Embellishing With Foil

Hello, I am finally back and getting a chance to blog. Feels so good to return to the studio if only for  a few hours. Yesterday, I was experimenting with various methods of foiling. What a blast! I had such a great time and learned so much. Thought I would share my findings with you. So, here goes!Essentially, foiling requires a bonding agent to adhere the foil to the fabric. There are four main types of bonding agents: 1)Liquid Adhesives such as Jones Tones Foil Glue, Foil Transfer Adhesive, Modge Podge or Gel Mediums 2) BoNash Bonding Agent 3) Fusibles such as Mistyfuse or Wonder Under and 4) Transfer Tape or Stitch Withchery. Also, foiling can be done with or without heat. The secret to foiling without heat is to let the adhesive get "tacky" to the touch. Foil can then be applied, shiny side up and burnished with a spoon.  The first photo shows a vine that has been foiled with Jones Tones Foil, burnished with a spoon, no heat required. I love this raised 3 dimensional effect. 

Jones Tones may also be used with heat. If applied and allowed to dry thoroughly, the foil can be adhered with an iron. as shown on the right. Here, a plastic snowflake ornament was used to make an impression on a blue foam moldable stamp, The glue was painted along the edges of the design and stamped onto fabric. Once dry, foil was applied with a medium/hot temperature setting and subsequently burnished with a spoon. This creates a more 2 dimensional effect. There is also a thicker paste called Foil Transfer Adhesive put out by Laura Murray which works quite well. When applied and allowed to dry thoroughly, it creates a soft elegant look.

This can be seen in the sample at left with the grapes on a vine. I love this soft, ethereal look. I also tried using the more readily available Modge Podge and Gel Medium. The directions said to allow them to dry but I was never able to get them to work in that manner. Instead, I repeated the experiment by lightly brushing on a coat of adhesive and ironing foil on immediately. This produced a more solid foiled look. The photo below shows Modge Podge. Where you see flowers outlined with Lumiere 3D black paint is where the initial experiment took place of allowing the glue to dry, however very little

 foil transferred. The large flower in the bottom corner was created by stencilling a light coat of Modge Podge and applying foil immediately with heat. This seems to provide a more even coverage. Though, I will say, a little goes a long way! The photo below shows the same experiment with Golden Clear Gloss Gel Medium. Glue was applied and foiled immediately with heat. The results are quite similar. this concludes my results with Liquid Adhesives. I will also mention that the Foil Transfer Adhesive had a quicker drying time of about 30 minutes.  

   

Each adhesive has it's pros and cons. The second bonding agent, BoNash http://bonashstore.com/ was quick and easy to use. BoNash is a solid "grainy like" particle that may be sprinkled lightly over a stencil. Stencil is then removed and excess particles are cleared away before glue is activated with a hot iron. Once activate, apply foil, shiny side up and cover completely withh a pressing sheet. Iron and let cool before pulling foil away from fabric. This method transfers designs quite well as can be seen in the photo below with the butterfly. The third type of bonding agents  

includes fusibles. Choose your favorite fusible and cut out your shapes, place them on fabric, cover with foil, shiny side up. With a pressing sheet, iron on foil. In my mind, there are two main types of fusibles, Mistyfuse and Wonder Under. Mistyfuse has a looser web whereas Wonder Under is more of a solid sheet of glue consequently, Mistyfuse gives a more amorphous, organic feel whereas Wonder Under provides a more solid even coverage. Both work well for different applications.

Lastly, foil can be applies with Transfer Foil Tape by Jones Tones or Stitch Witchery. This method is great for achieving nice crisp lines on a design. Below is a photo of Stitch Witchery. You can see that there is more solid even coverage in some places and where the tape has stretched, the transfer becomes more weblike in appearance.

As I mentioned earlier, additional media such as 3 dimensional paints, acrylic textile paints, rhinestones or swarovski crystals, and mica or pearlescent powders provide interest to designs. When applying paint, remember to heat set with an iron. Bulky or 3 dimensional elements such as crystals should be added at the end. I would suggest using some form of craft glue or E 6000 to adhere embellishments. Foiling is a wonderful way to create eye pleasing designs but it is not wash fast. Jones Tones Foiling Glue is reported to have the best adhesive properties for washing. That being said, foil is heat sensitive. I recommend hand washing your foiled creations with cold water and woolite or placing them in the gentle cycle with cold water. Do NOT place items in the dryer; foil will melt. Also, NEVER, apply iron to a foiled surface; foil will come off leaving behind an adhesive residue and it will ruin your iron. Always use a pressing sheet with iron on a wool setting.

