While you’re waiting for the big news that your copy of Rubbing Plate Roundup is in the mail, I thought I would share a behind-the-scenes look at part of the process. I recently packed up 10 chapters worth of goodies into a big rolling suitcase and drove off for a day with my photographer. I was amazed at the amount of stuff I had to gather up to get the photos done — and even more amazed that I could actually lay my hands on all of it.

I drove to the cities the night before the shoot so we could get an early start. I knew we had a lot of ground to cover in 6 or 7 hours. And boy, did we get a lot packed into that time. We shot photos for 10 of the 12 book sections that day and a lot of the gallery photos as well. Whew!

Getting ready for a photo shoot is an interesting experience. I gathered up all the materials for each topic and packed them into a separate bag or box. I printed out each section of the book and made notes in the empty photo boxes to detail what the photo would contain and which rubbing plate I wanted to use. And wherever I could, I made the samples up ahead of time. Here’s a peek at my suitcase.

During the photo shoot, I wanted more than the pictures that were going to be included in the book. After all, I thought I should take advantage of my day with John to get as many wonderful photos as possible. Needless to say, we had lots of starts and stops as I put the finishing touches on samples for the pictures.

Great photography can actually be done in fairly tight quarters. But it can get a little claustrophobic when you are sandwiched in between and underneath the light umbrellas. (In case you are wondering, the can on the table is a high tech paper-weight. We put one can on each side of the paper to keep in from sliding around on the table. If I remember right, they were cans of pumpkin. Can you smell the pie he’s cooking today?)

Of course, things don’t get put away as neatly as they came out of that suitcase. That would require an extra body and probably a small miracle. I just kept putting stuff into piles as we went along and then packed it all up at the end of the day.

Before I close, I’ll show you one of my favorite photos.

This is the “cover girl” for my section on metal embossing. I used lots of different rubbing plates to emboss patterns into a sheet of copper and then added color with inks. I’ll share all the details in Rubbing Plate Roundup — which is almost ready for the printer. If you haven’t already done so, you can pre-order your copy here.

I have to confess that I’m a bit of a tool-aholic. I have more rulers, cutters, paints, brushes and miscellaneous goodies in my work spaces than Heinz has pickles. (My husband has kindly developed a blind eye toward my weakness. I think he figures I could have worse vices…)

With such a great collection of toys, I figure I had two choices. The first was to clean house and give away everything I haven’t used in the past year, which would feel pretty good until I started on the next round of collecting.The second option was to look at my existing tools and figure out how many things I could do with each of the tools I already had. Now that was more interesting.

I put a moratorium on purchasing new toys and started playing a little game. (I have no place to put them until we find a new home with studio space anyway!) Now, when I pull out a tool for one thing, I challenge myself to think of another thing I could do with the same tool. Just how many different things can I do with that single tool?

How do YOU use your rubbing plates?

It was exactly this kind of thinking that led to my decision to write Rubbing Plate Roundup, which almost ready for the printer as you read this. I’ve been designing and manufacturing rubbing plates since 2006, and we’ve shipped tens of thousands of plates out the door during that time. But one day I woke up and realized that I had never really looked at the rubbing plates as anything but tools for making paintstik rubbings.

It was definitely a V-8 moment. Once I pulled my head out of the proverbial sand, I realized that my rubbing plates can be used as a stamp, as a rubbing plate and as a mold with literally dozens of different materials. Not only that, it was great fun to explore a bunch of new options for tools I already had!

For Rubbing Plate Roundup, I gathered up a dozen of my favorite techniques for using the rubbing plates. Many are related to fabric, but I also played with paints, metals and clay as I worked on the book. Frankly, I haven’t had this much fun in years.

I know that many of you are waiting impatiently for your autographed copy of Rubbing Plate Roundup. We were scheduled to ship by the end of November, but it’s going to take a week or two longer. My well-planned schedule got pushed to the side when our little buddy O’Keefe decided his time was up. I’m working hard to get things wrapped up, so please be patient.

