourful dyed felt a design was made .  Use blanket stitch in colourful wools to stitch on the felt and around edges.

Sequined Bracelet

Sequined Bracelet

Use pelmet vilene to the size you require
bondaweb on material to the vilene with enough hang over to wrap around the vilene twice.
sew a pleasing arrangement of sequins to the fabric
then turn the overhang fabric over the other side and neaten
make a loop with buttonhole stitch on one end and attach a large bead to the other.

Evening Bag

Evening Bag

This is quite an advance technique learnt at The Embroiderers Guild.

First you need two pieces of pelmet vilene the size of the bag that you need. The base and the top.  The top here is in a hexagonal shape.

On the top piece draw a design.  Next cover the opposite side with materiall using iron on sticky fabric.

next with buttonhole stitch outline your drawing using a contrast colour to the fabric on the other side. Then using hand stitching and beads decorate the open parts of the design.

Next stick on the same fabric to the body of the bag and draw tramlines.  

Make a loop and attach this to the point where the bag is to close. And make a cord for the handle and place this at the two sides of the bag body.

When the bag is fully decorated stick on some fabric to cover your backs and then buttonhole stitch around the edges.

Stitch the top to the body of the bag by hand. 

Next make a decorative button and attach.

Japenese folded bag and ribbon flower

This is a very easy quilting project.

• make a sandwich of one square of Japanese fabric, one piece of lining and very thin wadding stitch and turn
• Make a triangle, then put one corner of the triangle to the long edge one side and then the other making a folded triangle.  The flaps form the pockets.
• Make a handle and attach
• Stitch along the folded edge
• Decorate with a ribbon flower.

The ribbon flower.

Again easy

• Cut nine pieces of ribbon 4 1/2 inches long
• stitch diagonally along the narrow end, along the long side and then diagonally up the other short end.
• Pull the thread to form a petal
• When you have completed all nine get a small bit of felt and with strong glue place the petals into a pleasing flower shape
• With glue put on beads in the centre of the flower.

• Either attach to a bag or any other of your projects

Tapestry picture

This project was done with a kit available from http://www.quaker-tapestry.co.uk/  I am a Quaker and know about the Quaker Tapestry as it was started at my Meeting in Taunton.  I wanted to make something special for an art exhibition in Taunton Library which was a collection of works by local Quakers.  This kit depicts a Quaker wedding ceremony.  As my husband and I had a Quaker wedding I chose this very famous image to stitch. The stitch used is called Quaker Stitch.

Knitted Flower

Cast on 99 stitches, thicker yarn and larger needles will create a larger flower,
kn1t 1 and cast off nine stitches, repeat until the end.

With the remaining stitches thread a darning needle and pull the wool through.  The result is a small knitted flower that can be used to decorate knitted hats or baby cardigans or felted bags. Here it is used on a card with a cropped piece of silk painting.

Keepsake book

This is a very feminine project but quite easy.

You will need

• 1 piece of felt
• old lace or embroidery anglaise
• ribbon
• Acrylic paints
• beads

Method

Cut a piece of felt the size of the book you require.  Lay the lace on top and then go over this with the machine using the embroidery foot to catch down the lace.

When you have done this paint the lace side with acrylic paint.

to make the book stitch leaves of paper inside.

To finish make a double length of ribbon to go around your book and overlap a loop.  Stitch this down

Finally decorate the acrylic painted cover with beads and small ornaments such as sequins. You will find that it is still easily stitchable but the result makes a very pleasing and pretty book cover.

Hot Ribbon Art

This is a cheat way of applique.  First of all I got the pattern for this design from a paper bag.  Often you will see lovely designs on paper that is intended to be thrown away.  I got a black and white fabric and reversed the fabric for the applique and used black and gold applique ribbon.  I made the resulting piece into a book cover.