Some examples for foiling projects include wall hangings, doll clothes and scarves. Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed embellishing with foil and I wish you much happiness and success in your creative journey. 

Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop

Hello, welcome to the Studio Blog Hop. This is my quilting studio. My sewing cabinet was lovingly made by my father. It is made of oak and has three leaf extensions, three large drawers and a drop in sewing table. My fabric is stored in the large china cabinet shown in the far left corner of the room. On top of the 

china cabinet are bolts of fabric and an embroidery machine. To the right of the china cabinet is my ironing surface and underneathe is my thread cabinet that has seven drawers. I also have a cabinet with sliding glass doors where I keep books and magazines. On top is a wooden bin with six compartments  

for storing beads, buttons and other found objects. I also have an old treadle sewing machine which I use to hold my felting machine. In addition to my quilting studio, I have a painting studio. Here, I have an easel table for drawing and painting. My paints and mixed media supplies are stored in the  

colorful ten drawer carts. The large clear drawers on wheels house my stamps, stencils, heat gun, foils, etc... The leaf table provides a great area for working on projects. I absolutely love my paint rack that I purchased at a garage sale for only a dollar. What a bargain! I like to keep my color wheels on the   

   

my easel. There are two sets, one done on black fabric with opaque paints and the other done on white fabric with transparent paints. They are wonderful references, especially for mixing colors. I have also acquired some book shelves but they are not pictured here. I would love to get that set up but life has 

been kind of crazy lately. The large stacks of plastic cubes have 2 inch squares of fabric and are all sorted by color. They are fantastic eye candy and I hope to do something with them at some point. There is also a bathroom and a large closet off of this studio that provide easy access to water and additional storage. My family tease me that I have taken over the house but hey, I am the one that spends the most time here! So why not? Right? I hope you have enjoyed the tour. Thank you for stopping by. Please be sure to visit Amy Wright Weaver http://theweavershand.blogspot.com/
JudiHurwitt http://approachableart.blogspot.com
Jim Parrillo http://thinkjimcreative.tumblr.com
Lisa Chin  http://somethingcleveraboutnothing.blogspot.com/
Barb Forrister http://www.barbforrister.com/category/blog
Frieda Anderson http://www.friestyle.com/
Lynn Krawczyk http://fibraartysta.blogspot.com/
Cheryl Sleboda http://muppin.com/wordpress/index.php/blog/

  

3 Dimensional Mixed Media Flower Workshop

Hello, it has been a while since I last posted. I have been busily creating in the studio but in the meantime, I thought I would share with you, some of the delightful pieces that were created by my students in the 3 Dimensional Mixed Media Flower workshop that I taught earlier this year. The first piece, "Not Your Grandmother's Flower Garden" was made by Josie Davis. I love the stamping and stencilling she has done in the background and her lovely 3 Dimensional irises and calla lilies. Josie writes, "I'm bringing my piece to put at Wesley Show. It's called "Not your grandmother's flower garden". I really enjoyed making it and have tried some ideas of my own to make other leaves. Thanks, Josie Davis." Yay, Josie, I am thrilled! It's a beautiful piece.

 The second piece was created by Anita Mester and measures 8X10. I love the textured leaves that she has created along with her calla lilies and red rose made from variegated ribbon. Each of the pieces have been set on a painted background, layered and quilted. I really enjoyed seeing how different they all are and how each artist is able to create with their own signature style. Fantastic!This was the first time teaching this class and the students were a joy!

The third piece is a free standing iris that was created by Andrea Brokenshire. Here, Andrea opted for very rich shades of purple velvet. Yummy! I love the way she has created the stem and leaves. Can't wait to see what she does with it! She is a marvelous artist. In fact, every one of my students are brilliant artists and I was elated and honored to have them in my class. It's not every day, you have a superstar class! My good friend and student, Rob Bartlett writes, "I am not a stranger to fabric, but the idea of altering it, in terms of creating my own textiles, was daunting to me - much like a blank sheet of drawing paper can be daunting. Barb's workshop was a big stepping stone in helping me get over some of my fabric manipulation trepidation. I did not expect to be exposed to so many options for altering the color, texture, and structure of fabric and fiber. Barb gave us so many things to try that I couldn't complete them all. While I did not finish my flower, the techniques I learned while making it have inspired ideas for other projects, and I've since jumped into experimentation mode. Barb shared ideas, suggestions, and information freely during the workshop - something that I highly value. If you want to learn a lot of different ways to create your own textiles and effects, I recommend that you take her workshop!" Thanks, Rob! And thanks to each of my students for allowing me to share their work with you! They are amazing!

