These gift boxes were made using a pattern that was in a Quilting Arts issue. I can't remember which one as it was at least a year ago. I've made them in the past but this time I decided that I would make them with my art cloth technique...that's developed throughout my posts. It's was also a technique from QA. It's nothing like the original article but I've come to really love it and consider my rendition as my own. The technique that is, not the pattern.
I start off with canvas that I paint with gesso on both sides. This stops the canvas from fraying on the edges. I then lay cheese cloth over the canvas & adhere with either watered down PVA or a gel medium. Both work well. Then I add some added texture with molding paste and once dry, I paint with a metalic and use my oil pastels for enhancing the raised portions. Then the whole thing is covered with a gloss gel medium. The resulting cloth is actually very leather like. It's very pliable, yet sturdy. I've really come to love it. I actually didn't have to stitch anything on these little boxes.
