I recently spent time working with several water-based art supplies to see if I could achieve a water-color look with rubbing plates. You’re probably thinking that “water-color” and “rubbings” are a contradiction in terms, but that hasn’t stopped me yet!

I played with ink pads, dye sticks, water soluble wax pastels and Inktense blocks. The results of my experiments were mixed, especially in terms of wash fastness, but that was not surprising. I used supplies I had on hand and a few I picked up at the local craft store.

The biggest lesson I learned was pretty much a no-brainer – if the package doesn’t say the color can be set, it’s just about guaranteed that the color will wash right out of fabric. On the flip side, I don’t wash everything I make, so some of these supplies will work just fine. And there are wash-fast versions of many of these tools available – they just weren’t available in the local store I stopped into when I was running errands.

Here are some quick photos from my experiments. When you set out to play, take notes. I like to write directly on the fabric. If I don’t, I know darn well that I won’t have a clue how to reproduce the look of my samples.

Inkpad Rubbings

I don’t have many inkpads in my supplies (although that could change…) but I was pleasantly surprised at the rubbings I was able to make from this rubbing plate in the Garden Flowers set. This ink can’t be heat set on fabric, but after snooping around on the web, I found references to other types of ink that are permanent. I liked the way the colors blended and the final look.

Dye Sticks Rubbings

I had pretty good luck with the Pentel Dye Sticks. These are waxy like crayons and made very crisp rubbings. The dye sticks are not a water-based product and they don’t give a water-color look. But they were on my list of things to play with, so I’m telling you about them anyway.

The color range is limited, but they are easy to work with. I saw some color in my wash water, but heat setting makes them reasonably permanent. (The fabric square on the top-right was washed without being heat set. The color did not wash out completely, but it’s definitely not permanent without heat setting.)

Wax Pastel Rubbings

I found some very inexpensive water soluble wax pastels at a local store. The rubbings are very clean and soften up nicely when water is added. This brand is definitely not wash fast.

Inktense Rubbings

I’ve heard a lot about Inktense pencils and blocks. The instructions say they are permanent once water is added. I did a number of tests with this product and found that the color must be thoroughly wet – not just dampened to get a lasting color. (I also learned not to accidentally set my wet fabric on one of the blocks. It will soak up that color immediately, adding unintentional “design element” to your fabric!)

My thoughts on the water-based materials…

I have to admit that I really like some of these water-based supplies. I was able to create some really nice effects on fabric, and most can be made permanent with the right supplies. I’ll have to do some in-depth experiments to learn more about these products, but that’s true of anything new.

I did note that these materials are limited to working on light colored fabrics. They simply don’t show up on dark fabrics. (Yes, I tried…) I’ll never give up my beloved paintstiks, but I’m happy to make room in my toolbox for more delightful toys!

Jack and I took advantage of the warm weather on Sunday for a walk through Glendalough park for my birthday. He stopped me after a few minutes and handed me this beautiful maple leaf. Most of the trees are still green, but this one has started to change.

While we were walking though the woods, I was trying to identify various trees. I found maples, 3 different oaks, birches and elms along with various others that were not so obvious. It reminded me of the stencils that Nancy Kazlauckas designed for us a few years ago.

Nancy made a series of fantastic drawings that we used to create our early sets of stencils. They are truly timeless. This image from the Birch stencils is one of my favorites.

We have 4 sets of stencils representing Oak, Maple, Birch and Ginkgo leaves. Each package contains a pair of stencils with one large image suitable for a quilt block or a journal page and various small and medium-size images.

You can click over to the Online Store to see all of our stencils. If you click on the Info button for one of the stencils, you’ll see a color photo of one leaf stenciled with paintstik colors. You can also click on a second image to see a black and white illustration that show the various leaves on the pair of stencils. Here is a link to the Birch stencils.

Choosing Colors for Autumn Leaves

As I looked at this leaf, I wondered which Paintstik colors I would choose if I wanted to paint it – and whether we actually had all of these colors. I pulled out my boxes of paintstiks and was pleasantly surprised that the colors were all there. (Yes, I really have boxes of paintstiks – I have them all!)

I chose colors from both the matte and iridescent color lines. I started with Citron Yellow and Lime Green for the bright veins. I choose Watermelon and Tompte Red to add the red-orange colors. Finally, I chose Yellow Ochre and Asphaltum to add the golden brown colors.

I often mix iridescent and matte colors when I paint, especially when I’m working on a lighter background. The only time you’ll really see the shimmer of iridescent colors is on a dark background.

When choosing colors, it’s easier to look at the color swatches than the paintstiks themselves — and it’s easy to do. The swatches are all available in the online store for easy viewing. The swatches are a great resource whether or not you’re in the mood to shop. Many of the matte paintstiks colors are very dark in the stick form — it’s much easier to “see” the color when it’s painted out. (Besides, I had a wonderful time creating the swatch library, and I’m happy to share it with you!)