Quilt Con Comes to Austin

Wow, things are heating up here in Austin! I can't believe Quilt Con is just around the corner. In case you are wondering, Quilt Con is the first international quilt show for modern quilts hosted by Heather Grant of Austin Modern Quilt Guild. I think it is awesome that Austin was able to get in on the action. It is a fun town that is very amenable to showcasing art and modern movements. When I first heard the show would be held here, I was quite intrigued and had to do some studying on what exactly constituted a modern quilt. They are in fact neither art nor traditionally based but tend to be more utilitarian in nature and encompass a whole new palette of  

their own. Modern quilters employ alot of white and varying shades of gray in their work along with a predominantly solid array of fabrics which lend a very fresh and modernistic look. They may be pieced or appliqued and seem to focus on the use of negative space and minimalist design. I love working with negative space but minimalist design is quite a challenge for me and even more so, the use of solid colors as opposed to prints or tone on tones. Still, I had to try my hand at this new method of creating quilts. Time Travel is my response to the modern quilt movement. I am thrilled that it has been juried into the first ever international modern quilt guild show! How fun! Quilt Con will be held at the Austin Convention Center located at 500 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, Texas 78701 on Thursday, February 21st through Sunday, the 24th from 10-6 p.m. I will be helping to white glove on Thursday. On Sunday, you can find me at the Mistyfuse booth with Iris Karp. I understand she has a few new products you will not want to miss out on! Time Travel was created with Mistyfuse and my favorite Goddess Sheets. If you are in the area, please stop in and say hello. We would love to see you!

Kick Off Your Heels with Peacock High Heels

I'm back. Been playing in the studio these last couple of weeks decorating a pair of 5 inch high heels. Have to say, I had never done this before and now I am wondering why not?!!!! What a blast and I love the way they turned out. Late last year, Sue Bleiweiss and Jamie Fingal contacted me to ask if I might be interested in making a pair of shoes for Kick Off Your Heels fundraiser to benefit the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California. What a great cause! I have been wanting to try this for some time so I was

  happy to be on board. These shoes started off as a black pair of patent leather, designer 5 inch heels by Jessica Simpson. I really wanted them to be wearable so comfort was a big issue in deciding which shoes to start off with plus I loved the cutout of the inner arch. I next began by lightly scuffing the shoes with a super fine 400 grit piece of sandpaper to make them amenable for painting. They were painted with white textile paint by ProChem. This stage was definitely not the fun part as it took several coats of paint to cover the black entirely.

Once done, I pencilled in my design. Next, I gave them a wash of Celestial Alchemy interference paint by Stewart Gill. The idea here was to get a very light background color. In retrospect, I should have waited for this stage to pencil in my design as it was somewhat difficult to see once  the wash was applied. Next came the fun part; the decorative painting. I used a very fine brush and started painting the feathers with Silks Acrylic Glaze in a delicious array of colors including Ginger Peach, Rich Cobalt, Boysenberry, Mallard Green and Pretty Peridot. Wow, just naming those colors makes my mouth water. 

Once the feathers were completely painted, I continued with the peacock's head, crown and back in a variety of Stewart Gill and Setacolor paints. Next, the underside arches of the sole were painted a Venetian Gold color and the heels were embellished with a deep cobalt blue glitter applied with Modge Podge. I have to say, I was reticent about the glitter as it tends to come off and make a mess but this method worked beautifully! Finally, I decided I needed to add a little bit of my own 3 dimensional aspect to these shoes but in a subtle way. After all, I still wanted them to be wearable. Hence a fringed feather was painted and attached to the outside of the top of the heel to complete the shoes. They were then sprayed with several coats of clear gloss protective finish.

I love the way these turned out and can't wait to try my hand at a more casual pair of shoes. How fun! I am hoping these shoes will find their Cinderella. Please take a moment to chime in and offer comments. I would love to hear from you! To find out more about how you can help with this cause, please visit http://KickOffYourHeelsFundraiser.blogspot.com/ .

The Art in Fiber 2013 Show at the Copper Shade Tree Gallery

I am so jazzed to be a part of the Art in Fiber 2013 exhibit at the Copper Shade Tree Gallery. This year's show features work by so many talented artists and was juried by Karey Bresenhan of Quilts Inc. Wow, what an honor! One of the nice things about this venue is that all the work is original and made specifically for this event. This year, I have contributed two pieces, The Gift of the Magi and Plantasia. They are perhaps two of my best pieces yet and I am hoping they find a good home. The Gift of the Magi measures 30.75″ X 38.5” and was inspired from a photograph I took at Mayfield Park in Austin, Texas. It is the third piece in my peacock series and is a wholecloth painted piece embellished with stitch to add definition to the peacock's feathers.

