Mermaid Messenger Bag with Glitter Fabric Paints

Hello friends! Harshada here on the blog today with an altered bag project using the fabulous Little Birdie Glitter Fabric Paints!

So lets get started…

For this project, I chose an old jute messenger bag which was lying in my cupboard for many years.

As jute has a rough texture, it is difficult to paint a fine design on it, so I decided to paint my design on another fabric and then adhere it on to the jute bag. For this, I used a thin canvas cloth from my stash. I have used two pieces of canvas here, one for stenciling and other for painting my mermaid design.

The first step is to measure the off-white colored flap of the bag and cut a piece from thin canvas cloth according to its shape.

 I didn’t cut the canvas with the exact measurements, rather, I left 1 inch space from all the sides.

Note: Always wash and iron the fabric which you are planning to use in your art projects. Washing helps remove the starch and dust off your fabric, making them perfect for painting or sticking.

Next, I drew a mermaid on another small piece of canvas.

I then painted the mermaid with Little Birdie Chalk paints – Teal Tango, Tuscan Teal, Kiwi Mojito, Salsa Red, Chocolate Truffle, Passionate Plum and Butternut squash.

After coloring the entire mermaid, I decided to give it a coat of Glitter Fabric Paints.

For the tail, I have used Teal Glint, Sparkle Pool and Pine Sparkle. For highlighting other portions I have used Ginger Sparkle. I have used a round synthetic brush for the application of these paints.

Little Birdie Glitter Fabric Paints are super glittery, easy to apply and dries really quick!

After drying, I drew an outline with black acrylic colour and stuck twisted jute twine for outlining mermaid’s hair. (I have skipped painting the facial features of the mermaid on purpose)

Just one coat of the Glitter Fabric Paint makes the fabric super glittery!

The next step is to cut the mermaid properly and adhere it on to the bag. For this purpose, I have used Fabric Deco Magic Glue.

I then coloured the base of the bag with Chocolate Truffle Chalk paint to show the ocean bed. As the  colour of the bag was dark blue, I din’t feel like coloring it further. Instead, I used Sparkle Pool Glitter Fabric Paint and dry brush it to add interest.

I took the second piece of canvas, that was cut according to the shape of the flap and did stenciling on it using Chevron stencil. Here, I have used Teal Glint Glitter Fabric Paint and Tuscan Teal chalk paint for stenciling. It gave a nice uneven, dark-light, matte and glittery effect that I desired on my bag.

Note: Always keep a paper beneath your fabric for clean painting.

The next step was to adhere this stenciled fabric on to the flap. For this, I used Fabric Deco Magic Glue.

Note: Working on jute is little tricky, therefore, after adhering the fabric to the jute bag, keep heavy books or any heavy object on the freshly adhered fabric. It helps in quick adhesion.

When everything dried, I decided to stitch a burlap lace at the bottom of the flap to make the bag look more interesting. I also stitched two flower-shaped buttons to hide the edges of the jute lace.

For the sides of the flap, I painted stitch-like lines using black acrylic color to give a faux stitch effect.

I also stuck a handmade flower in the center, brushed little Sparkle Pool Glitter Fabric Paint on it.

I have stuck Winter Berry chipboard using silicon glue on the sides, to give a sea weed kind of effect.

I dyed the handle using Little Birdie chalk paints- Teal Tango and Chocolate Truffle.

I used the leftover strands of the canvas to make a tassel, stuck Little Birdie handmade flowers on it and brushed little Teal Glint Glitter Fabric Paint over it.

The Glitter Fabric Paint makes your fabric projects look so stunning, that you won’t feel like adding any other embellishments to it.

POST PAINTING CARE:

  1. Though it dries quickly, let it rest for one day at least before washing.
  2. Hand wash gently.
  3. In case you feel, you want to iron the fabric, always iron it on the reverse side of the painting.

I hope you like my altered bag using the amazing Glitter Fabric paints. Don’t forget to participate in this month’s Blog Challenge using these gorgeous paints and share your creations with us.

Happy Crafting!!

List of products used:

Little Birdie Glitter Fabric Paint – Ginger Sparkle 50ml, 1pc

Little Birdie Glitter Fabric Paint – Sparkle Pool 50ml, 1pc

Little Birdie Glitter Fabric Paint – Pine Sparkle 50ml, 1pc

Little Birdie Glitter Fabric Paint – Teal Glint 50ml, 1pc

Little Birdie Home Decor Chalk Paint 50ml – Teal Tango

Little Birdie Home Decor Chalk Paint 120ml – Tuscan Teal

Little Birdie Home Decor Chalk Paint 50ml – Kiwi Mojito

Little Birdie Home Decor Chalk Paint 120ml – Salsa Red

Little Birdie Home Decor Chalk Paint 50ml – Chocolate Truffle

Itsy Bitsy Fabric Deco Magic Glue – 100ml

Little Birdie Twisted Jute Twine Assorted, 8m

Little Birdie Stencil – Chevron, 7.3" X 9.7"

Little Birdie Burlap Trims Assorted, 4m – Natural

Little Birdie Primed Chipboard- Winter Berry, 2 Pc

Silicon Liquid Glue – 100ml

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *