Archive for January, 2010

Add Flash with Foil ~ Playing with Stencils 8

Monday, January 25th, 2010
by Susan Stein

foil_LMDShiny foils are a wonderful way to add glitz to your fabric art project. Foils will adhere to fabric with a special adhesive or with fusible web. Please note the care instructions at the bottom of the post, as foils are not as durable as many other embellishments.

Supplies:

~ Maple Stencils [Cedar Canyon Textiles]
~ Fabric
~ Foil for fabric [www.LauraMurrayDesigns.com]
~ Foil Transfer Adhesive [www.LauraMurrayDesigns.com]
~ Sponge or sponge brush
~ Spray adhesive like 404™ [Spray and Fix]
~ Iron, preferably one with Teflon™ coating
~ Ironing surface

Step 1

foil_1_adhesive

Spray adhesive on the back of the stencil, let dry, and press onto the fabric.  Fill in the openings in the stencil with foil transfer adhesive.  As with all liquid products, dab up and down when stenciling, so as not to push paint or adhesive under the edges of the stencil openings.  Let dry thoroughly (several hours).

Step 2

foil_2_iron

Place the prepared fabric on the ironing surface and lay a sheet of foil- color side up- over the adhesive design.  Using the side edge of the iron, burnish over the foil sheet three or four times.  Let the fabric cool a bit and then peel off the foil sheet.  If there are some areas of adhesive not foiled, take a second color and repeat the burnishing process.  It works well to use foil sheets that are beat up and have only thin layers of foil left on them so that the image has nuance and more colors can be used.

foil_3_results

Here are a two fabrics with foil applied.

Care Instructions

Care for the foiled fabric by hand washing.  Do not dry clean.  Always use parchment paper or a Teflon press sheet when ironing over the foil.

Foil with Fusible Web

Another way stencils can be used with foil is to use them to cut out shapes from Wonder Under.  Trace a design on the paper side of the fusible web using the stencil, cut out the motif, iron it to fabric, remove the paper, and foil the adhesive as described above.

Tags: ,
Posted in "How To" Information, Guest Artist, Stencils | 1 Comment »

Gelatin Printing with Stencils ~ Playing with Stencils 7

Monday, January 18th, 2010
by Susan Stein

knox_gelatine_01

Gelatin printing is an fun and process that allows you to make interesting, more organic images from stencils, found objects, and paint. The images produced are not as clean and crisp as images created from other techniques – but that’s the point! For a delightful day of image making, make yourself a gelatin printing pad and have a great time with your paints.

Supplies:

~ Various stencils [Cedar Canyon Textiles]
~ One box Knox® unflavored gelatin
~ 8” square cake pan or similar
~ Textile paints with body like Lumiere™ or Neopaque™ [Jacquard]
~ Retarder or open acrylic medium for paint (allows longer working time)
~ Sponges or sponge brushes
~ Fabric
~ Spray bottle of water
~ Soft paper towels
~ Knife or palette knife

Step 1

gelatin_print_1

Make a gelatin printing pad by pouring one cup of cold water into an 8” square pan.  Pour the contents of all four envelopes from the Knox gelatin box into the pan and stir to partially dissolve.  Add one cup of very hot water to the pan and stir to completely dissolve the gelatin.  Refrigerate the pan until the gelatin is set.

If your pan has low sides, you can work without removing the gelatin but if your pan has high sides, run a knife along the edges of the gelatin to introduce air underneath and dump the gelatin onto a plastic covered table.  If your pan has a pattern on the bottom, turn the gelatin over to expose the smooth side.

Step 2

gelatin_print_2

Mix a small amount of paint with retarder, which will keep the paint viable longer.  With a sponge or sponge brush, cover the gelatin with a layer of paint.  If using a brush, be careful not to drag it over the gelatin, causing the gelatin to break up sooner.

Step 3

gelatin_print_3

It is possible to get three prints from each set up of paint:
Place the stencil over the painted gelatin and drop a piece of fabric on top.  Rub gently with your hands to transfer the paint to the fabric and carefully lift the fabric off the stencil and gelatin.  Place to the side to dry.

Lift the stencil off the gelatin.  Since it will have paint on the back, it can be used to make a negative print.  Carefully drop it down on a piece of fabric and rub the paint onto the fabric with your hands or a brayer.  Remove the stencil and allow the fabric to dry.

The gelatin will now have paint exposed in a negative pattern with a faint amount of paint in the positive area of the design.  Drop a piece of fabric down on the gelatin and rub over it with your hands.  Pull the fabric off the gelatin and let dry.

If there is any paint remaining on the gelatin, either leave it to add interest to the next paint set up, or spray lightly with water and wipe clean with a paper towel.  When your painting session is finished, return the gelatin to the refrigerator for another time.  When the gelatin starts to deteriorate, (sooner in hot weather) tear it apart and continue to print with the pieces.

Step 4

Heat set the painted fabric by ironing it for 3 minutes.

results_leaf_stencil

This photo shows the gelatin prints from the large Birch leaf stencil.