While you’re waiting, I’ll give you a sneak peek at a photo from the book. If you’re familiar with our rubbing plates, you’ll recognize images from Garden Flowers (the big lily), Floral Fantasy (the plates printed in violet and yellow) and Leaves (the fern). This was my first attempt at printing a large composite image with gelatin prints, and I’m thrilled with the results. I’ll give you all the details on gelatin prints and rubbing plates in just a few weeks when the book is finally done!

If you have not yet pre-ordered your copy of Rubbing Plate Roundup, you can place your order here. When you pre-order the book, you’ll receive a personally signed copy of the book, 2 free rubbing plates and VIP Priority Shipping (which puts you at the front of the line to get your book!)

I Can Do That With A Stencil Brush?

In keeping with the theme of using tools for more than one purpose, I’d like to share a recent article from Laura Murray. Laura is a wonderfully talented quilter and fiber artist who teaches and sells her amazing goodies in the vendor malls at large quilting and sewing shows. In a newsletter this summer, Laura shared some excellent tips for getting really great mileage out of a stencils brush and a couple of paintstiks.

In her article, Laura describes how to use a standard stencil brush to change the color of a background, add subtle texture with a rubbing plate and to mimic the look of hand dyed fabric – all without leaving the house, and using the couple of tools you already have! What’s not to like about that? Here’s the beginning of Laura’s article. You can click over to read the remainder of the article on her site. Be sure to check out the very cool toys on her site while you are there. Laura does remarkable things with paintstiks and unmounted stamps that only look complicated. Enjoy!

The Versatile Stencil Brush, by Laura Murray

I enjoy both gardening and textile art because both mediums give me the opportunity to play with colors, shapes and textures. Each medium has its own challenges, and the creative process is a series of problem solving challenges. In our household of two, my role is garden designer, pruner, and weeder. Husband Jim’s role includes general repairs of all kinds, and the heavy lifting. The wood fence which serves as the backdrop for our garden has deteriorated significantly, so Jim is now applying his talents to designing and building a replacement, which is a great improvement over the old fence. Whether the design is about my garden, a quilt or a garment, my approach is to always begin with a beautiful focal point, then choose supportive and complimentary backgrounds.

Obtaining just the right color and texture for coordination with focal fabrics can become a frustrating challenge. Just as the gardener needs tools, we need tools for textile art. One of my favorite tools is the stencil brush, which helps me easily create the perfect fabric for my projects, avoiding the need for desperate dashes to the fabric store or dyeing more yardage.

Beyond Brush Stenciling

Naturally, the brush is great for stenciling, but there are several other applications which do not require a stencil. Have you ever been underway on a project, and couldn’t find the “perfect” fabric for the border or binding, coordinating fabric for a garment, or felt that certain sections of a quilt design just weren’t right? Stencil Brushes can be used to alter the color of a fabric, add subtle texture or mimic hand dyed fabric — all without the use of a stencil.

Change Background Color

Here’s how: The bamboo leaves were stenciled on a pink/orange batik with a paintstik stencil brush, but I wanted more blue in the background. I applied iridescent turquoise paint to my standard stencil brush and brushed directly over the entire fabric (including the stencil leaves) in a circular motion. Larger brushes work best, either 1/2″ or 5/8″ size. This process turned the background shades of blue and minimized the pink. The technique is similar to applying eyeshadow — just build up layers until you get the right effect.

Click here to read the rest of the article.
Visit Laura’s website at www.lauramurraydesigns.com.

I don’t normally carry large handbags, but Lazy Girl’s new Candice bag was an absolute lifesaver at the big Houston Quilt Market. As I mentioned in the newsletter, she’s perfect for a business trip, with a pocket for my iPad and that all-important cord and power converter. She’s big enough to carry my show paper work or a magazine and had plenty of room for a water bottle and a few snacks. Perfect!

My adventure with Candice started a few weeks before Quilt Market. Since I wanted to use fabric decorated with paintstik rubbings, I had to plan ahead. And, of course, I needed an excuse to use my new Doodles Rubbing Plates. They were practically shouting at me from my work table every time I walked past.

