12 Days of Christmas 2015 – Day 8 – Velvets, metals and more

I have some Christmas decorations I am going to show you, but I don’t have the photos ready, so I will post a second post later today.  In the meantime, here is today’s Christmas special bundle.  It is actually one of my favourite.

Alysn Midgelow Marsden’s book is terrific.  You also get some metal shim, metallic foils, metal wax and a fat quarter of velvet.  Colours of the velvet and wax will vary.  This special is less than half price.  All four items included with the book are great fun to play with.  This link will take you to a post I did some time ago on using metallic foils:

Three fabulous ways to use Foils on Fabric

You can just get the book by itself if you prefer.  Both specials are great value.

Here is where you will find the Book Bundle special:  http://www.uniquestitching.com.au/p/9121860/12-days-of-christmas—stitch-fibre-metal-and-mixed-media-book-by-alysn-midgelow-marsden.html

 

 

12 Days of Christmas 2015 – Day 5 – Gelatos are not always Ice Cream

Well, actually they are never “Ice cream” but we don’t need to split hairs here.  One of my most favourite mixed media products are the full range of Design Memory Craft brand:  Gelatos, Big Brush Pens, Wax Crayons and all the associated supporting products.  Faber Castell have developed the Design Memory Craft brand to seperate out their pure ‘artist’ products from the mixed media range.  The Design Memory Craft stable is fantastic and growing.  Keep an eye out for it.  For the next two days, I have 30% off the full range of products in stock.  Use 12Day5  as your discount code at the checkout.  Here is the link to all the products: http://www.uniquestitching.com.au/c/4536033/1/design-memory-craft-by-faber-castell.html.

When I first started seeing Gelatos used overseas, I knew I wanted to get my hands on some to have a play. This was about two and half, three years ago.  I rang around about 20 different art and craft stores and almost universally I got the response:  “you know we are not an ice cream store, right?”  Yes I knew that.  Anyway, I ordered my first set online and fell in love with them.  Now they are everywhere, but I still love them and most people are not demonstrating them very comprehensively so you don’t get to see the full potential of this collection of goodies.  I try to always have the full range available on my website under the Mixed Media category.

I use the gelatos as my principle love and all the others as the support network.  I use them on every surface I can lay my hands on from paper and card to leather and all things inbetween.  I really love them on canvas, fabric and other slightly absorbent surfaces.  Gelatos are a water soluble wax crayons.  So you can use them as a wax, as a water colour, added to anything water based to change the colour such as gel medium or gesso, and dilute with water directly or indirectly such as into a mister.  Once set, they don’t shift so you can paint or embellish over the top of the first layer.  If you are using Gelatos on fabric and think it will need to be washable, you need to use some Textile medium in the mix somewhere.

There are a huge number of video tutorials available for all of these products.  I will share a couple.

This one is super basic, but covers a lot of introductory techniques:

Faber Castell has a page of tutorial videos here:  http://www.fabercastell.com/design-memory-craft-us/video-gallery

I particularly like the ones done by Donna Downey, so check some of those out.  They are all short and sharp and full of content.  Here is one to get started with.

Briefly on the other products in the range, my second favourite are the Big Brush Pens.  They are India Ink and are permanent on pretty much anything.  They are great to stamp with or draw or colour and then use a gelato wash or spray over the top.  The wax crayons are really cool too.  I use them as an encaustic more than anything else.  You all know how much I like to melt things.  This wax is great for melting as an encaustic or a resist.  The mediums are okay too, but the Texture Luxe and Texture Gems are awesome.  Check them out.  I am sure you will enjoy using them all.

 

12 Days of Christmas 2015 – Day 3 – Ice Resin Jewellery or Ornaments

On the third day of Christmas we add some bling.  There is always room for bling.  Ice resin is a fabulous, jewellery quality cold resin that is easy to use.  You can get it in syringe or in larger bottles. The syringe is a perfect way to start and see if you like this as it measures out the two parts of the resin perfectly without you worrying.  Once measured out, you simply stir gently and then use it in hundreds of different ways:  to fill bezels, seal paper, glaze objects or even as a strong, clear glue.  There hundreds of uses and if you go to You tube, dozens of tutorials and projects.  Today I am going to keep it a bit simple and stick to the basics.