Tags: ,
Posted in "How To" Information, Guest Artist, Stencils | 5 Comments »

Alcohol Ink on Copper ~ Playing with Stencils 6

Monday, January 11th, 2010
By Susan Stein

Some coloring agents are not meant to work on fabric, but that doesn’t mean that quilters can’t play with them! In today’s lesson we’ll be using Alcohol Inks, which are made specifically for non-porous surfaces. These inks are very different that the textile paints that we are more familiar with, so take some time to play with them. I’m sure you’ll find ways to integrate them into your personal art!

Supplies:

ai-shellpink~ Birch Leaves stencils [Cedar Canyon Textiles]
~ Thin copper sheeting [hobby or art store)]
~ Ball point pen or pointed stick
~ Alcohol ink, 3 colors [Adirondack]
~ Acrylic felt 9” by 12”
~ Tool for embossing metal (optional)
~ Goo Gone™ citrus cleaner
~ Q-tip
~ Spray fixative

Additional Supplies for Wall Hanging

~ Fabric (border, binding, backing)
~ Sewing machine
~ Thread
~ Batting

Step 1

alcohol_ink_1

Lay the copper piece on the felt and adhere the stencil to it with tape or spray adhesive.  Draw around the stencil with a ballpoint pen or pointed stick to indent the metal.

Step 2

alcohol_ink_3

Paint the copper (either side) by dripping alcohol ink onto the leaf motif.  The ink works differently from other paints, so play with the possibilities.  If some ink goes outside the lines, wipe it off with a Q-tip and Goo Gone.  Let dry.

Step 3

Heat the copper if you like brighter color by holding a heat gun over it until it changes color.  Spray the metal on both sides with fixative to seal the copper and prevent it from oxidizing.

Bonus – Create a small art quilt!

Art Quilt Step 1

Add borders to the copper piece, using a long stitch length and sharp needle.

Art Quilt Step 2

alcohol_ink_finished

Layer with batting and backing.  Quilt across the borders and copper around the leaf, which will raise the leaf slightly higher than the background.  Bind the edges.

Art Quilt Step 3

alcohol_ink_4

Use the embossing tool to make patterns on the background of the copper if you like.

Tags: , ,
Posted in "How To" Information, Guest Artist, Stencils | No Comments »

Elegant Copper Patina ~ Playing with Stencils 5

Monday, January 4th, 2010
By Susan Stein

Copper mesh may not be at the top of your quilting supply list, but it’s a great addition to your art quilt tool box. Yes, you really can stitch through copper mesh (and thin copper sheeting) without damaging your sewing machine or needle! In today’s lesson, we’ll create a patina on the copper mesh with Liver of Sulphur and then turn the embellished mesh into a small art quilt.

Supplies:

liver_of_sulphur~ Birch Leaves stencils[Cedar Canyon Textiles]
~ Liver of Sulphur [www.DickBlick.com]
~ Small spray bottle
~ Stamped copper wire mesh [hobby or art supply store]
~ Masking tape
~ Spray adhesive like 404™ [Spray and Fix]
~ Dust mask
~ Artist’s fixative like Krylon™ [hobby or art supply store]

Additional supplies for small wall hanging:

~ Double fold black bias tape, ¼” wide
~ Three fabrics to coordinates (one for binding)
~ Backing fabric
~ Sewing machine
~ Walking foot for sewing machine
~ Black thread
~ Thin batting
~ Copper leaf button (optional)

Step 1

Dilute the Liver of Sulphur according to the directions on the bottle.  Place it in a small spray bottle and label with masking tape.

Step 2

liver_of_sulpher

Tape the copper mesh to a plastic surface.  Work in a ventilated area or outside.

Step 3

Spray the back of the stencil with adhesive and let dry.  Press the stencil onto the copper mesh.  Mask off any areas with tape that you don’t want to use. (In the photo above, the mesh appears to be on top of the stencil, but it’s not. It’s just that the stencil is very translucent.)

Step 4

Wearing a dust mask, spray the openings in the stencil with Liver of Sulphur.  Let dry and then wash the copper with soapy water and dry, being careful of the cut edges.  Spray the copper with artist’s fixative on both sides to protect the copper from further color changes over time.

Bonus! — Create a small wall hanging from your stenciled copper mesh.

copper_mesh_sample

Wall Hanging Step 1

Cut the copper mesh with an old rotary cutter to the desired size.  Encase the edges of the mesh with double fold bias tape, mitering the corners and leaving a tail of bias tape.  Sew along the inside edge of the bias tape all the way around the copper piece.  Use a “sharp” sewing needle (it will not be damaged) and a longer stitch length.

Wall Hanging Step 2

Layer a background fabric, batting, and backing fabric.  Pin or use fusible batting with steam to hold the layers together.   Add a smaller accent fabric to the background, sewing 1/8” from the edge of the accent fabric through all the layers.

Wall Hanging Step 3

Lay the bound copper piece on the accent fabric, extending the tail of bias tape to the edge of the background fabric.  Topstitch the outer edge of the bias tape all around the copper piece and on both edges of the tail.

Wall Hanging Step 4

Bind the edges of the wall hanging and hand sew a copper leaf or other embellishments on.  Sew two small rings on the back for hanging.

Tags: , ,
Posted in "How To" Information, Guest Artist, Stencils | 2 Comments »