alisaburke: creating with jules

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

creating with jules: paper mache trinket box

Paper mache is wonderful as it’s super cheap to make any sort of shape, limited only by your imagination! I wanted to make a small trinket box.

You will need:

-foam core board

-thick card (that can still bend easily)

-newspaper

-blank newsprint or butchers paper

-masking tape

-PVA glue

-craft glue

-air dry clay

-gesso

-acrylic paints

-gold acrylic paint (optional)

-gloss varnish

I started by finding a small bowl to use as a template for the lid and base of the box. trace around and cut 2 from foam core board.

I then cut from thick card a length 2” wide, and a small strip 3/8” wide. Make sure these are long enough to fit 1/4” inside the circumference of your base and lid. Tape the wider one into a circle, then tape this circle to the base using masking tape. Do the same with the 3/8” piece, keeping in mind that it needs to sit in a smaller circumference than the base walls, also taking into account a bit of padding from the paper mache layers. My inner rim sits about 1/2” in from the lid.

Using newspaper strips and a mix of PVA glue watered down slightly with water (approx 1:1) cover all over the base and lid, making sure you overlap the paper strips as you go. I then do another layer in plain newsprint so I can see where I’ve already covered. Let dry.

Using air dry clay, roll out a small slab to a little under 1/4” thick. Cut a leaf shape out with a blade, and smooth the edges using a bit of water and your finger or a clay tool.

Roll three small balls of equal size for the feet and gently press down with something flat to make the balls slightly flat on the top and bottom. Let dry.

Once the clay pieces are dry, use clear craft glue to glue the feet onto the base, and the leaf shape to the lid. Allow to dry.

Gesso the whole box and lid, inside and out, including the feet and handle.

Now it’s time to paint! I chose to draw some simple leaf shapes, then painted around them and added wiggles, stripes and dots. You can copy my designs or come up with your own! Adding gold paint around the rim is a fun touch too.

After decorating, I used water based gloss varnish everywhere except inside the box, and the inner rim of the lid, as my varnish can get a bit tacky when varnished pieces touch, as I discovered in my sketch book!

Now you have a gorgeous box to stash some special treasures!

Jules :)

You can find more of Jules here:

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

creating with jules- textured pillow

I’ve been noticing these woven textured cushions popping up in my Pinterest feed and thought about replicating the look and feel of them, but without creating woven fabric from scratch! (Or spending lots of money on designer cushions!) This cushion cover is quick to make so can be made in an afternoon, in any color-way of your choosing.

You’ll need:

Cushion fabric, two pieces 13 x 20 1/2”

Calico fabric, two pieces 13 x 20 1/2”

Stuffing

Various yarns and threads

Wool needle with sharp end

Scrap woven fabric, if desired

I found an off cut of some woven fabric in the upholstery section of a fabric store. The visible weave gives it more of a look that the whole cushion has been woven.

I used yarn and threads that were already in my stash, and starting playing around with color and placement. I’ve given a sampler of ideas, so get creative and play around.

I used hand sewing to place all the embellishments on my cushion.

Ideas:

1. Sew down some short lengths of yarn
2. Pom poms
3. Stitching down lengths of thick yarn
4. Stitching down lengths of yarn in a zig zag pattern
5. Loops or tassels
6. Sewing woven fabric on and fraying the edges
7. Stitching clusters of thread
8. Sewing down thick yarn letting loops protrude every so often
9. Knots of thread
10. Sew down cord, plaits, or other fancy trimmings
11. Straight spaced stitches

Pom poms make a great addition. You make a pom pom by wrapping yarn around a few of your fingers multiple times, and then tying around the middle with a short length of yarn. Don’t wrap around your fingers too tightly or you won’t fit the length through to tie around the loops! Snip through all the loops and give your pom pom a hair cut with scissors.

When sewing down lengths of yarn, I used some crochet cotton and came out the side of the yarn with the needle and back through the fabric over the other side of the yarn. The needle then comes out the next place where you want your stitch to be.

I looped thread onto a skewer and then sewed it onto the fabric. I found it easier to make these loops on a skewer as I could pull them tight and get the look I wanted, sewing them down later.

Finish sewing any embellishments you would like on your cover.

Once you are happy with your cover, zig zag or serge edges of both pieces of fabric, then place right sides together, and sew with a 1/2” seam allowance. Leave an opening at one end to turn through. Clip corners and turn right side out.

Sew the calico insert the same size as your cushion leaving an opening, and turn right way out. Stuff, and stitch closed.

Pop the calico insert into the cushion cover and sew open end of cushion closed. Make four tassels by wrapping yarn around your fingers multiple times and then tying a length of yarn to fasten around the top loops. Tie another length around the tassel near the top and using a yarn needle, hide the ends inside the tassel. Cut through the bottom loops then trim to neaten up.

Sew the tassels onto corners of the cushion, and you’re done!

Jules :)

You can find more of Jules here:

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

creating with Jules: carved stamps

Carving your own stamps is easy when you get the hang of it and has a great result. It’s so fun to make something with readily available supplies and come up with something that has a professional looking result.

You’ll need:

-Stamp Carving Block (I use Renoir ezy carve printing block, but there are other brands that will work just as well)

-Lino cutting tool/s

-Scalpel

-Ink Pads in your chosen colors

-Grey lead

-Plain paper

Print out the template at 100%, place a plain piece of paper over the top and use a window or light box to trace the outlines of the designs in grey lead. Cut out each individual stamp design.

The easiest way I’ve found to transfer my designs onto a craving block is by placing the drawing face down and rubbing with the back of a spoon. The pressure transfers the pencil drawing onto the carving block. Make sure you rub all areas of the design, taking peeps as you go, being careful not to move the paper. Once transferred, you can use the greylead to go over any parts that might be a bit faint.

Now it’s time to carve out your stamps! Remember, any part that you do not want to print you need to carve away, anything you do want to print needs to stay. Work carefully as if you accidentally carve out the wrong bit, you cannot fix it! If you’re new to stamp carving, practise on a piece before you begin carving your stamps. Try to carve away from the design elements (and yourself!) incase you accidentally slip.

There are various brands of cutting tools. The speedball tool looks good although I have not personally tried it. I have a couple of old lino cutting tools that I use. I have a skinny one for detail and a wider one for removing larger areas of the block.

Once you think you’re happy with your design, test it! This is the fun part! press your stamp onto the stamp pad, making sure the whole design is inked up.

Once you do a test print, you will see parts the stamp that still need to be cut away or refine. Carve and test again until you are happy with your design.

Then, get your paper and stamp the bottom corner with the designs using the photos as your guide. Stamp all around the edges making a border with the repeating ovals stamp. If the stamp is going to go over a part you don’t want it to, cover that part with a scrap of paper to protect it.

Now you have some pretty paper to write some good old fashioned snail mail!

Jules :)