Fabric Tag

A week or so ago I showed some oiled paper on my desk which I was getting ready to stitch onto and make into fabric tags for a swap. I finished them this weekend. The 9 tags are all very similar.

Side 1 uses the oiled paper and this side of the tag is paper based. The oiled paper is made from ordinary copy paper which I have coloured with spray inks in various greens. Once dry I have brushed this with baby oil and then crumpled it repeatedly until it becomes very soft and 'fabric like'. I then iron my paper between newspaper sheets using a hot iron to blot out most of the oil. This paper can then be stitched easily. The flowers (mainly Paperartsy stamps) are stamped onto tissue paper, backed onto fusible webbing and then cut out. Free machine stitching is used to finish off.

The other side of the tag is all fabric and I have used stamped images, some scrim to add texture and free machine stitching to add detail.

Stitching the tags back to back neatly was a challenge! but they turned out OK. It was a time consuming project.

I have packed these up to send and re-read the oringinal instructions - both sides were meant to be on light coloured fabric - oh dear - I really can't face doing them again - hopefully the recipients will like them!

Art!

I finally have something worth blogging. Creativity has been a little slow lately but these experiments with oiled paper which I made for a swap turned out quite well. I have used ordinary cheap copy paper and coloured it with spray inks in the first two pictures and with Brusho watercolours for the third. The Brusho sheet was stamped prior to colouring with Stazon ink using some floral stamps from The Artistic Stamper. The papers were then coated with oil (extra virgin olive oil in this case). This is worked into the paper by crumpling it over and over. It should then take an hour or so to dry, however I used far too much oil and the paper remained very oily so I put it between sheets of newspaper and ironed it a number of times with a hot iron until the oil was mostly removed. The results were a fabric like paper that took stitch beautifully. The green paper has Mistyfuse ironed onto it to give a black cobwebby effect but it is hard to pick up in the picture. I have made an ATC with each piece and have treated the paper exactly like fabric, backing it with felt before machining.

Lutrador

On my latest Saturday class at The Bramble Patch we were experimenting with Lutrador, spray inks, fabric dyes and paints and printing phoographs onto fabric. The Lutrador was coloured to 'go with' a chosen photograph and then the printed photos were placed on the Lutrador and machine embroidered in as free a way as you wished.

This was my photograph

And this was my embroidered piece

I didn't really like it but I did like the offcuts of coloured Lutrador and completed a couple of 'sample' pieces at home. These are 6 x 4 inches and have been coloured with Adirondack Color Wash inks, gessoed and sprayed again. As the inks dry they lighten considerably creating a very subtle background.

This piece was gessoed and texture added to the gesso with a spatula. It was then 'painted' with fountain pen ink and sprinkled with salt grains. The salt grains were shaken off when the piece was dry. I then added some brighter spots of acrylic paint and backed the Lutrador with felt before machine embroidering over the painted sections with varigated matching threads.

This piece was just coloured with the spray inks then free machine embroidered with metallic thread. Toning beads were added in one section and the same metallic thread used to satin stitch one section and to fill another with french knots. If you click on the picture you should be able to see more detail although the colours don't show up very well.

Workshops

I love workshops - online and 'for real'. Some months ago I went on a 'real' workshop with Angie Hughes where we made woven bookwraps. I never really finished mine at the time but have just 'found' them and would like to to complete them - it's a cool idea. The idea was to weave strips of torn cloth, stamp and foil them, cover with organza and free machine over the top.

This is the first 'weaving stage

and here's one with some stamping and foiling added.

The finished piece below has been machined with gold thread and made into a book wrap.

I got quite carried away with these and have another ready to finish off ...

and here it is with red organza over - may decide to change this though - it's a bit too red for my liking!