—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 7, 1976 66 Hand craft I Continued from Page 65) every average person could do with success. EQUIPMENT The equipment needed to do this handwork are a wooden purse purchased from any craft store, a manicure scissors, a roller, a decoupage tool, acrylic paints, decoupage sealer, varnish, base color, sand paper, steel wool pads (0000 grade), a sponge brush, a baby bottle, and liquid wax. The designs and pictures for on the pocketbook can be gotten from almost any type of paper product, and the inside of the purse is finished with velvet, burlap, upholstery cloth, corduroy, or a chamois. PROCEDURE Mrs. Warfel’s 15 easy steps begin with “pick out your favorite design from a greeting card or wrapping paper.” Then, spray both front and back sides of the design with decoupage sealer, letting the paper dry five minutes between each spray. This is to seal in the color so that it won’t run as the process of making the bag continues. The third step is to sand the wooden box and to mark the lid and purse for front and back differentiation. This is to prevent finishing the whole box only to have the lid design on backwards. Step four is to seal the wood with three light coats of decoupage sealer. The brand of sealer does not matter. However, brands should sold and serviced by PENN INCORPORATED ' R. D. 2 BANGOR, Pfl. 18013 never be mixed because this can set up an unwanted chemical reaction. The next step is to paint the box with a base color coat of acrylic paints. This takes a sponge brush, and should be applied three or four times. After the base coat is applied, the whole thing should be sealed again. To seal it properly, at least two or three coats should be applied. When the base coat is sealed and dry, a light sanding of the purse with a No. 400 sand paper is the next step. If an antique look is preferred, spray on decoupage antiquing and wipe off with- cheesecloth, then wait for 24 hours. The ninth step os to again seal the antiquing so that the color doesn’t raise. Now comes the time for the design. To cut it out of the paper, cut with the curved end of the manicure scissors pointing away from you. This is opposite from the way you would normally cut out a design, but it is important, since it makes the cut edges of the design turn down wards. Glue this design on the box with diluted white glue and flatten over it with roller, so all air bubbles are out. To put on the raised por tion of the design, place it in water for a short time to help to stretch it. Then, place the wet paper on a spongy material and gently stretch The key to making a good raised design on the purses is to work with the figure and dough to make the animal's features stand out. Here, Mrs. Warfel works with a decoupage tool to shape the curve of the skunk's back so that it looks natural. She i& working on wax paper and will try to make the animal look as real as possible before she lets it harden, and then paints the white dough with acrylic paint to match the animal picture taken from gift wrap. it with a decoupage tool. This is important since you will need extra room which the stuffing will take up. The next step after stretching the paper is to lay a small amount of “dough” or stuffing on the back and place it on wax paper. Mrs. Warfel always uses her own recipe to make the dough or stuffing, and not the com mercial product for this purpose. The commercial stuffing springs back and is much more expensive than Mrs. Warfel’s homemade dough. Mrs. Warfel’s Dough In pan, stir 1 cup com starch, 2 cups baking soda (1 lb.). Mix in 114 cups cold water. Heat. Stir constantly until mixture reaches a moist, mashed potato consistency. Turn out on plate and cover with a damp cloth. When cool enough to handle, kneed like dough. Store tightly in refrigerator for future use. The above dough lasts for several months if stored properly. As was mentioned, place a small amount of dough on the back of the stretched design, and place it, dough down, on wax paper. Shape the design from the front of the paper. The object of shaping the design or scene is to give it character, rather than to let it be a “raised blob with a picture stiick on top” as Mrs. Warfel explains it. When shaping, use the dough as filler to give the animal features as you observe them to be in nature. To do this, most of the dough around the edges of the character is taken away, and just the inside is stuffed. A decoupage tool must be used in this area of the process. You should try to shape character features, such as a raised cheek, an indented leg, etc. This all takes practice, but with a little work and tune, the characters can look real. After the raised object is shaped, let it dry for 24 hours or more and sand the rough edges. Then, to make it all blend in, paint around the edges of the dough with acrylic paints so the white dough doesn’t show. The next step is to glue the figure onto the box with white glue and let it dry for 24 hours. Once the figure is glued into place, it is time for the decoupage finish. This particular part in the process takes 40 coats one per hour or more depending on the weather. There is a trick to varnishing, which Mrs. Warfel eagerly passes on. She says to place the brush in a baby bottle with the handle sticking through the cut off end of the nipple and the brush sticking in the varnish. This way, the brush never needs to be cleaned. Also, the varnish should be “flowed on” and never overlapped. To do this, the brush is held nearly parallel to the box to let the varnish glide on. Then, for the next coat, the box is given a quarter turn and varnished again. When all 40 coats have dried, sand with No. 400 grey or white sand paper which has been dipped in detergent water. Then, use a dry No. 600 sandpaper and smooth the surface until it is'milky or dull. Rub it with steel wool to finish it. Step 14 is to wax with liquid wax dipped in a fine steel wool pad. Let it dry and rub with flannel. To finish the inside, using white glue, secure the burlap, upholstery cloth, or corduroy. Finish with a braid edging. For feet, use upholstery nails. Although this process sounds long and com plicated, Mrs. Warfel insists that anyone can do it. She brings up the instance of her 80-year-old mother who did a jewelry box for her using this same technique. And, she maintains anyone can master this craft because “a willing heart is really the master.” She uses this technique on other objects besides purses, also. For instance, she has refinished plaques, plates, and switchplates in this manner. In general, decoupaging with repousse is a rewar ding, fun craft for anyone to do.
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