BENGALURU: Every household has hidden scraps of fabric that go unused for umpteen reasons. Sometimes the reasons are obligatory, at other times sentimental. But it’s not uncommon to find that piece of fabric you thought would be useful and never really used.
I found such a piece I had picked up from the temple at a throwaway price because it was an offering to the deities there. I had once thought it would make for good altar decor. Now I have second thoughts, and want the fabric to be useful somehow. The memory of seeing those huge suitcases at the airport luggage belt - with handkerchiefs, satin ribbons, and sometimes torn rags hanging from the handles, prompted me to try a luggage tag.
Materials: scrap fabric, embellishments, scissors, marker pen, stencil, satin ribbon, cotton, needle and thread, velcro-tape and quilting pins
Start by marking out using a needle case cardboard packaging as stencil, on the fabric.
Pin the ball pins about an inch and a half from the marked lines, so it would make it easier to cut the fabric. The next step was to mark another dotted line along the marked line, about one third of an inch wide.
Cut along the dot-marked lines, and leave some space on what you want as the top of the fabric piece for luggage tag, so you may fix a hook, velcro tape or press-button.
Stitch up a button hole using the button hole stitch, but it did not really work out. It was because there was not enough fabric above the button hole, for accomodating both, stitches and a button after it got inserted. You may use a velcro tape, or a press button set.
For the front side of the tag, stitch up cloth flowers. I chose flower colours to match one of the different colours on the fabric print.
Use a running stitch and stitch along the original marked line. Leave a one inch or two inch gap, ideally on the top or bottom of the to-be tag.
Fill the cotton batting in.
Stitch the end of a six inch piece of satin ribbon (about half an inch or less wide) on to the rear inside of the would-be tag. It was a bit of a push and pull here. because of the faulty button hole. The stitched button was not so great to look at and its stitches showed on the rear of the ribbon, so I fixed a cloth flower to cover it up.
Use this tag for your own personal travels, or gift it.
(https://imprintshandmade.blogspot.in/)