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"LITTLE TREASURES"
PATTERN CORRECTION AND DIRECTIONS
Click
here to participate in Virginia Spiegel and Carol Fletcher's
Little Treasure Exchange/Fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer
Society
 The beautiful temples of Thailand inspired these little treasure chests.
In the midst of modern buildings or out in the countryside, it is not
uncommon to see the temples' glittering spires. They are intricately
carved and encrusted with gold leaf. Jewel-colored mosaics add sparkle
to many of the surfaces.
The design of this box is simple but pleasing and offers a great canvas
to use when trying new embellishment ideas. After making one, you will
find that it is difficult to stop. So pull out your sparkly fabric,
metallic paints, and Swarovski crystals and let the fun begin!
Directions
- Select 2 fabrics, 1 for the outside of your box and 1 for the
lining, and
cut an 8" x 8" square of each. You can use fabrics that you have
altered with paint or dye, or select commercial fabrics.
- Cut two 8" x 8" squares of fusible web and one 8" x 8" piece
of Pellon.
- Make a sandwich of the 5 pieces: first, put down
the lining fabric, wrong side up, then add a piece of fusible web,
then the Pellon,
another piece of
fusible web, and finally the fabric for the outside of your box, right-side
up.
- Place a piece of parchment paper or a Teflon sheet on your ironing
board to protect it from the fusible web, put the fabric sandwich
on top of it, and
place
another sheet of parchment on top of the sandwich to protect your iron. Following
the directions for the fusible web, iron your fabric sandwich until all layers
adhere. You will probably need to press one side and then flip the fabric sandwich
over and press the other side.
- Trace the pattern of the box onto the dull side of the freezer
paper and cut it out.
- Iron the freezer paper pattern (shiny side down) onto the fabric
sandwich and cut out your box. Cut carefully - this step will make
the difference between
an elegant piece of art and a misshapen little box. (I used an 18mm rotary
cutter to cut the sides of each slit and embroidery scissors to cut the ends
of the
slits.)
- Sew close to all of the raw edges, including the slits. (I found
that a straight stitch caused less fraying than a zigzag stitch.)
Put Fray Check on
the raw edges
of the "knobs" at the top of the box because they get a lot of use
and tend to fray.
- If desired, use a foam brush to paint the edges of the box with
fabric paint to cover any white from the Pellon or fusible web
that may show. Using a metallic
bronze, gold, or copper acrylic paint will give your box a "gilded" look.
- Embellish, as desired. Create designs and interest with piping,
bobbin work, Swarovski crystals, beads, braid, sequins, glitter
paint, and more. Remember
that whatever you sew on the front will show up on the lining.
- To construct the box, pull the 2 swirl-shaped petals together.
Holding them with one hand, bring one of the petals with a slit
up and over the top
of the
swirl petals. Last, bring the other slit petal up and over the other three
petals.
Tips
- To lessen thread breakage, squeeze one or two stripes of Sewers Aid
across your spool of thread. (Always check your sewing machine manual
before using any new
product.)
- If you buy fusible Pellon, then you only need to add the fusible web
to the side
without it.
- The freezer paper pattern can be used several times if you remove it
carefully
from the fabric after each use.
- When deciding where to apply crystals, take note of the areas of the
box that are covered when it is closed and do not put crystals in
these areas.
- If your treasure box needs more sparkle, paint it with Finishing Gold
or Silver glitter paint by Pebeo. Be sure to heat set the paints
you use following the
manufacturer's instructions.
- This would be an excellent opportunity to try out those fancy stitches
on your
machine.
Resources
BEADS AND CHARMS
www.artvango.co.uk
www.firemountaingems.com
800-355-2137
www.quiltingartsllc.com
866-698-6989
FABRIC PAINTS
www.prochemical.com
800-228-9393
www.MagicForFabric.com
360-352-0858
PELLON® STABILIZER
www.joggles.com
401-398-2657
SEWERS AID AND FRAY CHECK™
Available at Jo-Ann Fabrics and other sewing supply stores
BEJEWELER® HEAT-SETTING TOOL AND SWAROVSKI® CRYSTALS
Cheri's Crystals
www.cheriscrystals.com
940-497-6399
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