.Plantasia measures 39.25″ X 28.5″was created as a 3 dimensional garden piece. To commemorate the new year, it has 13 large flowers consisting of 5 Calla Lilies, 2 Poppies, 3 playful imaginary flowers and 3 Irises. It also has a Lilac bush and a Tea Rose bush. The flowers extend off the quilt anywhere from a half inch to 5 inches off the surface. They are made with a variety of materials including beads, ribbon and yarn. If you get a chance to visit, I encourage you to stop in and visit the Copper Shade Tree Gallery located at 101 N. Live Oak at Henkel Square Market in Round Top, Texas or visit http://www.coppershadetree.com/wsx_store_selector_detail.php?selector=grouping&selector_id=aif2013 for more information. Thanks for stopping by.

 

Plantasia: Planting 3 Dimensional Fiber Flowers

Hello, it's been a while since I last blogged but I have been spending long days in the studio planting flowers in anticipation of my first piece of the new year. I am so jazzed about how it turned out! Plantasia measures 39.25" X 28.5"and is perhaps the best of my 3 dimensional pieces to date. The background is a hand dyed cotton that has been silk screened, stamped and painted with acrylics to create three large bushes. The first one with orange flowers (left) is situated next to a lilac bush which has tiny clusters of purple flowers made of wired ribbon.

The large bush on the right is a Tea Rose bush with tiny delicate red roses, again, formed from wired ribbon. The mid ground includes 5 Calla Lilies which were created with various layers of materials and stitched to add definition to the petals. The center stalk consists of beads set on a wire such that they stand up and add even more dimension to the flower.

 

Below, the Calla Lillies are two Poppies that are made of felt and machine stitched. I love the way the eye follows the red from the Tea Rose bush to the poppies and back. Adjacent to them are three colorful, 3

dimensional flowers in pink and yellow that stem from my own imagination. These flowers are made in two parts and are stitched together to form a playful flower. Finally, in the right corner are three graceful Irises that are heavily stitched and soft sculpted.

Here again, the eye is drawn from the yellow Callas to the centrally located, playful flowers and onto the Irises with their delicate yellow stamens. The tug and pull of color from one diagonal corner to another creating an "X" pattern helps to strengthen the design. The stems of the flowers are machine wrapped cording or dyed batting. Leaves consist of textured cotton or felt as well as hand dyed or painted cloth. Edges are finished with a facing.

These flowers were created for Open Studios at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, this past fall. I have been developing patterns for the above mentioned flowers along with the Tiger Lillies and other flowers found in "Austin tatious" as part of my 3 Dimensional Soft Sculpted Flower Workshop that I teach. Originally, I had intended to place the flowers in a pretty vase made of fabric such that the whole bouquet along with the vase would be free standing and completely 3 dimensional.

 

And I may at some point revisit that idea but for now, I am happy with the way this piece turned out. I love the play of color and depth that is present. It evokes a very serene feeling and makes me smile when I look at it. I hope that it creates the same happiness for others. Thank you for stopping by and I wish you all a most Happy 2013!!!! 

3D Flowers, Mixed Media Style and Color Your World With Beautiful Fabric

Happy New Year! 2013 is sure to be a fun, creative and prosperous year. So many things going on here in Austin. This month, I have a couple of workshops that I will be teaching, 3Dimensional Flowers, Mixed Media Style and Textiles: Color Your World with Beautiful Fabric. Each is very different and guaranteed to inspire! Learn to dye fabric or add dimension to your work. For more information on my 3D Flowers, Mixed Media Style workshop, please visit http://austinfiberartists.org/workshops-classes-and-play-dates or email taptile@austin.rr.com . For more information on my 6 week textile surface design course, please visit http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Parks/Dougherty/doughertyspringbrochure2013web.pdf and scroll down to page 16 of the catalogue. To register for this class, please visit http://austintexas.gov/department/dougherty-arts-center . I hope you will have a look and decide to treat yourself to one or maybe both. I look forward to seeing you!

