Welcome!

I grew up in Raleigh at a time when the nuns taught at Our Lady Of Lourdes. They lived out back of the school and wore those imposing yet Holy Habits that commanded your adoration, attention, and, quite frankly, your fear. So, when they asked you to "sit up straight" with your "feet flat on the floor" and compose your letters properly according to the Palmer Method of Handwriting, you did just that! I believe it was at that impressionable age that I became infatuated with the formation of letters. When I was introduced to calligraphy in 1978, it was no wonder I fell in love with this beautiful art form. My first taste of the calligraphic world lasted no longer than one hour. The instructor turned a piece of chalk on its edge to form calligraphic works of art from A to Z on the chalkboard. That was that! But it was all I needed to fire the embers that had been sparked in elementary school. Watching the slow, rhythmical shaping of those letters was like listening to classical music. It was not until 1997 that I enrolled in my first formal calligraphy class. Boy, were my eyes opened! I knew I had a lifelong road of learning ahead of me. It's been 38 years since that white piece of chalk was laid on its side. I am still learning. Come learn with me!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Monogram on a Canvas Tote










This tote was lettered for my granddaughter, Gabby, for Kindergarten.

The first step was designing the monogram. Grid paper and a pencil was used for this step. As you can see, I came up with two designs and chose the bottom one for the tote.

Now, here comes the sort of tricky part. In order to give me a stable surface on which to write, I needed the little cardboard piece to insert into the pocket on the tote. 

On a piece of tracing paper, I used a General's Pastel Chalk pencil to color in a square larger than the monogram. 

Now comes the layering. Lay the pastel square, face down, onto the tote. Next, put the pencil monogram on top of it. Tape these down so that they will not move. Use a ball point pen to trace over your pencil design, pressing hard. This will force the pastel chalk to be imprinted on the tote.

Once you are satisfied that the logo came through onto the fabric, you can remove the pastel square and the pencil monogram. What you now have is the monogram imprinted on the tote.

I used a fabric marker, bullet point, to trace over the imprint.

Voila! A fabulous, one-of-a-kind tote for Gabby Girl!

Now, you go and try this technique out to make yourself or a friend a wonderful gift.

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