canvas » by elke

Army Tarp Travel Tote

When I found this old canvas jeep cover, I couldn’t yet imagine what it would turn into. The more I paired it with the bright warm colors like yellow, orange & sometimes, clean, white stripes the more versatile it became. The options & combinations were limitless. All colors seem to compliment this neutral tan fabric. I made shortish handles using leather bridle reigns, popped the inside in bright contrast canvas colors & the patch pocket on the front is perfect for holding plane tickets. When I came up with this long rectangular shape I was picturing it used to hold a computer & essentials while running through an airport. It feels & is a sturdy bag that is fully machine washable when the straps are removed. (*if your trying to guess what those bright straps are that hold the body together, you’ve guessed correctly if you said , Martial arts belts!)

Painted Canvas Clutch

The fabric for this clutch is made from an old army tarp. Add some bright canvas, paint some stripes, sew in a zipper, add a leather tab….Wa-La!

Once I Was A Tent

A couple of weeks ago I came by a man selling old canvas tents from the 60′s. I had been looking on ebay for just that sort of thing. Eureeka! It was like I stumbled on my own secret treasure trove. I was thinking, “I better buy these quickly before someone else takes them!” I brought them home & all everyone could say was,”Why, Elke?” Couldn’t they see the potential in the old waxy cotton? I cut them in pieces (gasp) then washed them. Firstly, I learned that you should NEVER put waxed cotton in a high heat dryer (picture a box of crayons melted all over the inside….I will not say more) After cleaning I found the fabric to be even more beautiful & full of character than before. Love you ask? Most definitely. I am picturing them as very casual over-sized summer bags that you would fill with towels to bring to the beach. Here is a very quick first sample that I whipped up as a hostess gift to friends that will be gone all summer. More proto’s to come.

Garden Tote

This is the third version that I’ve made of this bag. For the first one I copied a pattern & when it was done, it worked but was not the proportion I was looking for. The second time I made it, I ended up using it all summer as it was made from this really great brown & white heavy linen stripe. The THIRD time I tried this bag, I used the concept but made my own pattern. Instead of the 3 pockets on each side I revised it to 2. Plus the 2 outside pockets on either end it still had 6 pockets which was just fine with me. After I cut out the pieces I painted the white bits by hand then sewed it together. Instead of a lining I just added a natural twill tape binding. To finish off the inside hem I painted a bright yellow stripe on the cotton webbing for fun. The straps were also hand painted on the tips. I finally made the bag that I was thinking of. I think this would make a fun 2 part class……

Patches

There are few things in our closets that we are attached to like our favorite pair of jeans. I recently had two pairs that fell apart at the same time. For a while they sat up next to my sewing machine waiting to get fixed until after maybe just 2-3 days, necessity called & I just missed them too much. If it was any other pair of pant it may have been springtime before I actually took the effort to fix them. It took 2 nights of watching discovery channel to finish sewing the edges & stenciling them. The patches are all from vintage fabric. The brown canvas is from an army rucksack, the ticking is actually very old & I’ve been holding onto it for quite a while. The brown polkadot poplin I found in a baggy with other 1960′s scraps at a flea market.

The easiest way I found to apply the patch was to use an iron-on adhesive. That way it gives strength to the patch & it also stays in one place when you sew the edges.

Bear Bag

A while ago I made a half dozen little bags for little girls. The one above is made in a really heavy linen canvas. The mouths zip open for storing all the candy & treasures that they want to take along. I made covered buttons for the back tails & nylon cording for straps. Each animal is unique with hand embroidered details for the faces.