Tuesday, June 1, 2010

doggie bag


Last week was my favorite nephew's 1st birthday. Kona is the silliest labradoodle ever with the sweetest personality. His favorite activities include cuddling, licking everything that comes near his mouth, and playing ALL the time! Being the spoiled pup that he is, I didn't want to buy him another toy or anymore snacks, so I decided to make a bag to tote around all his stuff. I found this great project on my idol martha's website.


This is a very simple project to do, and makes a lovely gift. I made mine a bit differently than how martha suggests, but either technique will work.

Supplies you will need:
  • canvas tote bag
  • fabric of your choice (size determined by size of desired image)
  • double sided interfacing/ paperbacked adhesive such as pellon's "wonder under"
  • iron
  • scissors
  • profile photo of your pet

Since my photo of Kona was a digital image, I went ahead and adjusted the contrast levels and size directly on my computer before printing. It helps to also grayscale your image, making the silhouette more clearly defined. If you don't have a photo editing program, you can always print your image, and resize and darken it on a copy machine. The size of the image is your choice. Take the paperbacked adhesive and iron it on to the back of your fabric, making sure to iron on the correct side (the fabric store will usually give you instructions along with your interfacing). Once the interfacing is completely adhered to your fabric you can tape or glue your printed image to the back. (Note: your final image will be the reverse of your original, so plan accordingly). Now just let your scissors do the work and cut away! After the silhouette is all cut out you can peel the paper backing of the adhesive and iron on the image to the to canvas bag. And... tadaa! You have a lovely, personalized tote bag.

Get creative and embellish. I added a bow to this tote, but you can use all sorts of ribbons and notions to make your bag unique. I hope you give it a try. No sewing required, I promise!

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