Personalizing a tote bag with Mont Marte Fabric Paint by Claire Haillot April 3, 2020 written by Claire Haillot April 3, 2020 1K I hope you enjoyed these blog posts all week as I’ve been showing you how to personalize your tote bags with Mont Marte fabric paints. For the last post of the week, I want to show you a unique way to dress up a tote bag: by drawing on a solid colored fabric and adding it as a pocket to your Fabric Creations muslin tote bag. One last project featuring Mont Marte Fabric Paint Step 1 – Preparing the paint for your personalized tote bag I picked a yellow-orange solid fabric and cut a rectangle 10” x 20” as I’ll be folding the fabric to make the side pocket of a tote bag. I ironed the fabric to be able to see the middle crease and know where to stop painting. Once done, I was able to secure the fabric onto my table to ensure that it wouldn’t move when painting. And, of course, I used a light white pencil to sketch the design I wanted. Preparations for fabric painting with Mont Marte Fabric Paints Step 2 – Painting on fabric Before the world came to a complete stop, I went to Mexico for a week and fell in love with Mexican style folk art. Now that I am safely back home I wanted to recreate the style to bring some warmth and joy in this ever-changing world. I started by painting the background of my design in solid red, followed by the blue and then the black. Once the paint was all dry, I used the various Mont Marte brushes to create movement with the various shades of blue and pink I was able to make by adding some white and black in the mix on the Mont Marte round plastic palette. Fabric painting the red background Fabric painting the blue background Fabric painting the black background and adding texture It was very relaxing to mix the colors and play with them on the fabric. The brushes were very comfortable to use and the Mont Marte detailer brushes were very useful for the black outlining. And there was no stress about making a mess since it’s really easy to clean your hands and surface with soap and water. Once the painting was finished, I heat set with my Oliso Pro TG1600 Smart Iron and also the dryer as mentioned in Monday’s post. Finished design for personalized pocket of tote bag Step 3 – Preparing the pocket Folding the pocket with my drawing facing the inside, I stitched the sides of the pocket at ¼” seam. Then I turned the pocket right side out and iron pressed the sides for a nice finish. On the backside of the pocket I drew a vertical line, with my water soluble pencil, showing the middle. Fold pocket and stitch two sides Step 4 – Sewing the tote bag For this project, I decided that I would cut 3 rectangles 4” x 42” to make the straps. But I would set them up differently. I stitched the three rectangles together end to end just like when I prepare my binding. Then I ironed and folded as explained in yesterday’s post but I stitched the ends together so I would have a loop before stitching the straps. And I used a yellow-orange thread to match the background color of the pocket. Stitching the straps together After stitching the edges of the tote bag as I showed in yesterday’s post. I drew a line 13½” below the edge of the tote bag and drew a line showing the center of the bag. I then aligned the pocket under the 13½” line and aligning the center lines on the bag and the pocket to ensure that the pocket would be well centered on the tote bag. After pinning pocket into place, I stitched the bottom of the pocket and used a zigzag stitch for added security. Once done, I folded the pocket upward. Stitching the pocket onto the tote bag Now for the fun part! Fold the strap in half and then fold it once more in half-pressing the second fold with an iron. These two folds should then be placed in the middle fold of your tote bag. Pin them in place. This will ensure you have an equal amount of straps on either side. Pin the straps onto the tote bag ensuring that it aligns on top of your pocket. Stitch in place. Once your straps are positioned, you can finish the tote bag just like I showed you in yesterday’s post. Fold the straps in 4 for a quick measure Place the straps on the tote bag Personalized tote bag with Mont Marte Fabric Paint I hope you like how you can personalize your tote bag and wish that you enjoy making your very own using Mont Marte Fabric Paint. Do show me what you’ve made in the comments below! Creating through painting and sewing is a great way to relieve stress and have fun with your kids. Hoping you get to enjoy this time and find some peace of mind. This is part 5 of 5 in this series. Go back to part 4: Sewing a tote bag in minutes Print this page or save as a PDF 0qs305bags and accessoriesfree patternsMont Marte Fabric Paint SticksMont Marte Fabric Paintsnotionstutorials FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinRedditWhatsappTelegramEmail Claire Haillot Claire Haillot shares her passion for quilting among her neighbors in the United States and Canada as well as her cousins in France. Claire has been active in the quilting industry since 2004. At first, she opened a quilt shop and started to teach, write how-to guides, and translate patterns and product information into French for American companies. In 2006, she started her own line of patterns and later began publishing patterns and articles in Canadian, European, and American magazines. You might have seen some of her work in Quilter’s World, Pratique du Patchwork or Canadian Quilter. She decided to close her brick & mortar quilt shop in 2016 to be able to concentrate more on teaching, writing, and creating. She collaborated with PlumEasy patterns to launch the Dancing Diamonds and Gem bag patterns. Claire has also won a few awards for her work: • Juror’s choice in Salon 2012 • Second Place in Vermont Quilt Festival of 2014 and 2016 • Second Place in Salon 2016 • Best of show at the Quilt Festival in Chicago and Houston 2018. previous post Sewing a tote bag in minutes next post This modern baby quilt steals the show! YOU MAY ALSO LIKE... Quilting tools to help with everyday needs OLFA rotary cutter and rulers for quilters on... What’s in your Hemline Gold Multi-Use Craft Bag? Make a strap adjustable with a slide buckle The easiest way to add a magnetic closure... 12 easy steps to sew a zippered pocket... 2 ways to make fabric waterproof with Odif... 6 easy steps to making a strong strap... Use Odif Odicoat to waterproof your quilted project... Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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