Heart shaped gift bag and card

This is a simple project that makes a nice small gift and matching card. It requires some forethought to colour coordinate.You will need:

Sheer fabric

ribbon

base fabric

felt

sequins and beads

• Photocopy the base fabric onto white card I have used an old skirt that I liked
• Using a toning fabric make a small bag which is a long piece of fabric edged and then folded into three.
• Attach ribbons to close
• Using a felt heart( To make a heart shape fold a piece of paper in half and draw half a heart ensuring accuracy) Use the heart template to cut out the felt.
• Decorate the felt piece with sequins and beads and attach to the front piece of the bag.
• To make the matching card ( It is possible to make more than one card from the photocopy)  Cut the card to the required size and then I have kept up the theme of three and folded the outside edges of the card to the centre making a three fold card.
• Using sticky pads attach a piece of ribbon to the outside of the card and attach the ribbon underneath and then attach a small piece of decorative piece on top.
• This allows the ribbons to close the card.

Chinese book with greetings

Hello Fellow Crafters,

This is a relatively simple craft project and one that is an unusual card for someone special.

• Firstly print a greeting and insert photos onto a piece of A4 paper on landscape mode, the fold this into a concertina shape
• measure your first page of the concertina and make two mount board pieces slightly larger
• cover these with a pretty paper I used handmade paper
• make two little slits into the centre of one of them and thread through enough ribbon to go around the book twice
• thread this through leaving the ends on the outer side.
• now stick the first and last page of the concertina onto the mount board.
• Finally close the book and wrap the ribbon around twice.

• It sould fit nto a foolscap envelope for postage.

Pretty Clips

This project can be done by children too. Taking household wooden pegs paint with a pretty acrylic colour.  Using sparkly peel offs decorate the pegs and place on a card.  This can be given inmultiples and given as a present to clip memos together or food bags such as coffee or sugar in the kitchen cupboard. A useful and pretty gift.

Background Paper- for you to download

Background paper

Background paper

Felt bead necklace

This is a very easy craft and you can make a necklace in an evening. I found that a contrast colour of beads to the colour of the felt made a more lively result. Also, make the felt beads first keeping them on the bbq stick and then choose some large beads to match and contrast to give more sparkle.  I particularly like wearing this necklace with a red jumper and jeans. The book I used tomake this is called "Beaded Felt Jewellery " by Search Press.

Boxes

This box was machine embroidered free hand on some hand dyed indigo cotton.  It made a lovely gift box for a kilt pin brooch.  For indigo dyeing I recommend the book  ' A handbook of Indigo Dyeing' by Vivien Prideaux - published by Search Press.

Boxes

Box Making is an interesting addition to silk painting.  This box was made with a silk painted top incorporating a butterfly and sequins.  because silk painting is onsilk the original designs can be easily added to a sewing project.  For more information on box making I recommend two books. " Why not embroider boxes" ISBN 0-9540030-2-0 and "Hand Stitched Boxes"- ISBN 0-7153-0331-7

Corsages

Felt corsages can be made with white felt and coloured with silk paints or watercolour paints.  Use three circles of different coloured felt on a leaf backing to make an interesting corsage arrangement.  To colour white felt with silk paints- cut out circles or flower shapes place on a plastic tray and colour both sides. Zig zag stitcharound the edge of the shape to add more interest and then pinch the shape in the centre and secure with a stitch or two and a bead if required.

For more silk painting ideas for card makers there is a silk painting video available for £7.99 inc.p&p from lesiurelearners@gmail.com.

Silk Painting

A silk painting class

My first craft I enjoyed was silk painting and I have a DVD called Silk Painting for Card Makers , available for sale £7.99 inc p&P contanct my email address for details.  I get all my silk painting materials from http://www.rainbowsilks.co.uk/

Person Centred Art Therapy

Taunton Flower Show 2010

I really became most interested in crafting after completing my course in PCAT in 1997.  It opened up my creativity and I began teaching Silk Painting to many groups. After my career in film Production and in retirement I found Leisle Silverstone's course very beneficial and equipped me to pursue my dreams.