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Get your books signed at the Minnesota Quilt Show!

Monday, June 14th, 2010

It’s the middle of June, so it must be time for the Minnesota Quilt Show and Conference in St. Cloud, MN. As a Minnesota girl, I love this event. The MN Quilters put on one of the largest quilt shows in the United States, and perhaps the largest by a volunteer organization.

I worked at this show for many years as a vendor (when I was hand-dying fabric) and as a teacher. One of the biggest thrills of my teaching years was the invitation to teach at this show, as they usually reserve their teaching slots for national instructors.

This year, I’ll be attending rather than working, but I’ll be signing books for a short time on Thursday and Friday (June 17 & 18) between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for Laura Murray Designs, a vendor at the show. Laura’s vendor booth will be poolside at the Kelly Inn.

We’ll have copies of my new Design Magic book on hand along with Paintstiks on Fabric. Laura also carries a large variety of painstiks products, so you’ll find everything paintstik-related that you could possibly want.

Pick up Susan Stein’s new Textile Art book too!

Susan Stein, who graciously provided all the lessons on stenciling for our blog, will also be signing copies of her newest book at the Minnesota Quilt Show. You can meet Susan and have her sign your books on Saturday, June 19th from 12 noon – 1:30 p.m., also at Laura Murray Designs.

(If you missed Susan’s lessons on stenciling, check the Blog Archives for November 2009 – February 2010)

Susan’s latest book is titled The Complete Photo Guide to Textile Art (Creative Publishing International), and it is a treasure! It’s an indispensable reference guide for anyone who wants to embellish fabric and suitable for beginners and experienced fiber artists. Here’s a picture of the cover.

If you can’t come to the Minnesota Show…

If you hadn’t figured it out by now, Susan, Laura and I are all from Minnesota and we have a very strong connection to the state quilt show. We have many fond memories of working this show in one way or another, and would love to add meeting you to the list!

If you can’t join us in St. Cloud this week, hop on over to Laura Murray Designs on the web. You’ll find all manner of fascinating fiber art goodies, including our new books.

I hope to see you in St. Cloud!

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Posted in Design Magic, General, Guest Artist, Paintstiks | No Comments »

Make a little Design Magic!

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

I know I’ve been missing in action here on the blog, but I’ve been totally immersed in finishing up my new book called Design Magic for Paintstiks on Fabric. The book went to the printer at the end of April, and I should have copies in my hot little hands sometime next week! And just in time for Spring Quilt Market. Whew!

Here’s the cover of my new baby and a few paragraphs from the Welcome section:

Welcome to the world of Design Magic. It’s a magical, mystical world indeed, where simple shapes are  transformed into easy-to-use tools, and fabulous fabric is created in far less time than you ever imagined possible. It’s almost like having your own magic wand!

And now that you’re here, I hope you enjoy the Design Magic adventure as much as I have. The path is full of exciting  “aha” discoveries and “wow” moments. There’s never a dull moment in the world of Design Magic.

So, what’s it all about?

Design Magic is a really slick method for making your own designs and putting them on fabric with minimal tools and time. It’s faster than fusing and easier than appliqué! Here are the 3 main steps.

  • Create a design by cutting shapes from a square of black paper.
  • Make a set of equal and opposite stencils.
  • Stencil repeating images on fabric with paintstik colors and stencil brushes.

The book includes complete instructions for making your own designs and stencils (of course), but I’ve also included a set of pre-cut mylar stencils for those of you who just want to jump in and paint. Here’s a picture of some fabric I’ve painted with the Primrose stencils that are tucked inside the back cover of each book.

There’s way too much to tell you in a single post, so I’m not even going to try. If you want to see what else we are introducing at the Spring Quilt Market, jump on over to the New Products page on our website.

We’ll be shipping the new books and stencils out to our retailers and distributors within 2 weeks, so you won’t have to wait too long to get your own personal copy of Design Magic.

Happy painting!

Shelly

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Posted in General, New Products, Paintstiks, 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.

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

Discharge with Stencils ~ Playing with Stencils 4

Monday, December 14th, 2009
Susan Stein

Many of the techniques and tools we use every day allow us to add color or pattern to fabric. For a change of pace, let’s look at a couple of ways to remove color from fabric using discharge agents. In today’s lesson, we’ll use dishwasher gel and discharge paste along with our stencils to add patterns to our fabric while removing color.