This is todays 12 Days bundle:

You get some resin, a packet of Mica Tiles (trust me you are going to want those) and three to five bezels.  The bezels will vary from bundle to bundle.  Lets see how to use it and get some ideas.

This video introduces the creator of the ice resin and shows you how quick and easy it is to use.

Here is a video showing you some simple steps in adding media to the bezel.  Take the ideas and add your own bits, found objects, paper, fabric, glitter, beads, anything and seal it with the resin.

I have made numerous embellishments with bezels and ice resin.  At this time of year, this is a great way to personalise Christmas ornaments.  Here are a couple of samples I have made:

 

               

If you would like to have a play with this fabulous product, follow this link from now until December 10 2015.

http://www.uniquestitching.com.au/p/9096450/12-day-3—ice-resin-bundle-.html

 

 

 

Angelina Fibre Butterflies

I have added a little video to Youtube showing you how to make these super cool Butterflies.

I hope you like it, please share.

 

Mixed Media Canvas

I am building a range of mixed media canvases, pages and more for the Scrapbooking and Papercraft Shows.  I am not a papercrafter and I don’t really get the ‘scrapbooking’ thing, but I do like working on canvases.  Here is one I have just completed.

I have used a very eclectic mix of objects in here, but it is still a structured and formal layout.

There are two Tim Holtz products:  A pre printed Hessian canvas from the District Market range (Clockmaker) and my all time favourite Clock faces – Timepieces from the Ideology ranges.  The photo is one I have licenced from www.depositphotos.com.

the quote is transfered using Transfer Artist Paper on to Kraft Tex.  I really liked the effect of this and to finish it of a bit, I have stitched around the edge with my maching.

The knives and the upholstery fabric behind them came from one of the local charity op shops.  I liked the texture on the knife handles.  I applied two coats of gesso and then painted two coats of Jacquard Textile Colour in Raw Sienna.  Once it was dry, I heated some embossing powder over the surface to ‘tarnish’ it a bit.  I don’t know the brand or colour of the embossing powder as it is very, very old and I can’t read the jar.  The knives are no longer relevant as cutlery, they are there for their horizontal lineal look.

What do you think?

Darling Harbour Pop Up Classes

Jane Davila will be attending the Darling Harbour Craft and Quilt Fair as my guest artist.  She will have a lovely little Guest Artist space at the front near the entry and will be running some classes.  I will also have Jocelyne Leath and me running classes.

The Darling Harbour Craft Fair Friend is not up yet, but I can share the most important bit – my pages!

Click on the link below to download the details of what we are all teaching and please join me.  It will be fun!  You can book now at http://tinyurl.com/cqtaf2y

Darling Harbour Pop Up Classes Unique Stitching

 

A Quilting Arts Gift Challenge – Make a Tag

Quilting Arts Gift are running a challenge.  You need to make a gift tag.

Here is the link:  http://www.quiltingdaily.com/media/p/45043.aspx

Or you can download a pdf of all the details here:  QAGifts_GiftTagChallenge2013

 

Unique Fabric Art in Perth

The Perth Quilt and Craft Fair is only about four weeks away.  Running from 23 to 27 May in the Perth Convention Centre.  We will be there with the usual array of dyes, paints, fibres, felts, fabrics, magazines, books, silks and more.  This year I will have my new fabrics – hand dyed cotton Sateens and the some of the gorgeous 50%cotton, 50% silk Radiance as well as lengths of silk georgette and cotton scrim.

As part of my stand, I will have the Unique Stitching Studio.  The studio will have five textile art classes running each day of the show:  2 dyeing – one with Procion dyes and one with Indigo dye; 2 mixed media – one using Angelina and Lutradur, the other using TAP, Angelina, Lutradur and Kunin felt (shown); and one doing mono-printing with the fabulous new Gelli Plates.

You can pre book the classes on my website now at www.uniquestitching.com.au or you can book on the day.

