Begin by covering a 12" x 12" sheet of sticky-back canvas (5HSA24903) with swashes of Claudine Hellmuth Studio acrylic paint in contrasting colors. Once dry, cover with coats of slightly watered-down Gesso (5HSP24941) until the desired effect is achieved. Once dry, use thin, waterproof markers to hand-write a passage from a children's book (I chose a selection from Dr. Seuss' One Fish, Two Fish) onto the canvas, making a couple of passes on each of the letters to give a "messy" look. Allow the lettering to dry thoroughly and cover with a thin coat of diluted Gesso (5HSP24941). Allow to dry completely, and begin tracing the outlines of your embellishments onto the paper backing. To create these pouches, I used two 8" long strips of scalloped edging, a 3" scalloped square and one 4" x 8" mini pouch backing. Cut the embellishments from the sheet of canvas.
The large pouch was made by cutting two 8" x 14" rectangles (one for the face of the pouch and one for the lining). Peel the paper backing off of the scalloped edging and the scalloped square and adhere in place on the face of the pouch. Stitch the embellishments in place to secure, and sew the side seams, adding a gusset at the bottom corners. Repeat the process for the lining, leaving a small opening on one of the side seams to turn the pouch so that the right side is out once you're finished sewing it. Pin the lining inside of the pouch, right sides together, and add a small elastic loop on the backside of the pouch. Sew around the upper edge, and turn right-side out. Hand sew the opening in the lining closed and add a button on the front to create a closure.
To make the small pouch, peel the paper backing off of the small pouch template, and stick the canvas to the lining fabric. Trim off any excess, and fold the pouch to create a pocket. Stitch the sides of the pocket and around the top flap, adding a small elastic loop. Hand sew a button to the bottom of the pocket.
Try adding your initial or a favorite stamp to the scalloped square to make these pouches even more personalized!
