Sewing Mail Box for Children With Mixed Media Fabric

I prepare this tutorial for sewing mail box for playing. Sewing the round box with zipper is not a rocket science and everybody know how to do it.
For me it was more interesting how to make your very unique Mixed Media Fabric. OK, it is a little bit artish, but it is fun to do it, and most part of it you could do it together with your child.

The technic is useful for a lots of different art project, so maybe you will like it.
If somebody is interested, how I got this idea, you could read on my Bludor Magazine. All the coments are very welcome.

For this project you will need:
- PVA glue
- fabric; the base fabric, for soaking it in the PVA glue, lining fabric (my is black with dots), and texture scrap pieces
- paper, or other samples of texture, like onion bag
- sewing machine, iron, plate, scissors, bucket or similar
- one zipper
- Gesso Primer and Acrylic colors
- and your time

Mixed PVA glue together with a water. Pure the mixture in bigger container and put inside your basic fabric. Live it for a awhile that fabric could soak enough milky water.

Hang the fabric out to dry overnight.

Iron the fabric flat.

Cut the fabric to the size you need. I cut two round pieces and one long rectangle.

Prepare a thin solution of PVA glue and water. One tablespoon of PVA and half-a cup of water.

Now start having fun. Glue texture scrap pieces that you found in the house on to the fabric. Glue them in layers, and also use a paper.

Don't forget to protect your working surface with newspaper. Wait until everything is dry.

I just remember, this part is fun to do together with your kid, if he or she is more than 3 years old.

After all the pieces are dry, you could start sewing the texture. Use a machine sewing and hand stitches are nice also.

Cut nice round shape and on the edge sew it on the lining fabric. (my is black with dots). Also make a hole for the letters and sew the lining fabric here with a cik-cak stitch. At the end cut away all the black material. Prepare the same rectangle shape of “your lovely handmade fabric”.

On one side of rectangle sew the zipper and sew this to both round pieces.

NOTE: If you plan to do object like a book cover or similar, it is possible to put on your "handmade fabric" Gesso primer before you sewing everything together.
This was my first piece like that and I decided to sew the pieces before the Gesso primer.

This is a detail of my front mail box after I put Gesso primer on it. When everything is dry you could start painting with acrylic colors.

Side and back view of open box prepared for coloring. I plan to put two eyelets on the back of the box, so I will hang it on to the wall. (don't have a picture of this, because I don't have a tool at home).

Paint with Acrylic colors.