Hello my crafty friends. I hope you all are having a great crafty time because festive season has already began and we all very excited. At this time of the year we all think of gifts and there is nothing precious than handmade gifts. So keeping this thought in mind I have designed my second project of Guest DT for this month. Here I want to thank Connect4Sale for giving me this opportunity of Guest DT. Today I am sharing a beautiful project – Image Transfer on Fabric Tote Bag. Sounds interesting ! Isn’t it? So without further delay let’s start the project.

I have step wise picture tutorial to follow…I have this off white plain tote bag, measuring 13 x 12 inches, which I have received in my Guest DT kit. Connect4Sale has introduced tote bags in different size to suits all our needs. So check their website for complete range of products. On this bag I decided to use image transfer technique. Since the colour of the bag is off white so I did not feel any need of applying any base coat. We always achieve best results of image transfer on light background.

For this project I have used a very excellent product Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium. This medium can be used on any surface for image transfer but it works best on fabric. Fabric can be hand washed with mild detergent, if you have used this medium. Curing time for this medium is 72 hrs. which means that you can wash your bag after 3 days or so.

Before starting your work always keep a plastic sheet inside the back so that glue or color should not seep through the front side of the bag. I have used laser printout on this project. You can use Image Transfer Sheets which are available at Connect4Sale. If you are using laser printout then take printout on normal paper. No special paper is required. If your image has some text on it, use mirror image. Do fussy cutting of the image, like I have done.

Now apply a generous coat of medium on printed side, not on the plain side. Make sure that the whole image is properly covered with mod podge.

Now slowly lift your image and adhere it on fabric, face down. Slowly press the image from inward to outward direction. Make sure that there would be no air bubble. Now leave it to dry and wait for at least 24 hrs or so.

Here patience is the key. Now wet your fingers with water and start removing the layers of paper from image, till the time the final image gets visible. Start with one corner and rotate your wet fingers in circular motion. If at any point of time you feel that paper has become wet, then leave it to dry for some time and start again. When you are satisfied with transferred image, clean it with damp cloth. Here no need to seal the image, no varnish is required. After image transfer, my bag looks like this. This the magic of this medium that we get so much clarity in transferred image and it looks like a painting. Isn’t it amazing.

Here I have decided to do some stencilling and stamping. For stenciling I have used chalk paints, CrafTreat stencils and stencil brush. Use dry stencil brush and load very small amount of chalk paint in brush. Just dab the color on stencil. This way you always get crisp impression. First I have created some light background and on top of that used red color chalk paint to enhance the beauty of the bag. After the stenciling is done, I have done some stamping using script stamp and Rangers Black Archival Ink Pad. In the end I decided to use a pretty lace so I dabbed some red and green color chalk paint on white lace and let it dry. Then I have used fabric glue to paste the lace. A beautiful bag is ready to flaunt.

All the craft supplies used in this tutorial, are available on Connect4Sale. So make your own customized gifts for your loved ones and spread happiness with handmade gifts. I hope you will enjoy this tutorial and feel inspired. Do not forget to share your beautiful creations with all of us.
Vidhu Thareja.

About The Artist

Vidhu Thareja is a crafter from Noida, born and brought up in Delh. She had completed her studies from Delhi. She began her career as a freelance translator and worked with many reputed publications. She has also worked in the Insurance Sector for many years.

Due to personal reasons she had to give up her job, which actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The turning poing came when she got the golden opportunity to work with Madura Coats Pvt. Ltd. as a Craft Consultant for their Anchor Thread Craft activities in reputed schools of Delhi/ NCR Region. Although it was not a very high paying job it gave her all the confidence and a feeling of fulfillment, which made her realize the crafter hidden in her.

Since her childhood she was very much interested in crafts. Growing up, there was not that much exposure to tv or computer and she used to do embroidery in her free time or during vacations. Her biggest inspiration was her mother who is her motivating force. At the time of conducting Anchor thread craft workshops, she started doing DIY activities and decided to learn more.

From then there was no looking back and today she is doing what she loves to do. Although every new technique and art form attracts her but Decoupage and Sospeso are the two crafts, that she enjoys the most. She never lost a chance to learn anything new because she believes that learning never stops.

She follows her fellow crafters because she feels every person teaches you something. To all upcoming crafters she has this to say “That whatever you do, do it with love and passion, follow others but make your own style statement. Be confident but never be over-confident. Share your knowledge, that is what makes you grow”.

You can follow Vidhu Thareja on her Facebook and Instagram on the below mentioned links…

Vidhu’s Crafts – Making Crafts From Heart

https://www.instagram.com/vidhus_craft_handmade/