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How to Sew a Travel Paintbrush Case

3/31/2022

 
​Today I'll show you how to sew cute little paintbrush case that will protect your watercolor brushes from getting damaged or squished in your bag--whether you're traveling across the country, or just walking downtown to the park for an afternoon of sketching.
Photograph of a Homemade Travel Paintbrush Case

​Case Dimensions and Seam Allowance

​The final case dimensions are 9" by 3.5", with the seam allowance at 1/4" (but of course you can always make adjustments to accommodate your brushes or preferences).

​Step One: Cut Out Your Pieces

Here are the pieces you'll need to cut:
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  • A - 19.5" x 4" from EXTERIOR fabric
  • B - 5.5" x 5.5" from EXTERIOR fabric
  • C - 10.5" x 4" from LINING fabric
  • D - 9.5" x 4" from LINING fabric 
  • E - 9" x 3.5" from CARDBOARD, twice
  • F - 1" x 3.5" from CARDBOARD
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​Step Two: Making the Brush Sleeves

​Hem the square (piece B) along one side, by turning the right side of the fabric to the wrong side 1/4" and pressing it with an iron. Fold it over just the same way a second time, and press again. Then you're ready to sew it in place. If you are hand sewing, I suggest using the blind hem stitch here.
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With right sides of the fabric facing up, place the piece you have just hemmed (piece B) on top of piece C and line up one of the raw edges perpendicular to the sewn edge (as shown in Fig. 1) and pin together (remember to line up the bottoms, too). Sew 1/4" from the edge.
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Next, pin the following side as show in Fig. 2.
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​Now we're going to need our paintbrushes. I've found it easiest to pin sleeve pockets around the paintbrushes (Fig. 3 above, and as shown in the photo below). That way, you'll be sure they'll fit!
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To make it easier to sew the pockets in a straight line, get out a ruler and a sewing pen with disappearing ink, and draw them right along the row of pins. Alternatively, you could use a piece of paper tape as a guide.
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Sew each of the pockets, and the right edge.

​Step Three: Attach the Sleeves to Piece A

​With the wrong sides facing out, sew the bottom of the sleeves to the bottom of the exterior fabric (piece A), 1/4" from the edge.

​Step Four: Sew A Button Loop

​For this step, you'll need some embroidery thread. Tie a knot at the end of your thread, and pull it from inside to outside. Make a loop about 2.5" in length with the thread, and repeat 3 times (Fig. 4). Pull the thread to the outside to make the first knot (Fig. 5, 6, and 7). Keep tying knots around the entire loop, then pull the thread to the inside of the fabric and cut.
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​Your finished loop should look something like this:
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​Step Five: Sew Up the Seams

​Fold the sleeves back towards the right side of the exterior (piece A) again. You should have both wrong-sides of the fabric facing outwards at this point. Lay piece D on top of piece A opposite to piece C (the sleeves), as shown in Fig. 8.
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Pin the exterior edges of pieces C and D to those of piece A. You'll notice that C and D will overlap a little in the middle. Fold them back so they're even, and press with a hot iron. The space between them we'll leave open until after we've slipped in the cardboard.
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Sew 1/4" around the remaining three edges you've just pinned. Trim the corners, then turn the whole thing right-side out, and push the corners square with the end of a paintbrush.

​Step Six: Tape the Cardboard Pieces Together

​Using masking tape, or duct tape, or whatever kind of tape you have around, tape the cardboard pieces together leaving just 1/8" or so of space between them. I found it easiest to lay the tape sticky-side up on the table, and set the cardboard on top of it. You'll want to cover the cardboard all the way around with tape. Press the tape together in the gaps.
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​Step Seven: Inserting the Cardboard

Now it's time to slip the cardboard into the case through the slit we left back in step five. It's going to be a little bit tricky, because you'll have to fold the two large pieces of cardboard (pieces E) flat. When folded, one side of the cardboard will stick out farther than the other due to that middle piece (piece F), so make sure that you insert the longer side (pieces E + F) into the longer side of the sleeve!
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Use the invisible stitch to sew together the slit.

