Fabric Art and Skinny ATC's Tutorial

Well yesterday, after reading Jan's blog, i decided to take the bull by the horn, well not literally lol, but had a big clean up of my crafting table. (Mind you looking at it now you wouldn't think i had bothered).

But what i have been meaning to do for weeks is having a go at Fabric Painting, plus collage with fabric.

I sorted out all of my fabric into bags, and managed to fill a large plastic box with them, ooh didn't realise i'd bought quite so many Fat Quarters from Ebay and Etsy. Luscious though lol.

So decided to start small with the experiment, and cut out a piece of fabric from a pillowcase, larger than an ATC, leaving room for seams etc.

Cut and ripped up very small pieces of cloth, and voila, here is Stage 1

I have very roughly sewn the pieces on, with ordinary sewing thread, but also used embroidery silk in places. I've left the pieces in their rough state, as this will add to the feel. Oh and try not to notice the spot of blood on it, you know how we artists have to struggle with our art.

Can you tell what it is yet lol.

I decided to use brusho inks, as i really love the brightness you can achieve with them. They cannot be 'fixed' to the fabric, but as i don't intend washing this, it doesn't really matter.
I painted and sprayed the brusho on, letting the colours bleed into one another.

Next i added a small amount of glass seed beads, size 8, and a small amount of embroidery. To get the beads to look natural, i dropped them onto the fabric, and marked where they fell.
This is the technique used for sewing seeds in the garden for a natural effect. Just copying nature really.

When I had finished this, i realised that it could be made into a Skinny ATC. It's only this week that the Skinny's have come to my attention. Nayski on MAMMA Flickr, makes them, and found out that they are ATC's made to th size 3" x 5". I'm not sure how to display them or keep them, maybe they'll have to go in the Postcard collection folder.
I then attached it to a felt backing, with card in the middle to make it more substantial, did blanket stitch round the edge, and then painted purple brusho to the edges.

'PURPLE HAZE'

I definitely want to take this further, and larger too, as it will be much easier to explore this technique.

DON'T FORGET TO CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Shabby Chic Trio ATC

The theme for this week's challenge on MAMMA, is Playing Cards. I needed to make the challenge/swap fairly easy this week, as i had a bad week last week.

Soooo, what did i do, make 3 ATC's in one. LOL. talk about make even more work for myself.

Anyways here it is (or should I say they)

THE FRONT

ALL THREE

I used plain white lace on the cards, and grunged it up with 3 different coloured ink stamps. The background card was plain cream, and this was inked up also, including the photocopy Playing Card.

The pink lace was inked with 2 colours, and all of it was held together with a rusty brad. This is one of the large brads, used in offices.

I accidentally rusted up a whole box of brads, as i had left the box on my craft table whilst painting, and accidentally spilt water onto them, without knowing.

They say accidents make the best art, well i'm loving these rusty brads now. lol.

I'm still doing the shabby chic/grunge look, and still the pink stays with me. I have quite a few ideas for the challenges in the forthcoming weeks, and i know a lot of the themes will help me break away from the chic/grunge.

Take care everyone

ON LINE COURSES AND MATRYOSHKA

I NEED YOUR HELP.

I'm looking for some good On-line courses. I'm mainly interested in fabric art, fabric embellishment, altered art, assemblage, in fact anything that YOU are interested in and know it should be a good course to take.

I'm waiting on a course by Susan Sorell, but just want to know what else is out there.


Today i actually managed to get some fairly decent photos of my latest matryoshka dolls.

I'm putting these in my etsy shop later today, i just hope someone loves them lol.

I've joined the Etsy UK forum, and also at Flickr. Really pleased i've done it, as it can be a very lonely place on Etsy. sooooooo many people promoting their stuff like wildfire. On the UK forum, it's a much more relaxed and friendly place, and mental too of course.

Tonight it's chat night at 8pm, so i'll be there with my wine roflol.

I think i deserve it after the week I've had, but i won't bore you with details.

So in the meantime, HAVE A GREEEEEAAAAAATTTTTT WEEKEND EVERYONE.

LOVING IT

For this week's challenge/swap, i chose 5 objects for the theme.

The 5 objects that are to be included in the ATC are:-
Bubblewrap,
staple
flower
wood
star.

Well it's caused quite a stir, hahaha, people are packing their suitcases and leaving the country.

I'm loving it, giving people such a challenge. I know i won't be able to do it every week, for one thing, it's thinking the challenges up, but I don't think their nerves would stand it. HAHAHA

So here's my effort, hope you like. Definitely got a 'thang' for pink and shabby. lol

The background was stained first with a teabag, and left to dry. I then inked up some bubble wrap with distressing ink, and stamped the card.

A torn piece of bubble wrap was staped to the left with bronze staples, and a silk flower was attached with a star brad.

The focal photo was adhered to a small square piece of wood, therefore using all 5 objects.

The large piece of lace was from my dear friend Belinda in Tasmania, which she hand dyed.

The small pieces of lace, i stained with pink ink, and distressing ink.