Supplies:
~Leaves stencils [Cedar Canyon Textiles]
~Cotton, silk, or rayon fabrics in dark colors (see special considerations)
~Dishwasher gel with chlorine as the active ingredient
~Bleach Stop™ neutralizer powder [www.DharmaTrading.com]
~Discharge paste by Jacquard [www.DharmaTrading.com]
~Sponge brush (see special considerations)
~Spray adhesive like 404™ [Spray and Fix]

Special Considerations for Working with Discharge Techniques

  • Work outside or with good ventilation.
  • Avoid this technique if you have respiratory problems.
  • Always do test swatches before beginning a large project- sometimes results are surprising, even on plain black fabric.
  • Do not use a natural bristle brush or sea sponge with chlorine-based discharge agents.
  • Do not use chlorine-based discharge agents on silk.

Discharge with Dishwasher Gel

The first technique uses dishwasher gel to remove color from the fabric. Purchase a dishwasher gel that contains chlorine bleach. (It should be clearly stated on the label.) And be sure to test the gel on a piece of fabric to see that it will, indeed, remove color from your fabric. (If the gel has been sitting on the shelf too long, the bleach may not be strong enough.)

Step 1

Prepare a neutralizing solution using a recipe of a solution of one teaspoon of Bleach Stop to one quart of water. Place the solution in a container near your sink.

Step 2

Place a piece of fabric (use only cotton or rayon for any chlorine discharge) on a plastic covered table.

Step 3

Spray the back of the stencil with adhesive and let dry.  Press the stencil onto the fabric.

Step 4

1_oak_cascade

With the sponge brush, fill the openings in the stencil with dishwasher gel.  The bleaching action will begin right away so work quickly. Remove the stencil and watch to see when the desired amount of color removal is reached.

Step 5

Immediately wash the fabric in warm, soapy water to remove the gel and then soak for 15 minutes in the neutralizing solution to stop the bleaching action.  Rinse and dry.

2_finished_oak

In this example, you can see a dramatic change in the color where the gel was applied.

4_finished_maple

This photo shows the back side of a batik fabric after it was discharged using the Maple stencil. Sometimes the back is more subtle and harmonious with the color of the fabric.

Discharge with Discharge Paste

Discharge paste is an amonia-based product. It is safe for discharging all types of fabric, including silk and synthetics. Discharge paste is manufactured by Jacquard Products. Note that you will not need a neutralizing solution for working with discharge paste.

Step 1

Place a piece of fabric on a plastic covered table.

Step 2

Spray the back of the stencil with adhesive and let dry.  Press the stencil onto the fabric.

Step 3

5_silk_dischargepaste

Using a foam brush, fill in the openings in the stencil with discharge paste.

7_batik_dischargepaste

You won’t see any change in the fabric at this point, just a wet look, as shown on the batik fabric in the photo above.  Let the paste dry.

Step 4

After the fabric is dry, take the fabric to the ironing board and set the iron for the fabric you are using.  Using steam, iron over the discharged areas, keeping the iron moving to avoid making impressions of the steam holes.  Continue ironing until all areas have changed color.

Step 5

Wash the fabric in soapy water to remove any odor.

8_finished_batik

Batiks work very well for this process, as they retain a faint version of the waxed-in pattern while the background color changes drastically.

6_finished_birch

Silk noile will have a very textured look, due to the nubby surface which doesn’t absorb as much paste.

Extra Credit

Use the same fabric with different discharge agents and compare the results. Discharge paste and bleach-based products will often create a different result. You may also see a difference in the results using two different bleach-based products!

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Posted in "How To" Information, Guest Artist, Stencils | 3 Comments »

Expandable Paint & Glitter ~ Playing with Stencils 2

Monday, November 30th, 2009
by Susan Stein

Here’s a wonderful way to create textured snowflakes on fabric using paint, glitter, and the new set of Snowflakes stencils from Cedar Canyon Textiles.