​Step Eight: Sew on a Button

​Before you mark where the button will go, be sure to fill up the case with whichever brushes you intend to carry in it, since they'll affect the depth of the case. Then pull the loop over the top cover, and sew on your button to hold it.

​Now you're done your paintbrush case!

​It should look something like this:
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I'm quite happy with how mine turned out. :) If you give this project a try, I'd love to see a photo! Drop a link in the comments, or just use hashtag #paperfrosttutorial on Instagram, and I'll check it out.

Happy plein air painting,
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Painting Silhouette Ladies Using Tape Resist

1/1/2017

 
​Today I'm going to show you how to use a technique called "tape-resist" to create silhouettes with watercolor backgrounds!

​Afterwards, you can add details with ink if that strikes your fancy.
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Materials You'll Need:

  • Pencil
  • Watercolor Paper or Sketchbook
  • Watercolor Brush and Paint
  • Fine Felt Tip Pen - I  used the Sakura Pigma Microns*
  • Artist's Tape* or Painter's Paper Tape ​​
*Please note that I am an affiliate of Blick Art Materials, which means I receive a small commission for any sales I send their way. This doesn't increase prices for you, but allows me to afford to host this website.

Step One: Drawing the Silhouette

To begin, use a pencil to draw a simple profile onto your piece of tape. You might find it easier to stick the tape onto a flat surface instead of drawing directly on the roll.
I used strips of 2" wide painter's tape.

Step Two: Prepping to Paint

Once you're happy with your drawing, carefully cut out the profile with scissors or an X-Acto knife, and stick the profile to your watercolor paper.

Make sure to press the tape down securely, so that no paint will seep underneath it.
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Step Three: Painting

Now it's time to paint! I went for a simple vignette background, but the beauty of this technique is that you can splatter and dab watercolor to your hearts content without worrying about getting paint where you don't want it.
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Step Four: Adding Ink

After making sure the paint has fully dried, slowly pull up the tape. (If your tape silhouette doesn't rip, you can reuse it. Mine was sticky enough to be used four times!)

Now you have a lovely blank lady ready to be drawn or painted! I kept mine simple by drawing the features with a black micron pen.
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If you give this technique a try, I’d love to see your results! Please feel free to link to your work in the comments, or tag me on Instagram "@leoraannewinter," where I'll be sure to see it.

Wishing you artsy fun,
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How to Install Eye Catching Social Media Icons on Your Blog

3/14/2013

 
So, you want some schmancy buttons to let people know you are on not only Twitter and Facebook, but also Pintrest and Youtube? Or maybe you proudly use Vimeo and DeviantArt? Wherever your haunts, icons allow you to share all of them with you blog readers and website visitors from one easily navigated hub. And you can install them yourself, for free.
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First though, you'll need a set of icons. Have some picked out already? Great! If not, read on and I'll share some of my favorites.

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Snowflake Valentines

2/13/2013

 
LAST MINUTE VALENTINES! Get yours today! They come in two sizes, with envelopes and everything. =D
If you're like me, you'll have made your Valentines two weeks ago, created a PDF version of your favorite design for your blog, and then neglected to post it. Ahem. So for those of you not like me, here it is.
After you've downloaded the template (it's to your right, below the photograph there), here's what to do:

1. Cut out the envelopes along the inside of the dotted line to prevent any black ink marks on the edge of the envelope flap.

2. When folding the wings of the envelopes, use the light grey lines to guide you, but be sure to face them inwards before gluing the edges together.

3. Fold the snowflake sheets along the vertical lines, and cut out the half circles.

4. Fold each circle in half twice more.

5. Start by cutting out the snowflake designs provided. Once you have the hang of it, try inventing your own with the blank circles.

6. Glue your snowflakes to square cards of colored paper just their size, and you're done.

I hope you enjoy them. =)

Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo
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Download Snowflake Valentines
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