ArtGlitterBlog: Glittering Butterfly Bag by Laura Drahozal

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Glittering Butterfly Bag by Laura Drahozal

One of my very first memories is of a trip to the beach with my mother and father. I can't remember where it was--just some lake here in Michigan. I do remember playing on the sand at the edge of the water as the waves licked my toes. I also remember my beautiful mother packing everything we needed in a large straw bag with bright colored straw flowers appliqued all over it. I was fascinated by those applique flowers. I often picked at their edges, despite my mother asking me not to. It was that memory that came to me when I saw this cute little straw bag in the Target Hot Spot. Although it was too small to fit all of my family beach needs, it was cute, alterable, and only $2.50--so it was mine!

When I got it home, I had to decide what to put on it. It was a simple decision, really. I have had a thing for butterflies for several years now, and they show off the glitter so beautifully. I am also on the Dreamweaver Stencil design team, and was aware of their gorgeous butterfly stencils, so I decided to use them.

Here is what I did: First, I used my Copic Multiliner to trace around my butterfly stencils on Claudine Helmuth White Sticky Backed Canvas. The Copic liner made a light black line. In retrospect, I would have used the Faber Castell Pitt Pen in black. I obtained one of these highly pigmented ink pens at CHA and they make a darker mark on the canvas. They are also waterproof, which I initially thought the Copics were.

Anyway, once the stencils were traced, I colored between the lines to make the black parts of the butterflies. I then had the joy of coloring them. I used the Designer Dries Clear Fabric Glue (canvas is fabric, after all) and the Ultrafine Metal Tip for the glue. I worked outside in extreme heat, which, while I don't recommend it, did help the glue dry quickly between layers. I also rotated the butterflies as I worked on them, doing all the inside colors, then the second color, etcetera, until all the butterflies were done. I used Ultrafine, Microfine (in transparent and opaque), and chunky in these butterflies, as I liked all the contrasts. I also used Hologram Glitter in each butterfly to up the glitter impact.

When I was finished glittering all of the butterflies, I let them dry (which, as I mentioned before, did not take long due to the extreme heat). I then preheated my oven to 300 degrees, and when it beeped, I turned it off and inserted the butterflies on a foiled cookie sheet. I let them "bake" for 30 minutes to set the glitter. It was perfectly fine, and did not even effect the adhesive on the back of the canvas. Once I removed the butterflies and let them cool, I arranged them on the straw bag. When they were just right, I peeled off the backing, and pressed them firmly where they belonged. Then, the hardest part--I used heavy duty black thread and a curved upholstery needle to tack them all to the straw backing. I made this decision because I know that the Sticky Backed Canvas was not intended for use on straw, but it did seen to stick very well.

When the stitching was done, I used my Faber Castell Pitt Pen to color in the lighter areas of black. After that, I had a cute little beach bag like the one stuck in my memory, but updated, fun and glittery. I won't be taking it to the beach any time soon, but there is a stamp show in August..........

SUPPLIES:
a small straw tote bag
Claudine Hellmuth White Sticky Backed canvas
Copic Multiliner (or Faber Castel Pitt) in black
Fabric Dries Clear Adhesive with ultrafine metal tip
Uphostery Needles
Heavy Duty Thread