Supplies:

expandable_paint_setacolor~ Snowflake stencils [Cedar Canyon Textiles]
~ Black fabric
~ Sponge brush
~ Expandable paint [Setacolor™ by Pebeo]
~ Fine glitter, silver [Art Glitter]
~ Piece of copy paper
~ Heat gun (from the craft store, used for embossing) or powerful hair dryer
~ Heat resistant surface
~ Spray adhesive [404™ Spray and Fix]

Note: assemble all supplies and have them ready, as this technique requires working quickly.

Step 1 – Prepare the stencil

Spray the back of the stencil with adhesive and let dry so the glue does not transfer to the fabric.  Stick the stencil onto the fabric.

Step 2 – Apply paint

apply_paint

With the sponge brush, fill in the stencil openings with expandable paint.

Step 3 – Remove stencil, apply glitter

apply_glitter

Immediately remove the stencil and sprinkle glitter over the wet paint.  Don’t be afraid to sprinkle extra glitter on the fabric because you can reclaim it later.

Step 4 – Clean stencil and brush

Quickly wash the stencil and brush as the paint dries fast and cannot be removed when dry.

Step 5 – Reclaim excess glitter

Fold a piece of copy paper in half and shake the excess glitter off the fabric into the fold.  Pour the glitter from the paper back into the container.

Step 6 – Expand the paint

expand_paint_with_heat_gun

Place the fabric on a heat resistant surface.  With the heat gun or hair dryer held about 3” above the fabric, heat the paint until it puffs up. The paint dries very quickly once you begin the heating process, so there is no need to wait for it to dry before you expand the paint.

More about expandable paint

The Setacolor Expandable Paint is referred to as a medium on some art supply sites. It can be mixed with (or used underneath) other paints to make them expandable. Mixing the expandable paint with another textile paint will produce a pastel version of the color and it may be quite dull. Applying the expandable paint, and then another color over the top will keep the colors bright.

If you are using the expandable paint with glitter, there is no need to mix it with another color. The paint is simply acting as an adhesive for the giltter.

Resources

Learn more about stencils from Cedar Canyon Textiles here.

Art Glitter can be found at ArtGlitter.com.

Setacolor Expandable Paint can be found at FiberOnAWhim.com, joggles.com, or DharmaTrading.com.

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Posted in "How To" Information, Stencils | 1 Comment »

Playing with Stencils — A Series by Susan Stein

Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Susan Stein

Susan Stein

I’m thrilled to introduce a new series of short lessons involving stencils and non-traditional materials. This series has been put together by Susan Stein of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Susan is a talented quilter, author, instructor, and recently retired quilt shop owner. Susan’s most recent books are Fabric Art Workshop and Fabric Art Projects, both from Creative Publishing, International.

Susan traveled to Houston with me in October to help out at Fall Quilt Market. She brought a number of fascinating samples made from our new stencils, most made with techniques and materials that are not a part of main-stream quilting. I’m so glad she was willing to put this series of lessons together for us. So, without further ado, here’s the first installment in the Playing with Stencils series!

Liquid Frisket through a Stencil ~ Playing with Stencils 1

by Susan Stein

This technique is for working with paper, not fabric.

Supplies:
shiva_liquid_masque~ Cedar Canyon Textiles stencils
~ Shiva® Liquid Masque™, commonly called liquid frisket (actually latex)
~ Disposable sponge for frisket
~ Sponges and sponge brushes for paint
~ Spray adhesive like 404™ Spray and Fix
~ Heavy paper, colored, marbled, or printed (fabric does not work)
~ Watercolor paper, white
~ White eraser
~ Opaque paint like Lumiere™ by Jacquard
~ Transparent paint like Dye-na-Flow™ by Jacquard

Step 1 – Prepare the stencil

Spray the back of the stencil with adhesive.  Let it dry so the adhesive won’t transfer to the paper.  Stick the stencil onto the paper.

Step 2 – Apply frisket to paper

apply_liquid_masque

Apply frisket to paper through openings in stencil

With a sponge or sponge brush, fill the stencil openings with frisket.  I use a sponge and very light application, which gives a less defined image-use the mask more heavily if you want a perfectly shaped image.  Pull the stencil off immediately so the frisket doesn’t lift off the paper with the stencil, and then let the paper dry.  Rub the excess frisket off the stencil with your finger or an eraser.

liquid_masque_on_white_paper

Liquid Masque on water-color paper

Here’s another photo showing frisket applied to white water-color paper.