A Few of My Favorite Things From Attached Inc and Havel's Sewing

Finally, with all my holiday shopping completed, I am getting a chance to return to this fun piece that I had put on hold. I have been in an abstract whirlwind as the year winds down, totally unusual for me but sometimes the art just has to come out as it will. This piece is still a work in progress but I thought I might post a mini tutorial about how I used Transdoodle, Mistyfuse and Goddess Sheets to arrive at this point. These are some of my most favorite products and I thought I would share them with you. They make my life so much easier! I first began with a sketch of unusual cogs and enlarged the main pattern to the desired size. Then came the fun part of choosing fabrics. Here, I chose to pull out all the wild and playful fabrics that had managed to make their way into my stash. I proceeded to iron Mistyfuse, a lightweight fusible to the back of my fabrics using a large Goddess Sheet. Mistyfuse is my absolute favorite fusible as it does not gum up the needles when sewing and does not interfere with the hand of the fabric. The Goddess Sheet is my ultimate choice for pressing sheets. If I get fusible on the pressing sheet, it wipes right off with a kitchen scrubber. Easy to clean, gotta love that!   

Once the Mistyfuse was fused to the back of my fabrics, I transferred my design to the right side of the fabric by placing a sheet of Transdoodle, chalk paper on top of the fabric. I then placed my pattern on top of the Transdoodle and with a mechanical pencil (containing no lead), I traced over the design to transfer the chalk image onto my fabric. Basically, just applying pressure allows the image to be transferred. So easy and no need for a light table or fooling around with trying to reverse the image! Once the design was transferred to the fabric, I used my favorite Havel Scissors to cut the design out. This particular pair of scissors happens to be micro serrated and cuts so beautifully. Such a joy to work with! I am hoping that I will have some time over the holidays to finish this project. As usual, deadlines are looming and I would love to eek out one more project before the New Year arrives. Hope you enjoyed this post and I wish you all, Happy Holidays!

Coasters for the Holidays: A Tutorial for Fast, Inexpensive Gifts

 

The holidays are upon us and I have been working on handmade gifts for my friends and family this week. I am so jazzed about the way they turned out! My barometer for success is feeling like I, myself would like to receive these and I would! Yay, it's a success! For only  $31 plus a few supplies from my studio and a quick trip to Home Depot, I have managed to make presents for almost everyone my list. I purchased a case of 100 4X4 tiles and a 32 oz can of Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane by Minwax. Within 3 days, I was able to make 25 sets of 4 coasters for each person on my list. Each set was made together such that they received the same colors and supplies. I began by first coating the tiles with a thin layer of  Isopropanol aka rubbing alcohol. Now 

 

. before you head out to purchase a big bottle of alcohol, let me say that for 100 tiles, I used approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup of alcohol. It really does not take much! Next, I added a few drops of ink. Remember the days when we used to mix alcohols with inks to make beautiful works of art? Well, it's the same concept here. I used both acrylic inks by Liquitex as well as Bombay India Inks by Dr. Ph Martin. The alcohol acts as both a carrier for the inks to travel across the tile and a drying agent. I typically used 2-3 colors per tile thus allowing a pleasing blend of colors. You may recall, I said  

it took me 3 days to finish 100 coasters. Well, I didn't mean 3 full days as part of this time was used for drying time along the way. Still, if you wanted to do it in 1 1/2 days, it is totally doable! Meanwhile, once the inks are dry, approximately 2-3 hours, I embellished the tile by stamping designs with gold metallic craft paint that I had in my studio. After the tiles dry (approximately 5-10 minutes), the edges were subsequently painted with a matching color of acrylic craft paint. Allow 20 minutes for edges to dry.

Turning out pretty good! Now, time to add the Minwax clear gloss sealer. Here, I added 2 thick coats to the top and sides of the coaster. It was allowed to cure for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. Next, I took a single sheet of acrylic felt that I had previously purchased from JoAnn's and cut it with a rotary cutter into small squares or rectangles to create a total of 400. I did not measure but simply guestimated size. When the tiles were dry, I hot glued felt squares to the bottom of the coaster in each corner. Wa la, done and gorgeous! I also had a go with using maps and photos of my artwork. For these, I used modge podge to adhere the maps and photos to the tiles. When dry, I noticed the edges of the photos had a difficult time adhering, so I used gel medium with a spatula to ensure that the edges were firmly glued in place. Once dry, they were coated with 2 thick coats of sealer and allowed to dry. Felt bottoms were added to protect the table surface.  

 I love that this was a fast, easy, enjoyable and inexpensive project that can be created alone or with friends and family. And best of all, it kept me away from the stores and crowds of people. Who knew a simple white 4X4 tile could be transformed into a work of functional art.

         

 I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I wish you a most Happy Holiday season.