To choose colors for your own autumn leaves, use these links to access the Matte Colors and the Iridescent Colors.

Enjoy the beautiful autumn colors ahead. Take some photos, take a really close look, and see what color combinations you choose to add some fall splendor to your art!

Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright shiny Paintstiks with stencils and brushes
Silky black sticky mats fresh from the sleeve
These are a few of my favorite things!

I’m dating myself here, but The Sound of Music is still one of my favorite musicals, and I can still hear Julie Andrews singing about brown paper packages tied up with string. Speaking of favorite things, I want to answer a question about one of MY very favorite things — a Grip-n-Grip mat from Bear Thread Designs.

Bunny Hand sent me a question after reading my special e-mail series on various fabric paints. She said her Grip-n-Grip mat is not as “grippy” as it used to be and wondered how she could get it back into shape. Let me tell you a quick story about the mats and then answer Bunny’s question.

Once Upon A Time…

…back in 2005 I introduced my Paintstiks on Fabric book at the Minnesota Quilt Show & Conference. I was signing books and doing demonstrations non-stop when a wonderful little lady showed up in my booth, caught my attention and announced “you need a grippy mat!”

The first thing out of my mouth was “I need a WHAT?” Fortunately for all of us, this little lady was persistent. She insisted that I take a break and come to her booth to learn about this “grippy mat” that she just knew that I needed. That was my introduction to Veronica Cox and her Grip-n-Grip mat.

To say she was right would be the understatement of the decade. It took me all of 2 minutes to figure out that Grip-n-Grip mats were the best thing since sliced bread for anyone working with paintstiks.

Are your rubbing plates sliding around on your work surface? Put them on a Grip-n-Grip mat and they stay put! Does your fabric shift as you stencil images with a brush? Put the fabric on a Grip-n-Grip mat and no more slipping and sliding. The darn things are incredible!

The only downside to a sticky mat is that everything wants to stick to it. And I mean everything. Lint, dust, cat hair — it all wants to stick to a grippy mat. And once it gets dirty, it’s just not very “grippy” any more — and that brings us back to Bunny’s question — how to clean the mats.

How to Clean Your Grip-n-Grip Mat

I have found several ways to clean these wonderful sticky mats and restore them back to brand “grippy” new. It just depends on where I am and what I have on hand.

Option 1: If I have a masking tape lint roller handy, I use it like a rolling pin putting pressure on both ends as I roll over the mat. The roller picks up the crud and my mat is restored to its original grippy state. I like using the roller because it will pick up lint, dirt — even paint off my mat. (And I can carry a lint roller in my suitcase for quilt market without having it confiscated by our TSA friends…)

Option 2: In a pinch, I’ve found that a good scrubbing with a damp lint-free cloth will remove quite a bit of the crud. Lint-free is the operative word here. Don’t even think about using a paper towel!

Option 3: When all else fails, follow Veronica’s instructions and clean the mat with rubbing alcohol. Her specific instructions state “Sheet may be cleaned with a sponge and alcohol if necessary. Do not submerge, just wipe with damp sponge.” I don’t keep alcohol around the office or in my art supplies (and I can’t take it on a plane), so I usually opt for the first 2 methods to clean my mats. But, I got a note back from Bunny this morning and she reported that the alcohol works great. And that’s good to know.

If you have one of these mats and actually use it, there’s no question that a good cleaning will be necessary from time to time. Chose your method, clean up your mat, and restore it to its original “grippy” glory!

If you don’t yet own one of these mats… well, what are you waiting for? Get one at your favorite local retailer or click over to our Online Store. I can just about guarantee that a Grip-n-Grip mat will be one of your favorite things too!

The latest addition to our DesignMagic line has arrived and is ready to ship. You can go directly over to the Online Store to place your order.

Like all Design Magic stencils, this is a pair of stencils. One stencil has the positive image and the other has the negative image. When you paint these images on your fabric in a repeating pattern, you get a fabulous piece of fabric. It really is magic.

When I was making my samples from the prototype stencils, I learned something I want to share with you. Here are my before and after photos:

I really love this piece of background fabric. I went on a Safari in Kenya a few years back and I’ve been fond of animal skin type prints ever since. At any rate, I was curious to see if I could paint DesignMagic images on a fabric with such a strong print.

I started with Asphaltum, the matte brown color in the Mini Earthtone paintstik set. I liked the color, but I felt like the design was getting lost on the fabric. I set it aside and looked at it again the next day. (Always a good plan if something doesn’t look quite right!) I thought some darker edges might be in order, so I dug through my paintstiks to find Payne’s Gray.

Payne’s Gray (a matte color) is perfect for shading. It’s dark, but not quite black. I used the smallest paintstik brush I have and added shading around each of the shapes. What a huge difference! My first attempt was OK, but nothing to write home about. With a little bit of shading, it went from ho-hum to WOW — I just love when that happens!

So that’s your magic lesson for the day. If you’ve painted up some images that don’t quite float your boat, add a little shading and watch the fabric come to life. It’s magic!