Wild Things Tote by Courtney Russel from Two Straight Lines
I have monsters on the brain as we in the States near Halloween, as well as the upcoming release of the film Where the Wild Things Are. This fun tote project would make a perfect Trick o' Treat bag, library tote, or even a slightly spooky gift bag.
You will need:
*Pre-made canvas tote
*Pen and paper for sketching
*Fabric or felt
*Scissors
*Fabric glue (I use Alene's because it doesn't soak through to the front of the fabric)
*Fine point permanent black or brown marker
*Other embellishments such as yarn, cording, buttons, ric-rac, googly eyes
Optional
*1" Masking tape
*Craft paint or fabric paint
*Paintbrush
Step one:
Gather "monster inspiration" with your kids. Do you have any stuffed monsters or monster story books? What do you turn up if you do an internet search for "monster?" Bring your inspiration to the table with your supplies.
Step two:
Draw a variety of monsters with the pen on the paper. Which one is your favorite? Do you prefer scary monsters? Silly monsters? One-eyed monsters? I prefer friendly monsters.
Step three:
Select which monster you would like to put on your tote bag and refine the drawing, if necessary.
Step four:
Look over your fabrics and felt and see which ones you would like to use for your monster's body, eyes, nose and mouth. Does he have any other parts? Is your monster made from solid or printed fabric? Is he plush or smooth? Would you like to use any additional materials for your monster-- ribbon, ric-rac, buttons or googly eyes? You can see from my photos that at first I tried felt, but decided I wanted to use a printed fabric instead. I thought he looked too much like an Ugly Doll and wanted something a little more original. I also really wanted to use to the more muted palette of the book Where the Wild Things Are.
Step five: (optional)
If you have the desire to make your tote striped as I did, cover one side of the tote with stripes of masking tape, alternating with 1" blank stripes. Mix up the color of paint that you would like (I made an orange-y pink), and paint between the masked stripes. When dry, remove the tape and if you wish repeat on the other side. You don't need to be too fussy about this, it's supposed to be imperfect. Tip: you could also make a polka dot background by placing circle stickers on the bag and painting the unmasked area.
Step six:
Cut your monster out of the paper and trace around him on the fabric you've chosen. Cut out any other parts he might have out of the paper, and trace around those too. Finally, cut the parts out of the fabric.
Step seven:
Lay your tote flat and arrange your monster parts on the front.
Step eight:
Glue your monster parts on the bag, beginning with the ones that go on bottom and working your way to the top.
Step nine:
Using the fine point permanent marker, apply details to your monster, such as pretend stitching or outlining and any other characteristics that you wish him to have. I also used the marker to draw my monster's mouth.
Finally, you can enjoy your Wild Things tote. Does your monster have a name? Mine is named Coriandre.
Oh, I cannot wait to make a few of these! We're kind of Ugly Doll crazy at our house, and anything with monsters on it are a big hit! I loooooove that blue newsprint fabric! Where in the heck can I get some of that!?
Thanks for the awesome inspiration!
Posted by: Leslie | October 09, 2009 at 06:44 AM
Hi Leslie- this fabric was from Superbuzzy, but on a quick glance I didn't see it anymore. Purl Soho seems to have a newsprint fabric here- http://tinyurl.com/yhwx56j
Posted by: Courtney | October 09, 2009 at 06:58 AM
Holy cow! I love love LOVE these! What an adorable and creative concept! Great job Courtney!
Posted by: kellyt | October 09, 2009 at 10:14 AM
So great! The best part - an older child like mine (10) could actually make this mostly by herself. Need to pick up some totes so she can get started.
Posted by: Alicia | October 09, 2009 at 01:59 PM
This is so adorable- I am going to try it today!!!
Posted by: sara's art house | October 10, 2009 at 05:00 AM
Thank you for sharing such a cute project!
Posted by: MamaRose | October 10, 2009 at 02:54 PM
Love this idea. Where did you find the cute canvas bags?
Posted by: Cheryl | October 12, 2009 at 10:31 AM
any craft store (such as Michael's or JoAnn's) has pre-made canvas bags.
Posted by: Courtney | October 12, 2009 at 01:45 PM
Argh! I love this so, so much! Thanks tons, I'll be linking.
Posted by: Rachel | October 13, 2009 at 11:59 AM
this is such a wonderful project!! I love your monster! I always wanted to use one of those premade bags but could never thing of anything cute enough to buy one! :)
Posted by: featherbed | October 18, 2009 at 06:11 PM
Hello, fantastic idea.
I'll definitely link it to my blog.
Posted by: Mad about Pink | October 21, 2009 at 04:28 AM
So neat! I'll have to try this with my daughter! -Jean
Posted by: The Artful Parent | October 21, 2009 at 07:30 AM
This is a really FAB idea - I love it! I'll have to have a go with my son over the coming half term break, next week.
Many thanks for sharing,
Jane :-)
Posted by: Jane | October 22, 2009 at 05:05 AM
I LOve it! Where did you get the "newspaper" print fabric. I am in love. ~Kara
Posted by: Kara Tait | October 22, 2009 at 01:08 PM
Really nice idea I'll try to stop by again if I make this with the kids. I like finding original ideas for things...makes me feel like I'm brushing up on my basic parenting skills.
Posted by: sara | November 04, 2009 at 10:04 AM
i love it!!definitelt got to try this....
Posted by: Jita | December 16, 2009 at 03:07 AM
Wow! What a wonderful project. I can't wait to try it. I'm so glad a grabbed a moment of sanity here at work to poke around some new blogs and get inspired!
Posted by: Jenn Erickson | December 16, 2009 at 10:25 AM