It's in the Bag!

Hi Everyone

It was great being up at the Hochanda studios again and to catch up with everyone there - they are such a lovely bunch! The DoodleArt stamps, Versafine Inkpad set and mini carrier bags seemed to be the most popular items so I thought I'd share the instructions for the Orient Elephant Stamped Bag I demonstrated on the first show. (If you missed the show but would like to catch up you can do that here.)

Materials needed:
Orient DoodleArt Stamp (45 110 83)
Mini Blue Versafine Inkpad (45 113 15)
Cotton Canvas Mini Bag (12 149 03)
Stamping Mat (45 109 99)
Acrylic Block (45 109 04)
Textile Markers (19 903 12)
Painters Masking Tape (local DIY Store)
Scrap paper
Stamp cleaner or Babywipes
Heat Embossing Tool and Iron for Heat Setting

(Efco product codes in brackets)

Step 1. Use a piece of masking tape to mark where you want the bottom edge of your design to be on your bag. Then place the stamping mat on your work surface with a piece of scrap paper on top and then your masked bag on top of that.

Step 2. Position the orient stamp on your acrylic block and ink it up with blue Versafine ink.

Step 3. Position the stamp face down at the left edge of your bag just above the masking tape, making sure the design reaches the just over the edge without losing any of the elephant. Apply pressure to the back of the acrylic block making sure you pay particular attention to the seam edge of the bag.

Step 4. Slide the bag by pulling on the sheet of paper so that the bag seam is off the stamping mat. Make sure the bag seam butts up tightly with the edge of the stamping mat without actually being on top of it. Then press hard on the whole of the stamp to transfer the ink to the bag.

Step 5. Remove the stamp and you should find the entire image has transferred to the bag.

Step 6. Re-ink the stamp without worrying about cleaning it. Carefully stamp it down lining it up with the edge of the first image and the top of the masking tape. Being clear you should be able to see the first image through the block and stamp as you get close to the bag. 

Step 7. Re-ink the stamp one last time and stamp it next to the second image, again following the top edge of the masking tape. Apply pressure to the stamp paying particular attention to the seam edge of the bag.

Step 8. Once again use the paper to slide the bag off the edge of the stamping mat so that the seam butts up against it. Then apply pressure all over the stamp to transfer the ink.

Step 9. Remove the masking tape and clean your stamp. Heat set the ink with your heat embossing tool before colouring it in with textile markers. 

Step 10. When you have coloured in as much or as little as you want heat set the design with a cool iron for 5 minutes. (nb. Cover with an old cloth with ironing.)

Once heat set, the bag can be washed occasionally. If you want to be able to wash it regularly then you will need to use a fabric ink pad which is deliberately designed to be washable rather than the Versafine one used here. Versafine ink pads are oil based inks which have been designed to get the best images when using detailed stamps. They are also good for your stamps unlike alcohol based ones. The Efco textile markers are permanent and can be washed at 40º once they have been heat set as per the manufacturer's instructions.

Happy Crafting!