Making Purses With Painted Fabric

If you haven't yet seen or owned a purse made with painted fabric you don't know what you're missing. Oh my goodness- unique is hardly an adequate word to describe one of these beauties. These purses just out-right melt your heart and tantalize every fashion taste bud you have in your body- even the sleeping ones. Imagine painting fabrics for your purses with a little bit of pre-mixed clothes paint.

Making great purses is not a difficult task to say the least and using painted fabrics for making purses is super quick and also very easy. Now while it's not necessary to know how to paint to make these amazing purses, you can choose to purchase the ready-painted fabric or custom order the fabrics for your special purse project. Another option is to simply take a little time to develop this awesome skill to creative wonderful fabrics for yourself.

Although quite simple, before you can create these amazing purses there are a few little thing you need to take care of. These things are quite easy really.... it's as simple as walking and chewing gum.

The first thing you must do before you start painting the fabric for your purse is to do a test swatch. See how the paint reacts to the fabric; if you like the effect continue, if not find another type fabric. If it is a cut piece of fabric you're painting it really doesn't matter if it shrinks a bit because it has not yet been sewn. If you were applying paint on clothes then you would have to wash it to remove the sizing and possible chemicals. However in this case simply cut the fabric a smidgeon larger to accommodate the shrinkage.

Once you have your fabric ready, your next step is to gather all the items your project will require like brushes, fabrics, fabric paint etc.

Designing Your Fabric for Purses

There are several varieties of clothes paints available that can produce excellent results on fabrics. There are ones with a solid matte finish, neon and glow in the dark, metallic, pearlescent and puff paints that will add zip to your designs. Once you have decided on your fabric design and you have all the essentials, then it's time your artistry.

Whether you're painting freehand or using stencils or even tracing a pattern the outcome can still be one of beauty as what you are going for is impact, the wow factor to detailed realism. So let your colors and texture bring the bang. For a finished and professional presentation, always paint your fabric prior to assembling your purse.

Working on Your Purse

In order to not become frustrated with your project there are a few things you should consider when embarking on this creative journey:

The design & size of your purse
Your sewing abilities
The purse's function and purpose
The material & hardware
The time you wish to spend on the project

Ensure that you have everything you need to complete your project right at hand. This will avoid you running around like a chicken and becoming frustrated. Eliminate this possibility from the onset and you will enjoy the process a whole lot more.

Teri M. Bethel specializes in creating painted fabrics for designers as well as teaching do-it-yourselfers how to paint fabrics with texture. She is the designer of Teri Monique Handbags, a line of custom made art purses for ladies.

Visit us at: http://www.paintwithtexture.com/paintings-on-fabric-making-a-purse/