I like to play around

I like to play around, don’t you?


Here are a few more ideas using Derwent Pencils.

Derwent Inktense Pencils

Here are a few more ideas from Mary in HOT Arizona. I bet she plays around inside A LOT!


First...if I draw a line with the pencil and use a paintbrush, filled with the aloe gel, on the line it will spread the really intense color out into surrounding areas, with the darkest concentration of color being where the line is.  You need to make sure that you're good with having a line still showing.
Second...if I put some of the gel into one of those little plastic palette indentations, then immerse the pencil sort of like drawing in the cup and mixing the color in until it's as deep a color as I'd like, I can use that colored gel like watercolors to paint on the fabric.  If you want it darker, just either add more of the color from the pencil or multiple layers of the color...or both.

Third...if I only need a really teensy bit of the color, I put a bit of the clear gel on my finger and roll/draw with the pencil until I get the intensity of color that I want.  Then I dip my brush into it and use it to paint the area.  The caution with this one is that if you need to color a medium to large area, the color consistency would be tough to achieve.

Also, there are special paint brushes for fabric that sort of scrubs the ink into the fibers of the fabric, which is needed.  You want the ink to be more than just surface.

When you wet the Inktense pencils, the color becomes very intense and beautiful, but like all liquid (gels included), it will spread the color and the moment that it dries it becomes permanent.  If you want to contain it within a specific area, your 24 pencil kit has an outlining pencil that is usually located on the end.  If you use it, that sort of silvery-grey color will be visible when you finish, however, so play with it to see whether you want to use it or not.  Also...when adding gel or other liquids to the Inktense on fabrics, give them at least 24 hours to dry thoroughly.

The clear colorless aloe gel that I buy comes from Walgreens in their suntan lotion section and usually runs me 2 tubes for $5, so it's pretty cheap.

Have you DYED yet?

Rather than Easter Eggs, let's Dye Fabric.

This is a fun class to take. It is based on my book Fabric to Dye For.

So many people, I think would like to take a dyeing class but are afraid it will be messy.

Let me show you how messy it isn't. These clips from two of the dye classes I taught this year give you a glimpse into the real action, and you can see it isn’t messy at all. You do need to have access to water.

Maybe your guild wants to learn how to DYE?

DYEING with Frieda–Hand dye fabric class

Design Wall Friday–new pattern Holiday Moments

I have several new patterns out just in time for the Holidays.

My latest pattern was inspired by making the tree skirt and fire screen for the Quilting Arts Gift Issue 2011-12.

I thought everyone would want to make really fun, bright and happy holiday wall quilts to go along with the skirt.

So I designed JOY

Peace

and LOVE

This has become my new mantra - Joy, Peace, Love. Each morning when I wake up I chant it to myself to bring these things into my life.  I hope you chant this to yourself each morning and encounter it each day. Pass it along too.

You can order the new patterns on the website. Each one is only 15” and the pattern has all three designs in one package. What a bargain.

Art Quilts Fused Collage

Laura and I have produced another brilliant project with Nancy Zieman from Sewing with Nancy. The work book has just been released – you can order it from Nancy’s Notions. Or if you are going to the Madison Sewing Expo next week it will be available there too, in our booth #835.

Art Quilts- Fusible Collage

 

I’m ready for my close-up. Filming is always fun, you never know what will come out of your mouth, anyway I don’t.

Laura hates makeup.

Working with Nancy is always a pleasure.

Laura can hardly ever keep a straight face.

The show will air this fall. I hope you all have Sewing with Nancy on your cable channels.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the show.

Design wall Friday

These fabrics have been hanging on one of design walls for awhile. I LOVE these fabrics, but I really can’t stand to cut them. I haven’t figured out yet how I can use them.

Any suggestions?

 

Ah Ha moment

I have been working on a prairie piece. It is three large panels that are about 26” x 32” each. I have made smaller versions of this quilt and wanted to change the quilting designs I used on them. On these larger pieces I wanted a more controlled look to the quilted grass.

Small quilt “Blowing in the Wind” 12” x 8”

While I was working on outline quilting all of the grass pieces in the first panel of the three pieces, I had an ah ha moment. I decided to create”templates” of grass fabric that I could quilt around but would be removed when I was done quilting. I knew I didn’t want to use just a drawn line and I knew I didn’t want to use paper as the paper won’t curve the way I wanted it to. It dawned on me I could just spray a piece of fabric with the product 505 spray adhesive and then cut out my 1/2” strip of “grass” template on the bias and position it on my quilt top where I wanted it, then outline quilt around it. Once I quilted around it I removed the bias cut strip and repositioned it somewhere else on the quilt top. It worked like a charm. I can reuse the pieces over and over again because the spray sticks repeatedly to different areas. It doesn’t leave a residue behind and it is easy to use.

This is the first panel quilted.

I’m now working on the second panel, the pins are only there to keep the fabric from shifting.

I think you can use this idea even with a larger template design. I’m going to try it out and let you know.

I dye alittle every day.

This is what I do every morning before I start my dye. I dye between 9-30 yards of fabric, for my workshops and patterns and sales.

This is how it looks each morning as I work.

That is rainbow gradation on the racks.