My First Amulet Pouch

Inspired by Wendy Coyne's article, Amulet Pouches, in the Dec/Jan 2008 Quilting Arts magazine, I made my first amulet. From this one, I learned what to do differently in the next amulet. This one is not made using gel mediums, etc. as suggested in the article. Instead, using Jacquard Neopaque paints, I painted felt--both sides, and silk organza. Rather than enlarging the template 210%, mine was 300%, as I wanted mine a bit larger than what resulted from the 210% test. The felt was sandwiched between two silk pieces, then free motion stitched with Sulky 12wt cotton thread in the bobbin. The tassel is made from the threads and double strips of the silk (Wonder Under inside). The cord is 1/4" strips of felt placed on Solvy with straight stitching down the length first, followed by zig zag couching the felt, Solvy removed, then painted with the same color as the amulet. The button closure has two buttonholes with the button on the bottom-most layer. Clear beads were sewn along the "hood" line and at the top of the tassel.

What I would change in the next amulet is this: I would not paint the felt, but allow the organza to provide the color--I did a small test and this would have sufficed for me; I would then apply the tassel before the inner layer of organza, better covering where the tassel is attached. My inspiration for the tassel came from Linda Tudor's book, Embroidered Purses. Without so much paint, any beading would become easier.