Coiled Fabric Bowl

What to do with scrap fabric strips? Make a bowl/basket of course!

I found instructions online and decided to try to make one. The directions called for 5mm cotton rope and, luckily, I found some in our garage. I'm not sure if it was 5mm but it was about 1/4" and worked fine.  The main thing is it needs to be soft enough to stitch through a sewing machine. Then I tore scrap fabrics into strips, approximately 3/4" to 1" wide but I didn't measure anything and they were all random widths.

You need a sewing machine for this - I used a regular needle, regular thread and a medium size zigzag stitch.  Basically you wrap the fabric strips around the rope to cover it and form into a small coil to start. Zigzag stitch over where the coils meet, continuing in a circle until the "base" is the size you desire. Then you start lifting the "bowl" as you stitch to form the sides.

This is an easy project. I was happy to have all the supplies I needed without having to shop! If you miss stitching any areas you can just go back in and stitch them. I didn't even backstitch until the very end!  

My bowl ended up being about 7" diameter and 3" high. But it could be any size depending on the length of the rope and how much fabric you have. This can even be adapted to make round coasters. I will probably use this for paper scraps on my art table when I'm fussy-cutting.

Making Background Collage Pages While Using Up Scraps

Scraps - if you use any paper in your crafting you know how many scraps you can accumulate! Here's an idea to use up all those bits.  I collaged them on 8.5" x 11" pieces of card stock (use colors you don't want as they are completely covered). I then scanned them so I can use them over and over as backgrounds, for journals, for cards, etc. They can be used in either portrait or landscape mode and can be cut up into smaller pieces. Feel free to copy these if you would like them.

Playing with scraps

Remember that "scrap roll" I made a few posts ago? I cut it up into the following: three large tags,

four journal cards, three large single pages for a journal, and a fold-over page for a journal which I will stitch into a pocket.

This is one of the journal cards that I collaged and embellished. The finished piece doesn't look anything like the original!

Art Journal

I think life has finally slowed down a bit. I've caught up on all the boys' scrapbook layouts and finished the Hong Kong mini-album. So I spent some time these past few days getting back into my art journal - it's been months since I've done any art journaling!

I finished two pages. The first one had been started a long time ago with leftover paint added to the background and then a Jane Davenport napkin (the face) glued on. I finished it by painting in the face and adding washi tape and flowers cut from a magazine at the bottom.

The second I started anew. I had seen a You Tube video (from Let's Get Inkie) using scraps and leaving lots of white space - something I strive to do but usually get carried away with lots of mediums and colors building up on the background. This is very simple but I like it a lot, especially since I used many of my blue scraps of gelli-printed papers and painty paper towels. I like the quote too and need to keep that in mind!

Calling all Art Journalers!

There are still openings in this month's Art Journaling Workshop at The Little Blue House next Tuesday. Hope to see you there!

Art Journaling Workshop
Tuesday August 26th 

We still have space in our Art Journaling Workshop this Tuesday!!! 

This month in Art Journaling we are playing with Scraps! We have some fun techniques to share with you on how to create art masterpieces with just Scraps of Paper! 

Call (817-431-7930) or come by (118 W. Olive, Keller, TX) to sign Up for our Art Journaling Workshop $25.00

10am-1pm or 6pm-9pm

Get the What to Bring List on the Art Journaling Tab on the LBH blog here. 

Using up Scraps

Warning: Lots of photos!

This is a little scrapbook (literally, as I made it with all the scraps left over from one of the Front Porch Kits!).  The prototype for this was a Scrapstasher's project at the Little Blue House a few months ago.  The book is 6"x6" and the basic structure uses a 6"x12" piece of cardstock for each page.  In this book I used 6 pages and a front and back 6" square cover.

All pages were folded in half to make fold-out pages. Then I cut a 1" x 6" strip off three pages to leave room for the binding.  The uncut edge will be on the binding side.  For the remaining three pages I made a one-inch cut along the fold and then cut an inch strip from that point to one short edge of the cardstock.  These pages either flip up or down, depending whether you place the fold at the top of the book or the bottom.  (This will be clearer when you see the photos below.)

For the cover, I cut several 2" x 4" rectangles of coordinating patterned papers and then cut each piece diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner.  This results in long triangles.  These are then arranged around the center point of a 6" square base.  Line up the four triangles on the corners and then fill in with other triangles, overlapping slightly as necessary.  Adhere everything down and cut off the excess papers.  You don't have to worry about how the center looks with all those points coming together as it will be covered with a cardstock circle (I used a 3" one) along with pretty buttons.

Finished cover

Inside front cover and first page, closed

First page - flips out to right

Back of first page and second page, closed

Second page - flips up

Back of second page and third page, closed

Third page flips out to right

Back of third page and fourth page, closed

Fourth page - flips down

Back of fourth page and fifth page, closed

Fifth page flips out to right

Back of fifth page and sixth page, closed

Sixth page - flips up

Back of sixth page and inside back cover

Back cover

This is a great project to use up scraps, especially if you use leftovers from a specific project or a kit as they will all coordinate.  Here is the small pile of scraps from the Front Porch Kit that I had left after making this book.  The largest pieces are the floral print and the yellow print on the left! All the rest will be going into the wastebasket!

This is a fun little minibook and can hold alot of photos - mine will hold 25!  They make nice, quick gifts especially for people who don't make paper crafts or don't have time.  It will be going to one of my daughters to fill with special memories.