Golden Sunbird Applique Bag Project

Here it is at last - the template pieces plus a photograph of what it looks like ironed on.  The pieces are the exact size I used, and here it how I combined them to make a pleasing image.  To get this far you need to do the following:

I)  Copy and print out the template shapes, and then cut them out.  As this is green crafting I often use any old sheet of A4 paper with one blank side as hey, they are only templates.  If you plan on using them for something else using a sheet of thin card might be a better option however.

II)  Buy some Bondaweb.  They do this in two weights and I try to get the heavier of the two for any projects that are going to see plenty of wear and washing.  On the tracing paper draw around the templates the correct number of times and roughly cut around them.  Note that they are the wrong way round when comparing them to the picture.  This is the way they have to be to look this way.

III)  The first fun part - choosing your fabric.  My color scheme is white and gold and I have chosen one plain white ( the same fabric as the bag which is white linen), one plain gold (lame) and one patterned gold and white brocade.  All these are leftovers from other projects which is much more fun than tossing them into the recycling box.  Place the cutouts rough side down onto the wrong side of the fabric, lay on a cotton pressing cloth and turn your iron up to cotton setting - don't put any water in or select steam.  Iron on.

IV)  Cut them out along the pencil lines - the sort of task I do while watching TV unless it is something really riveting.

V)  You now need a bag front to put them on.  Maybe you already have a pattern or maybe you are going to wait until my own pattern has been bench tested this end and put up.  You don't even need to make a bag of course.  Why not a cushion cover or bustier?  Whatever you have lay the pieces in a pleasing arrangement and lay on that cotton pressing cloth once more and heat set with your dry iron still on cotton setting.  The picture below is a half scale of a possible arrangement (ie the one I have used).

That is it for now - back soon with the next installment.  Coming soon to this blog too is POND DIARY which perhaps speaks for itself, a account of how to put a wildlife pond in your garden.  And of course some more projects that show the greener side of crafting.