F*ck that. You're getting one for your birthday and I'm publicly shaming you into using it. (love ya <3)
I started with a bag that I purchased from Amazon. It was simple and masculine enough for what I wanted to do with it, and this was the only thing I had to buy specifically for this project.
The next step was to make my stencil. I chose my image (the Hyrule Crest from The Legend of Zelda) and resized it to fit the flap of the bag. I printed it out nice and dark so I could trace it onto the freezer paper.
After everything was traced out, I cut it out with an Exacto knife (and made sure to save the negative piece from the center of the triforce).
Next up, preparing the work surface. I measured out where I wanted the tops of the wings to go, and marked them with pins. I always pre-iron my work surface, not only to get out any wrinkles, but to heat up the cloth. This gives a little grab when you're laying down your stencil, and makes things a little easier when you're trying to be precise.
Template is placed, and ironed down, paying special attention to the edges of the design.
Since I was going for a distressed look, I decided to use a light coating of black to start (to give a little more definition to the final piece, and make the gold stand out more). I lightly sponged an uneven layer on, then used a hairdryer to speed up the drying process.
When the black had dried, I did the same thing with the gold paint. I went slightly thicker, but light enough that it was splotchy and let the black show through.
And voila! Here's the finished piece. I really like how it turned out, and the black and gold on the khaki is really nice. I really hope it gets a lot of use so that the fabric can get some wear to match.