I painted up 2 fat quarters of fabric on a Friday afternoon so they had plenty of time to dry. I like to layer up my rubbings, and that means I need at least 3-5 days of dry time before I can heat-set the paint and start my sewing project. Here are photos of the 2 fabrics that I painted for Miss Candice.

For the first fabric, I used just one rubbing plate and half a dozen iridescent paintstik colors. The fabric is a lovely piece of hand-dyed fabric made by Carolyn Abbott. The graduated color of the fabric adds a little magic to the completed fabric.

For the second piece, I worked with one of the bolder designs in the rubbing plate set. I painted the motif, then turned the plate around and carefully matched up the swirl motif. It worked, but it was challenging at best to get these lined up. I wound up using my window as a lightbox, but trying to place a rubbing plate in just the right spot is not easy. The window-as-lightbox trick worked, but I had to make sure I cleaned all the paintstik color off the window. Let’s just say I’m not in a hurry to try this again soon.

I started my bag a week before I left for Houston. Joan’s pattern calls for a lot of interfacing, so my first task was to get all the pieces cut to size and fused to the right stuff. It takes a little bit of time, but it makes all the difference in the finished bag. I think my next treat for me is going to be one of those nifty presses to save time on fusing.

By noon on Saturday, I had the pieces all properly fused and ready to go. Here’s a quick pic of the front of my bag.

Joan thinks of everything in her patterns. I mean everything. It took me the longest time to figure out why she called for the line of stitching just above the notches at the bottom. I just knew there had to be a reason. Once I assembled the bag, I had one of those “oh duh!” moments. Of course! It’s to keep the stuff in the front pocket from dropping down under the bottom of the bag. Now why didn’t I think of that?

Here’s my lovely Miss Candice. I took a few photos before I headed to Houston. I figured she would be most photogenic before I started taking her off on my travels. I’m a little hard on bags. (My Margo bag is practically in tatters. Still useful, but looking more than a little tired.)

I think Miss Candice turned out great. I chose a different section of the original hand-dyed fabric for the insert and the lining. The fabric actually went all the way to lime green (my favorite!), but that was a bit overpowering. This color was just perfect.

I used the wild and crazy piece for the back. The swirl motif is a lot of fun, but it sat too far down on the fabric to work well on the front. No matter which way I pick her up, Miss Candice draws a lot of attention. I had tons of compliments at Houston, which I enjoy as much as anyone else.

Enter to Win — And Create Your Own Fantastic Candice Bag!

I had a wonderful time making my Candice bag and I’m sure you will too. I shared my recent newsletter with Joan Hawley (Chief Lazy Girl) and she suggested that we give away the key ingredients that go into the making of a really great Candice Bag. What a great idea! If you’re the lucky winner, here’s what you get:

- Candice pattern (the pattern — not the lovely bag pictured below…)
- Bag-E-Bottom size A
- Two sets of rectangular rings (4 rings total) in Glossy Nickel finish by Nancy Zieman for Clover Needlecraft
- Doodles Rubbing Plates (6 designs in the set)
- Iridescent Mini Sorbet Paintstiks

What a fantastic prize!

Enter To Win
- Enter by posting a comment at our blog. Tell me what you think of Joan’s new Candice bag and how you might decorate her.
- One comment per person.
- Be sure you type your email address correctly so I can contact you.
- I’ll pick 1 winner using the random number generator.
- Enter by Friday November 11, 2011, 10 pm Eastern time.
- I’ll contact the winner via email.
- Joan and I will send the prizes off to the winner. Simple!

Want to Learn More?

To learn more about Lazy Girl’s Candice Bag, visit Joan over at www.lazygirldesigns.com.

To learn more about Paintstiks, Rubbing Plates and all the fun we have here at Cedar Canyon, join our community. When you join, I’ll send you a free Sunflower Quilt pattern, a guide to embellishing Gift Bags, and a weekly newsletter featuring tips, tricks, product news and more. Click here to Join Our Community.