For the fuller descriptions go to the website or you can find them here: Perth Studio Classes

If you join me, we will have a lot of fun and probably learn a heap too.

My Turtle Playground.

It may come as no surprise that I work a lot with textural fabrics.  I love using silks, velvets and other interesting fabrics to create depth and texture in a piece.  I am putting together some samples of how people can use non traditional fabrics in a traditional sense.  For example applique.  The elements of this piece are all from a Helen Godden pattern – Dolphin’s Playground.

I started with two off cuts of the Radiance, sewn together to create both a big enough piece, but a focal point.

I basted it on to some wading and stitch ric rac onto the surface.

Next I appliques some coral with pink/salmon/peach velvet.

Next I made a turtle.  The turtle is cotton sateen (head, tail, legs), Velvet shell, and a commercial cotton I had in a draw.

Next I made some star fish out of some velvets and silk jacquards.

I stitched all the pieces as I went so that the appliqueing did not get complicated.   I do what is effectively free motion applique – drop the feed dogs and go like the clappers around the edges of each shape.

I had some black and white and red fish, but decided that I was happy with out the red which would have dominated.

So here it is.  New sample number one.  What do you think?

This is not the best picture but I was running out of light.  You get the drift though don’t you?

“Unique Textile Art” Classes at Rosehill Craft and Sewing Show.

Following on from my previous post, I have now locked down the timing for my classes in a studio as part of my stand in Rosehill.  The Rosehill Craft and Sewing Show runs from 10.00 to 4.30 each day from 8th to 11th of March 2012.  It is at the Rosehill Race Course.  It is NOT the Stitches and Craft Show, which no longer exists.  The website for the show is here: http://www.craftandsew.com.au/.  All the workshops and events will be published there in the next few weeks.

So, three classes: one using Procion Dyes and two exploring some of the newer mediums such as TAP, Lutradur, Angelina, Foils, Bonding Powder, Inktense Pencils and other surface colouring products.  All three classes cross over a range of experience, from absolute beginners to people who have started playing with these media but are not sure where to go next.  There will be plenty of ideas and information shared but most importantly you will get hands on and try things for yourself and I guarantee you will have fun.  Each class will run for about an hour, with a bit of slippage.  Numbers will be strictly limited.

You can book at the stand on the day or prebook on www.uniquestitching.com.au.  I will hold places in each class every day for bookings on the stand but if you know you and/or your friends definitely want to do the class it would pay to prebook.

The first class starts at 11.00 each day and will be focused on the Angelina and Lutradur.  You can make Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), fabric postcards, or bookmarks.  Here are a couple of examples

The second class will be a dying class using Procion Dyes on cotton Fat eighths. It will run from13.15 each day.  You can choose three colours to blend to make 6 different colours.  Traditional colourways will be blue, red, yellow like this:

or a less traditional combination such as red, orange, purple like this:

other alternatives will be three blues or three greens, or three purple/pinks.

The third class is brand new, so much so that I only finished the sample in time to send the photo for inclusion.  It will run from 14.30 each afternoon.  This one explores Transfer Artist Paper (TAP), foils and a couple of colour products, predominantly the inktense blocks.  You will create a piece of embellished fabric that you can use as a small wall hanging, a cushion centre, a feature fabric or pretty much anything.  Here is my sample.  You can add more colours or more depth of colour with a couple of different products.

this sample is a bit crocked.  You will be given rulers so you don’t rush it like I did.  I am calling this Adelaide River because some of the images came from there and it is a place that has impacted on me.  I have tried to capture the poignancy of the location in the piece, but we will talk about using colour to add emotion to a project.

In the middle of all of this, somewhere between 12.00 and 13.00 I will do a traditional workshop in the workshop rooms on using different fabrics in your patchwork and quilting projects.

I hope that there is something here to tempt all of you living in the Sydney/NSW area and that you will join me.  Of course we will also have our full range of colour, fibre, fabric products; magazines and books; and so much more.

I will run similar classes (though not necessarily the same) in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane also this year.  See you there.