Step 3 – Paint the paper

paint_over_liquid_masque

Apply paint over entire paper

Paint over the paper, using as many colors as you like.  You can paint right over the image, since the frisket will act as a resist.   Let the paint dry.

Step 4 – Remove frisket, add additional colors if desired

With a soft eraser, remove the frisket.  If you are using white watercolor paper and transparent paint, dilute a contrasting color and wash it over the white image and into the background.  Let the paint dry.

Note: papers vary greatly and the only way to predict your results is to do a test sample.

Finished Samples

finished_samples_using_liquid_masque

Left: Frisket applied to colored paper using Oak Leaves stencil. Paper painted with copper paint, then sponged with a second paint. Frisket removed to reveal paper.

Center: Frisket applied to dark, marbled paper using Birch Leaves stencil. Paper sponged with copper paint. Frisket removed to reveal paper.

Right: Frisket applied to white textured paper using Birch Leaves stencil. Paper painted with copper paint. Frisket removed to reveal white paper. Paper painted with translucent paint.

Learn more about stencils from Cedar Canyon Textiles here.

Shiva® Liquid Masque is available at art supply stores and online sites.

404 Spray and Fix adhesive is available at quilt shops and sewing stores. Or check the list of retailers at JT Trading for a source.

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Posted in "How To" Information, Stencils | No Comments »

Fabulous Faces Tutorial

Monday, November 16th, 2009

A few months ago, I posted some of Lauren Vlcek’s Fabulous Faces. Lauren has been suffering through computer problems, but she was able to send the information and photos for a tutorial. So without further ado, here’s Lauren.

Paintstik Portraits, by Lauren Vlcek

cover_faceI fell in love with Shiva Paintstiks the very first time I tried them.  They are reminiscent of the big fat crayons that I used when I was young.  Just looking at them takes me back to a time when art projects were about exploration and play!  Paintstiks are a stick form of oil paint. I love the freedom of oil paints since they don’t dry out quickly.  They are smooth and wonderfully fun to blend with your fingers.

I love any art project that includes fabric and the paintstiks are designed for fabric.  To make the paintstik portraits, you apply them a little differently than the traditional methods.  The faces on my art journal pages are painted on a separate piece of muslin and then cut out and collaged onto the page. However, you can use the same method directly onto an art quilt or even a canvas.

Supplies

01_supplies_small

  • Shiva Paintstiks- antique white, dusty rose, beige, mauve, meadow green/wedgewood blue
  • muslin
  • gesso
  • fine pencil
  • extra fine line artist’s pen
  • Decocolor white paint pen
  • gel pens
  • spray fixative

Step 1

02_gesso_small

Tape a piece of muslin to your work surface with masking tape.  Using a high thread count muslin works best.  Paint two layers of white gesso on the muslin. Allow the first layer to dry before adding the second.

Step 2

03_face_outline_small

When the gesso is completely dry, remove the masking tape.  Draw a faint outline of the head and neck with pencil.  Spray lightly with a workable fixative or your pencil lines will be smudged when you add the paint.

Step 3

I like to use the paintstiks from lightest to dark.  Fill in the outlined area with antique white.  The area covered with antique white can be spread smooth with a filbert brush or your finger.

Step 4

04_beige1_beige2

To add some shadow around the outer edge of the head and in the eye areas approximately halfway between the chin and the top of the head, use a beige paintstik.  Again, this paint can be smoothed with a brush or finger.  While you are smoothing the eye areas drag the inner edges of each straight down to create a shadow along the sides of the nose.

Step 5

05_rose1_rose2

Apply dusty rose paintstik to the cheek areas and blend with a brush or finger.  This color can be dabbed between the beige and antique white around the face to give the face rosier complexion.  Then smooth as before.

Step 6

If you lost most of the antique white areas during the smoothing, you can put them back in by adding some more right over the top using the paintstik and then smoothing them out with a brush or finger.  It is nice to have some white highlighted areas at the forehead, along the bridge of the nose and on the chin.

