I made some throw pillows this week using sun printed cloth that I created this summer. Stencils are a wonderful way to get pattern on fabric through sun printing. I love how throw pillows add color and make any space more cheerful.
I used the Amiens Plan cathedral stencil, the Hemp Flower stencil and the Bodacious Pods stencil. For the hemp flower and the pod stencil I traced the stencil onto freezer paper. I only used part of the hemp flower stencil so that I could get individual flowers. I traced all the lines and then cut out around the outside of each shape. I saved these shapes for the sun printing.  
Start with a washed piece of white piece of cotton in your desired size. Don’t use fabric softener or dryer sheets because they will repel the paint. Keep in mind your end product, because I had to add strips of fabric to the sides of my painted fabric to make it big enough for the pillow size I wanted. They looked nice with the extra fabric strips, but if you don’t want to do extra sewing start with a larger piece of cotton.
You have to start with transparent fabric paint for this process to work. Opaque paint or thick paints won’t sun print. Setacolor by Pebeo or Profab by Pro Chemical and Dye transparent fabric paints both work well. I haven’t tried out other brands, but any thin paint should work. Mix your paint with water (2 parts water to 1 part paint). Place your fabric onto a plastic covered surface that you can move around. I used a small table. The plastic makes clean up much easier. I anchored the plastic with bricks so that any breeze would not blow the plastic up over the fabric. For this next part you have to work quickly so that your fabric stays wet. I sprayed the fabric down with water so that it was very wet. Then I applied the fabric paint and water mixture to the fabric in the shade. Paint the fabric with two to three colors and blend the edges. I sprayed the fabric with extra water to make the paint blend better. 
While the paint is very wet place your stencil or freezer paper pieces on. I placed the freezer paper pieces in a random pattern across the fabric. Make sure that they are pressed down and are making full contact with the fabric.
  
Then move your surface into the sun and wait for the fabric to dry. When the fabric is dry you will have the outline of the stencil printed onto the fabric. After the paint is completely dry, heat set the fabric with an iron.
Next I placed the stencil back onto the shapes on the painted fabric and traced all the inside lines of each one.
 
I placed the fabric onto a piece of white flannel that was slightly larger and pinned it down with quilting pins. The flannel will add a slight loft the quilted piece without being too thick or puffy. I did not use a backing fabric since this piece will be the inside of a pillow cover and won’t be seen.
I picked a coordinating thread for each piece of fabric and free-motion quilted the shapes and the negative space. For the cathedral I only did select lines, and for the others I followed the basic shape of the inside lines of the stencil.   
Then I squared the quilted pieces and sewed strips onto each side. I wanted a piece that was big enough to fit and 12” X 16” pillow form. I added a zipper to the bottom edges of each pillow cover, so that they could be removed for cleaning.
     
Here are some links that explain how to sew a pillow cover if you want more information.
http://www.designsponge.com/2010/03/sewing-101-zippered-throw-pillows.html http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2013/02/zippered-pillow-cover.html http://www.houseonhillroad.com/photos/put_a_zipper_in_your_pill/index.html Here is a link to another sun printing tutorial that explains more of the possibilities of this wonderful printing method. http://www.dharmatrading.com/home/sun-painting-101-a-tutorial.html?lnav=home.html I hope that you can find a way to brighten up your living spaces this week and maybe even make some pillows that you designed yourself. Have a great weekend, Janelle |
I got to use the new Jane Girls Petite Series stencils this week. I adore Jane and her art and I'm thrilled to get to use these new stencils. I decided to use the front facing stencil to make an art quilt. The stencil allows me to focus on the details and not worry about getting the face drawn just right. I went back in time to my girlhood and explored the world of daydreams. My girl is dreaming about who she could be. Where will you allow your dreams to take you?
Placing the stenciled images on the fabric.
I started with a piece of white cotton that was 16" X 34". I divided the space into a grid and placed the stencil into each one. I lightly drew the lines of the stencil with my Bohin mechanical extra fine marking pencil for fabric. Then I sketched the rest of each girl.
I layered my batting and backing fabric and pin basted it. I used free motion stitching and stitched over select lines of the quilt with cream colored thread to give it some form and to stabilize it for painting.
I used Derwent Inktense blocks and pencils to paint the quilt. I painted in a small area with transparent textile medium and then while it was wet I used the Inktense to apply the color. Then I used more of the textile medium to blend the color. It is possible to get a wide range of colors using this method, from very intense to very light depending on how hard you press the block on the fabric. You can apply a light layer of color or a dark layer of color. On my quilt the color was lighter after it dried than when it was wet. If you want part of the painting to be more intense you can add more color while it is still wet. It is also possible to add more layers of color after it has dried. I went section by section until I had painted the whole quilt. After it had dried I heat set, by ironing with a dry iron each part for a couple of minutes, to make sure that the color was completely set. Each textile medium has instructions on heat setting, so follow the guidelines for the one that you decide to use. There is a great article in Quilting Arts Magazine, issue 64, explaining using the Derwent products on fabric in more detail.
After the painting was done I used more free motion stitching to make the girls come to life. I used a mix of rayon and cotton threads. I love the shine of the rayon threads.
Next I added metallic paints to highlight certain areas and to add some sparkle. I used Stewart Gill Metamica paint and Lumiere paints by Jacquard. I also mixed Pearl-Ex powders into textile medium and painted that in some areas. I love adding a lot of sparkle and shine to my art, especially when I'm painting a fantasy world. When the paint dried I heat set it according the manufacturer’s directions. I always heat set the paint on my textile creations just in case they are ever washed. I don’t want the paint to wash out and heat setting prevents this.
After all the painting and stitching were done I squared up the quilt. I sewed a satin stitch around the edge to finish off the quilt.
The finished size is 15" X 33".
Metallic paint accents on her tail and bikini top.
Sparkly tiara
Copper in the tree trunks and on her hair
I love that Artistcellar stencils are perfect for all kinds of art. I can use them in my textile art as well as in my art journal.
I hope that I inspired you to go out and make something and to allow your dreams to take you away every now and then.
Janelle
I hope that I inspired you to go out and make something and to allow your dreams to take you away every now and then.
Janelle
