Janelle's color journey: March 2013

I'm excited that I get to share my project with you through this guest post for Artistcellar. They sell all kinds of supplies for artists and they have some truly wonderful stencils. You can read my post here: http://artistcellar.com/wp/2013/03/making-decorative-sachets/ I’m going to share how I make decorative sachets so that you can fill your drawers and closets with wonderful scents and pretty bags. These sachets will add a pretty accent to your wardrobes.

I started by cutting muslin fabric or other plain colored cotton into a rectangle. I cut mine 5 ½” X 11” which includes a ½” seam allowance.

I took my muslin and used stencils to cover the whole piece with a pattern. I used Dylusions ink sprays which will spread and bleed if you spray too heavily. I also used Silks acrylic glazes and fabric paints.

Next I took dry tea bags that are opened up and flattened and used the stencils plus Dylusions ink sprays, Adirondack color wash sprays and Adirondack distress stains to get a pattern. I love using tea bags because they give an instant aged grungy look. When you spray the tea bags you need to spray lightly and from a bit further away so that the ink doesn't spread too much or you will lose all the pattern from the stencil.

I used these stencils on the tea bags and on the muslin: Ocean Waves and Cherry Blossom from the Traditional Japanese Series; Hemp flower from the Japanese Geometric Series; Roadmap, Runes, Romans, and Rivermap form the TEXTures series.

After everything was dry I heat set the muslin and then I cut the tea bags in half and positioned them on the muslin. To get the correct placement I folded the muslin in half and positioned the tea bag in the center bottom near the fold.

Then I unfolded the muslin and sewed the tea bag down. Next I cut ribbons, lace, and threads from my stash the width of the muslin. I used Artistcellar fibers too, from the Blueberry mix and the Mulberry silk fibers. I sewed these down above the tea bag.

Next I made a focal image to go on top of the tea bag. I used four different methods to get a focal image. I like to have some variety and to try out different ideas.

The first way was using stamps. I stamped one of my hand carved stamps onto thick paper. I colored it in with Derwent Inktense pencils and let it dry and then painted over the top of that with the Silks acrylic glaze. I colored in the background with colored pencil and I inked the edge with a Ranger distress ink pad for contrast. I then sewed this onto the tea bag.

The second way was making a focal image by laying down a thin layer of Stewart Gill Glitterati Fibers and melting them between two sheets of parchment paper. After they cooled down I cut out a heart shape from the fibers and also from muslin. I layered the fibers on top of the muslin and sewed that to the tea bag.

The third way that I created a focal image was by embroidering hearts onto the tea bag through the tea bag and the muslin. I outlined each heart with a Pitt pen.

The last method that I used to create my focal image was to draw or stencil an image onto deli paper using Pitt pens. I colored in my images with Derwent Inktense pencils and I added a bit of glitter gel pen and metallic paint to the images.

To create the bags I folded them in half with the design inside. Then I stitched down each side ½” from the outside edge leaving the top open. Then I turned it carefully so that the right side is out. I filled the bags with lavender or rose petals.

You could use any type of herb or potpourri to fill the bags with. After they are filled you turn the top to the inside about ½”and stitch across it.

This project could also be made using pre-made bags; you just need to slip a bit of waxy paper inside before you stencil the bag. That way the paint or spray doesn't go all the way through the bag. Just be aware that if you glue on the elements instead of sewing them that the ink sprays will reactivate and bleed if they get wet with the glue.

You can view more photos from this project here.