VOILA

HERE IS A LINK TO A GREAT DRAW, WHICH A LADY IN FRANCE IS DOING.
WELL WORTH A LOOK, AS SHE HAS SOME AMAZING WORK. Only trouble is i struggle to download her blog because of the slideshows etc.
Go HERE to go to her blog

END OF AN ERA

End of an era I'm afraid, but what must be must be.

First to end is my adorable Michael Buble. I havn't " gone orf " him lol, but have decided that, no matter how much i love you, the music has to end.

I know a lot of people really do not like listening to music on blogs, and I do not like to think that i am pushing my musical taste on to others, so sorry Michael but you have to go.

Now isn't this man the s*xiest things on legs.

Or even the best thing since sliced bread.

I took this photo when i was about to make breakfast for us
(A girl can dream can't she lol)

So Michael, you may not be playing your songs to both myself and the world on my blog, but you will be forever playing within my heart.

(PS DON'T tell my hubby roflol)

Sadly this isn't the only thing that has come to an end.

Dear Dot, of Dotee Doll fame, has decided to put an end to her blog. She has said that she may return in the future, which i dearly hope for.

But in the meantime Dot, I wish you a lifetime of happiness, because you surely deserve this and more for the joy you have brought to people all over the world.

So take care of yourself and your well loved kitties.
xxxxxxxxx

CHINESE TAKEAWAY

My favourite food, but this time it was the title of my latest ATC for MAMMA"S swap.

This week i have chosen the theme "Oriental with a twist", and i am amaaaaazed at the diversity of all MAMMA members response to this theme. You must pop over to MAMMA's Flickr group and see them all.

Me, I chose to go with humour, in fact I find it very hard to stray away from it. lol.

I listed this with the words
FREE DELIVERY
ORDERS OVER £10 RECEIVE A FREE ORIGAMI PIG. LOL

I made a fabric cookie from felt, and placed a handwritten chinese proverb inside it. Veeeeeeeery simple to make, and doesn't require sewing if you don't want to.

Quickie tutorial then.

Cut a circle from felt, I chose a light biscuit colour.

CLICK ON TO ENLARGE

To insert a fortune, either type or handwrite a message on paper
and insert before first fold.

ENJOY

Pub Lunch and etchings

Well the pub lunch was great, fish chips and peas, and 2 pints of lager. Went down well lol, with great conversation with my dear friend Frances.

I was amazed when she said she was 26, as i still think of her as 21, when we were at uni together.

She has her own studio, that she rents, in Sheffield, and is into collage at the moment. This is a break to her normal practice, as she usually does Egg Tempera paintings, and silk screen printing.

she used to do the printmaking at our old uni, in return for giving some tutorials to newbies. But the Fine Art Building has now moved, right to the centre of the City, opposite the train station. The old building was situated outside the city, and for years and years there were rumours of a move.

So finally it has moved, but apparently not all the amenties have moved with it. It's a much smaller building, and so the printing room will be smaller, and i presume the woodwork/pottery/foundry section will no longer be around. Shame really, because they were my favourite departments.

Here are just 2 of my pieces of work from the printmaking department

This i call a self-portrait. It is a dry point etching. It was influenced by Jenny Saville, and I used the dome of St. Pauls Cathedral for the breasts, to signify my time in London.

For this technique you take a sheet of metal, score into it with a fine steel point, scree ink into it, whilst the metal plate is warm, rub off most of the ink with a textured cloth, then print on to damp paper. I used to love the magic of the printmaking press. Turning the huge wheel, watching the plate coming through the other end, lifting off the blankets, then gently peeling the paper away from the metal plate. oooh, the joy of seeing your artwork revealed.

This second one, Trafalgar Sqaure, is from a series of 5 of different parts of London.

This was done using the Cyanotype Printmaking method.

This is very much like photography, using a light box etc, but a mixture of two chemicals is brushed onto the paper before exposing the print. This has to be done in a dark room. Great fun though.

And finally here is an ATC i made using one of the Samples i did using my new embroidery machine. It's not perfect, but have put it in the New Inspirations yahoo group Lottery.

I'M IN LOVE

No, I've not gone over dear hubby lol,or swapped him for a younger model. (Might consider it if it was for Michael Buble hahahqaha), but at long last i decided to play around with my brand new computerised embroidery sewing machine. My that's a mouthful.

And what on earth was wrong with me. I kept putting it off and putting it off, and finally today i decided that i just HAD to get it out of its box.

AND LIKE I SAID, I AM IN LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.

I can't believe how clever the thing is, even though in someways it feels like cheating, but oh how i love the intricate stitches.

Here are 2 samples that i have just done, on black felt.

They do not include all the possible stitches, as there are 69 altogether.

The second example i have cut into ATC size, and will be adding and embellishing it later.

Had some good news last week from the Gallery/shop owner, who says he managed to sell two of my pieces of work, which was a big suprise. I am going into Chesterfield tomorrow to pick up the other pieces of work, and to meet my dear friend Frances, who I met at University. I'm really looking forward to meeting her, and discussing the Artworld, something i havn't done in months.

We will probably be popping into a pub for lunch, and may partake of a lager lol. I promise to stay sober.