At this point your face will have color, shape and shadow and is just beginning to resemble a face, but there are no details yet.  The paint needs to dry for 24 hours. When the paint on your face is fully dry, spray it with a workable fixative.

Step 7

06_feature_outline_small

Draw basic feature outlines with an extra fine micron pen in black or brown.  Draw the eyes, nose, brows and lips.  Spray lightly with workable fixative.

Step 8

07_eye_lip_color_small

Using a meadow green, wedgewood blue, or chocolate paintstik put a dot of paint in the iris area and smooth with a small brush.  Don’t worry if you lose some of the detail line at this time.  Use the mauve paintstik to dab some color on the top lip and dusty rose for the lower lip, again, blend with a small brush.  Allow the paint to dry.  These small areas don’t usually take 24 hours, but overnight is a safe bet.

Step 9

08_finished_face_small

The finishing details of the face are quick and easy.  Replace any detail lines that were obscured with the extra-fine micron pen and draw in a black pupil.  If you want you can outline the iris in a gel pen that matches the eye color you chose in step 8.  Use a fine, white Deco paint pen to put in the whites of the eye and tiny highlights on the tip of the nose and along the top tip of the upper lip and in the center of the lower lip.  You can also put a small dot of white in the eye where the pupil meets the iris at about 1:00.  This brightens the eyes and gives the illusion of a light reflected off a wet surface.  Be sure to spray the entire face a final time with fixative.

sunny_day_small~ Lauren Vlcek lives and teaches various classes in the Colorado Springs area, including one on her lovely faces. She’ll be teaching this class at the 2010 Textile Evolution Art Conferences. (You can visit www.TextileEvolution.com for more details.) Lauren is co-author of a new book called Fabric Embellishing: The Basics and Beyond from Landauer Publishing. It has just been released.

Shelly’s Note

Many thanks to Lauren for providing us with this wonderful step-by-step look at painting faces with Shiva Paintstiks! Have a question? Post a comment!

And as always, happy painting…

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Posted in "How To" Information, Guest Artist, Paintstiks | 4 Comments »

Lauren Vlcek’s Fabulous Faces

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Your email:

 

A couple of weeks ago, I received the most wonderful letter in the mail. It was a note from artist and teacher Lauren Vlcek (pronounced vel-check), from Colorado Springs. Her letter was accompanied by photographs of two of her journal covers with amazing faces. Here is a paragraph from her letter and a couple of photos of her journal covers.

caffeine_queen_small

I have been enjoying your Paintstiks tremendously! I love the slogan, “What will you do with Paintstiks today?” In answer to that question… I have been painting women’s faces for my art journals with them. I am so happy with the results. All of my artist friends who have seen what I have been doing ask me to teach them how I do it. the process is so simple and we have been having so much fun, I thought I would write to you and share what I have been doing with your product. I have included a couple of samples and hope you enjoy them.

sunny_day_small

Needless to say, I promptly contacted Lauren – I wanted to know more about how she was making these fabulous faces. They were so enchanting! I was just delighted when Lauren offered to send more photos and was willing to share them with all of us on the blog. Here are a two close-up images of more faces.

frida_facecover_face

Lauren was kind enough to share some information about her painting process. She starts with muslin and applies two coats of white gesso. Once that is dry, she draws a faint outline of the head and neck with a pencil and sprays the fabric with a workable fixative so the pencil lines don’t smudge.

Next, Lauren fills the outlined area with Antique White paintstik color, smoothing with her fingers or a brush. (Finger paints, anyone?) She uses Beige paintstik to add shadows around the outer edges, and for the eyes, nose and chin, then adds some “blush” with Dusty Rose.

Once the face has color (but no details), she allows the paint to dry for 24 hours and sprays it again with fixative. She then draws the feature outlines with a micron pen. She applies green, blue, or brown paintstik color for eyes, and Mauve for the lips with a small brush.  (But I’ll bet that Frida’s lips are from one of the Red colors!). Once again, she allows the faces to dry overnight and then adds the finishing details to the eyes and lips. After one final coat of fixative, she adds the hair with acrylic paints.

