Blossom Tote Craft

One of my favourite Mother's Day crafts from the May issue of Martha Stewart Living is the tote bag on page 80 featuring iron-on cherry blossoms in varrying sizes. The simplicity and beauty of the project (two essential components of any craft I undertake) make it an attainable homemade gift idea for mom. She can use it at the grocery store, the beach or at the office. All you need is a plain, cotton tote bag, transfer paper, a printer and an iron.

First, download the templates and print them onto transfer paper. The images will appear in reverse. Using craft scissors or a craft knife, loosely cut around each blossom, leaving an eighth of an inch around each flower.

Here are the links to download the blossom templates in their various sizes.

Extra small blossoms

Small blossoms
Medium blossoms

Large blossoms

Extra-large blossoms

Then, lay a pillow case on a table or another hard, heat-resistant surface (not an ironing board, which has too much padding to be effective) and then place a plain tote bag onto the pillow case. Begin placing the cut out blossoms onto the bag, face down, avoiding placing them over the bag's seams and stitching. You can opt to place one bold blossom onto the bag, or try mixing the various sizes to create a collage of blossoms. Set your iron to the highest setting with no steam. Begin to slowly iron over the transfer paper, applying firm and even pressure. Follow the transfer-paper manufacturer's instructions. Let it cool and then remove the paper backings to reveal the gorgeous designs.