PINK ABSTRACT PAINTING

Over the past few years I’ve noticed the increasing popularity of pink in Scandinavian interior design.  Now, almost everything comes in pink, from couches and cushions to coat hooks and teacups.  Although I’m not a big fan of pink, the pastels of contemporary Scandinavian design work well with the copper and grey tones that I do love.  Investing a large sum of money in a pink couch, which might look dated in a few years, was not the way I wanted to go.  Instead, I opted to add a pink accent to my office with a simple abstract painting.  It’s easy to paint: all you need is a can of spray paint, some pretty acrylic colors, and a few extras you probably have lying around your house.  Below are a few inspirational images pulled from the web.

Clockwise from top: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Materials:

Canvas (I used a scrap piece of plywood and drilled a hole in the back to hang)

White acrylic paint

Grey acrylic paint

Pink acrylic paint

Copper spray paint

Ruler

Pencil

Painter’s tape

Paint brushes/rollers

Scrap paper

Method:

1]  Cover your work surface with paper.

2]  Paint a base coat of white onto the canvas/wood (optional).

3]  Draw a few straight lines across the canvas in any pattern you like. 

4]  Tape the edge of the area you wish to paint. 

5]  Paint area and remove tape once paint has dried.

*  When using spray paint, make sure only the area you want painted is exposed.  Cover everything else with scrap paper. 

6]  Repeat last two steps until you are happy with the results. 

7]  Hang (and admire) your work!  

Please feel free to leave any questions/comments below.  If you enjoyed this tutorial please share the love by liking The Felted Fox on Facebook or follow The Felted Fox on Bloglovin to receive free tutorials and patterns to your inbox.

Have a great weekend!  Nicole. 

AFRICAN PRINT SWEATSHIRT DIY

Happy 2015 everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.  The hubster and I spent Christmas hiking in Joshua Tree, then headed to an Indian restaurant for dinner.  Extremely untraditional, but we had so much fun.  In keeping with that playful spirit, I wanted to add something bright and cheerful to my winter wardrobe.  Browsing through Pinterest, the photo below caught my eye.  I loved how colorful these African print sweatshirts were and simply had to have one. I already owned a plain grey sweatshirt and still had a stash of African print fabrics I collected in South Africa.  Making it was a cinch!

Supplies:

Sweatshirt

African wax print fabric

Matching thread

Tissue /tracing paper

Tailors chalk

Scissors

Pins

Sewing machine

Method:

1]  Lay your sweatshirt on a flat surface and trace the seam line of the front panel. Make sure to stretch the waistband, until the fabric lays flat, when tracing the sides and bottom.

2]  Add ½” seam allowance to the template and cut.

3]  Cut the print fabric according to the template.

4]  Fold the raw edge of the African print ½” towards the wrong side of the fabric and iron flat.  It helps to notch the neckline in a few places when molding the curve.

5]  Pin the African print fabric along the seam line of the sweatshirt and sew.

And that’s it!  A super easy sweatshirt DIY to kick-off the New Year. 

Looking to do some more sewing?  Stay tuned.  I will release my doll sewing patterns soon.  The first one I’ve been working on is the “Queen of Pop” herself, Madonna.  With her big hair bow, large cross necklace and tulle skirt she’s rocking that 80’s “Like a virgin” look.  You can find more images over at my Etsy store.  My patterns will have to be tested before going online, so if there are any fellow bloggers who would like to be involved, please send me an email.  I’d love to hear from you.

Happy sewing, Nicole.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

BLACK FAUX LEATHER CLUTCH DIY

Are you still looking for that perfect handmade gift?  With Christmas right around the corner, you need a DIY that’s fast and easy but still looks fabulous.  This black faux leather clutch fits the bill.   It costs less than $5 to make and can be sewn in under an hour – the perfect afternoon sewing project!  I’ve even added a cutout to the clutch to display your favorite fabric.  I used some fabric left over from my up-cycled backpack project to make my clutch a one of a kind gift.

Materials:

12 1/4" x 24 1/4"  Black costume pleather

12 1/4" x 24 1/4" Black felt

Contrasting fabric for cutout

Velcro

Fusible webbing

Cardboard / thin plastic folder

Black thread

Scissors

Sewing machine

Method:

1]  Cut 1 piece of costume pleather and 1 piece of black felt according to the measurements below.

2]  Lay the felt on top of the pleather (wrong sides together), and fold it to form the clutch.  Use chalk to mark points where Velcro will be attached. 

3]  Separate felt and faux leather and sew Velcro to these points.

4]  Cut a triangular opening in the faux leather flap of the clutch, leaving a ½” edge on all sides. 

5]  Cut a piece of contrasting fabric and fusible webbing to the size of the flap of the clutch.

6]  Sandwich the fusible webbing between the wrong side of the contrasting fabric and the wrong side of the felt. Fuse fabrics according to manufacturer’s instructions.

7]  Line up the faux leather and felt and sew around the cutout.

8]  Cut a piece of cardboard/plastic 11” x 8”.

9]  Insert the cardboard/plastic between the faux leather and felt, positioning it in the front of the clutch. 

10]  Sew the front top edge of the clutch.

11]  Fold fabric to form the clutch.

12]  Sew side seams and you’re done! 

Take it out for a spin at your next Holiday party or gift it to someone special.  Please feel free to leave any questions/comments below.  If you enjoyed this tutorial please share the love by liking The Felted Fox on Facebook. Also, don’t forget to follow The Felted Fox on Bloglovin to receive free tutorials and patterns to your inbox.

Happy sewing!  Nicole.