Lauren teaches various classes in the Colorado Springs area, including one on her lovely faces. She’ll be teaching this class at the 2010 Textile Evolution Art Conferences. (You can visit www.TextileEvolution.com for more details — the 2010 class schedule will be posted in mid-September). Lauren has offered to write up a tutorial on her faces for the blog — so stay tuned. (If you want to get notices when new blog entries go up, you can subscribe to our RSS feed on the top-right corner of the blog.)

Well, that’s what Lauren’s up to… what do YOU do with paintstiks? If you would like to share your paintstik adventures here on the blog, please send us a message (or a real letter!). You’ll find our address on the Contact page on our site.

Have a wonderful day, and happy painting!

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Posted in General, Guest Artist | 10 Comments »

Easy Paintstik Placemats

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Welcome to Day 10 of the Minnesota Designer’s Blog Hop. I’m so glad you stopped by to join the fun.

ShellyShellyI’m Shelly Stokes, and I’m the owner of Cedar Canyon Textiles. Most people know me as the “paintstik lady.” I discovered this wonderful paint product about 10 years ago in a book from the UK. You can read more about my adventure with paintstiks by clicking over to the “About” page on our website.

I’m back from the big Bernina University event in San Francisco and ready to serve up some serious paintstik fun! (At least now that I’ve recovered from that red-eye flight… it seemed like a great idea when I booked the flight, but I’m not at all sure I’ll do that again!)

Leave a comment today to tell me how you will use your placemats or who will receive them as a gift. From all the comments today, we’ll choose a lucky winner for a Paintstik Starter Pack. You’ll get a set of iridescent painstiks, a copy of Painstiks on Fabric, and one set of our rubbing plates. Now, let’s get started!

Easy Paintstiks Placemats

You can download the free pattern from the Learning Center. While you are there, download the Top Tips for Great Rubbings that were discussed in an earlier post on the blog as you will need the instructions from Top Tips for painting your placemat fabrics.

As with all paintstik projects, you need to have a “paint day” and a “sewing day” to make Easy Paintstik Placemats. If you plan them a week apart, the paint will have plenty of time to dry. Plan for at least 3 days to avoid issues with wet paint — trust me — you really do have to let the paint dry for a couple of days or you’ll be making a mess!

Materials for Easy Paintstik PlacematsI chose Gradations fabric from Benartex for this project because the graduated color changes adds a wonderful effect to the finished project. I especially like the Rainbow versions of this fabric because the color changes happen faster than they do with the other variations. If you don’t have Gradations fabric handy, just choose a nice fabric from your stash that is not an obvious print — because you’ll be making your own!

Here is a quick overview of the sequence for making the placemats. The complete instructions are in the pattern on the Learning Center.

Work Day 1: Paint your fabric

Paint FabricFirst, paint about half of each placemat “top” using your favorite set of Cedar Canyon rubbing plates. I made up fabric for 6 placemats, one from each of the Curves plates. To make “piled up” rubbings like this, I put my fabric over the rubbing plate and paint a part of the image. Then I move the fabric a bit and paint the next partial image, overlapping it a bit with the first image. You can read more about this technique in the Top Tips document you downloaded from the Learning Center.

After you finish painting, set the fabric aside for at least 3 days to allow the paint to dry. Allow 5 – 7 days if you live in a really humid area. After the paint is dry, you can heat set the paint by tossing the fabric in the clothes dryer on the hottest setting for 30-40 minutes. (Don’t even think if putting the fabric in your dryer until it dries for at least 3 days — and if you do, don’t call me!)

Work Day 2: Stitch Placemats

2_cut_strips

The assembly for the placemats is really fast and easy. First, cut the painted fabric in 3″ strips.

3_reverse_strips1Then, reverse the strips so the painted end of the strips alternates between one end and the other. Number the strips 1 through 5.

4_add_stripsThe placemats are assembled with a sew-and-flip method. Layer your backing and batting, and mark a line 8″ from one long edge of the batting. Put strip 3 face up next to this line, add strip 4 face down on top of strip 3, then stitch with a quarter inch seam. Flip strip 4 open and press. Add the remaining strips using the same sew-and-flip method.

Placemat with bindingAfter you add all the strips, trim the placemats to get a nice finished edge, add binding, and you have an Easy Paintstik Placemat!

Bonus – Make a matching Table Runner

You can make a table runner to coordinate with your placemats by simply starting with a wider piece of fabric. Rather than starting with a 16 x 19 piece of fabric, start with 16 x 36 — or the width of the fabric if you have a big table. Again, paint half of your fabric with rubbings, leaving the other half plain. Use the same assembly steps that you used for the placemats and you’ll have a matching ensemble for your table.

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Posted in Minnesota Designer's Blog Hop, Paintstik Projects, Rubbing Plates | 452 Comments »

Top Tips for Better Rubbings

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

shellyHey folks! This is the week for the big Minnesota Designer’s Blog Hop! (You can read all about it by clicking on the logo over on the right hand side of your screen.) I’m on my way out of town for the big Bernina University event in San Francisco, so my turn on isn’t until July 1. In the mean time, you can click on over to the other blogs to see what’s happening around the great state of Minnesota.

I’m going to show you a great project on July 1. I call them “Easy Paintstik Placemats.” To get ready for the event, I pulled all my tips and tricks for making great rubbings into a single document. Finally! This little gem of a handout covers a bunch of topics that I’ve covered over the course of 3 or 4 blog articles. You can download the article by visiting the Learning Center on our site. If you prefer the “chatty” version,  you can follow these links to past blog articles. Here’s what’s covered…

Top Tips for Better Rubbings

The Big 3

The Top 3 Tips are first on the list. You need the right tools for the right job. Get a grip with a Grip-n-Grip mat from Bear Thread Designs, 404 sticky spray from the folks at Spray and Fix, and learn to use the side of your paintstiks. The articles that covered these topics are Better Tools, Better Rubbings (part 1), and Better Rubbings (part 2).

Making rubbings from a single plate

Next up are tips for making the actual rubbings. In the fist section, I’ve provided my recipe for filling your fabric with images from a single rubbing plate. The process here is pretty simple. Make the first rubbing from a portion of a rubbing plate, move the fabric, do it again, and so on until you fill up your fabric to look something like this.

floral_rubbing_partial2

giftbagsrgbOnce you have a lovely piece of fabric, you can make a wonderful project from it. Bosa Nova Bags, anyone? We’ll be using this technique for the placemats, so I really recommend that you download the Top Tips document and keep it on hand for next week.

Rubbing Plate Portraits

The second rubbing plate technique is working with a single image and adding multiple colors. I like to call these rubbing plate “portraits.” This is where the side of your paintstik comes in handy — big time! We all know that you can’t “see” the rubbing plate under your fabric, but you can find all the design elements by making a very light rubbing with the side of a paintstik. This will help you keep from “running off the edges” as you go back to make the image darker or add multiple colors. This was discussed in the post called Fixing Mistakes, Working with Multiple Colors. (Go to the 2nd half of the article.)

block_portraits1

Here are a couple of block portraits that use multiple colors. We’ll be talking more about the “portrait” technique in July as we debut the new Paintstiks Patches pattern.

Correcting Mistakes

Finally, the Top Tips handout covers a simple fix for minimizing mistakes that happen to me on a regular basis. If I’m in a hurry, or just not paying attention, I often “run off the edge” of my rubbing plate and leave a mark where I did not want one. Well, I found a way to minimize (if not eliminate) these irritating little mistakes. I put masking tape over the unwanted paint, rub it real hard with my finger nail, and then lift off the paint! I may not get every little bit of paint off, but it looks a whole lot less obvious than when I started. You can read the blog entry on Fixing Mistakes for more details.

For your own personal copy of the Top Tips for Great Rubbings handout, visit the Learning Center. Click on the document title and it will be downloaded directly to your computer.

Leave a comment, win a prize?

Have a wonderful time with the Minnesota Designer’s Blog Hop. I’ll see you here on July 1! If you leave a comment on this blog on July 1, you’ll have a chance to win a Paintstik Starter Pack  — that’s a copy of Paintstiks on Fabric, a set of paintstiks, and a set of rubbing plates.

starter_pack_blog

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Posted in General, Minnesota Designer's Blog Hop, Rubbing Plates | 128 Comments »

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