Fabric Paints

Fabric paints can enrich your material before you begin sewing—or at any time during the construction process. Use paints to add new designs or dimension to any portion of your quilts or garments, making the fabrics uniquely your own.

Paint sits on top of the fibers. The type of paint you use and how it is applied will determine the “hand” (or stiffness) of your finished item. To make paint easier to spread, try diluting it with between 25 to 50% water. Just keep in mind that full-strength paint colors will be intense, and the more you dilute it the lighter the color will be. Diluted paint doesn’t store well, so plan to use it up in a few days.

The nature of your project will help you decide kind of paint to choose:

Textile Paints can be applied with brushes, sponges, stamps, or squirt bottles.
• Transparency: You can increase the transparency of any color by adding Colorless Extender.
• Increasing both Transparency & Flowability: Add up to 25% water.

Luminere are metallic paints that remains flexible. They are opaque, even on dark fabrics. They can be easily mixed on the palette but will resist running together during direct application onto fabric.
• Pastels: Add #589 Neopaque White.
• Increasing Transparency & Flowability: Add up to 25% water.

Dye-Na-Flow is a free flowing, transparent, textile paint. This concentrated liquid paint may be used on natural or synthetic fabric. It will spread until it is thoroughly absorbed and even. (Heat set painted, dry fabric by ironing for 3 minutes on dry setting appropriate for fabric. Wash in cool water with Synthrapol and rinse.)

TIP: If you mix your own color, write down the recipe so you can make it again.

Embellishment Extravaganza

In these days, learning opportunities fall at every doorstep. New and clever techniques are taught in the latest publications, at our local guilds and on the internet. Three pages or three hours provide enough information to explore a new concept. Yet…sometime we long for an in-depth, hands-on study with a master teacher. We seek instruction that spell binds us and pulls our creative energy outward. We want an opportunity to focus, to learn, and see what we can really do in an unhurried and encouraging setting. Add good food, laughter with friends, and late-into-the-night sewing and you have the makings of an adventure we might all long for.

Come embellish with me at Quilting Adventures. March in the Texas Hill Country routinely brings budding bluebonnets, apple green foliage and mountain laurel bushes leaning low with their blooms and intense fragrance. Plenty of inspiration for EMBELLISHMENT EXTRAVAGANZA.

I love embellishments, especially ‘all things shiny’ and uses them expertly in my work. Learn techniques in a relaxed, hands-on workshop. I will guide you in the creative use of fabric, foil, paint, paintstiks, buttons, threads, embroidery, other commonly available materials and "beads" to create your own special quilt.

You will also learn an easy way to make a bow, create texture with ribbons, plus make folded ribbon roses and lace.

This workshop is like having a week of private lessons from a Master Embellisher! Once you learn the techniques, you will be able to create your own embellished ‘masterpeices’ on any textiles from quilts to wall hangings to garments.

There will be plenty of time to work on small projects. You will be surprised at how quick and easy the smaller Eye Candy and Bead Candy quilts are to make. As your creativity flows, you will be dazzled by the results!

Quilting in the Limelight

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Tell Santa you want to go to Nancy Crow's barn studio to take a class with Philippa Naylor, author of Quilting in the Limelight. She will be teaching in the States next year.
April 19-30 Nancy Crow's Barn
Nov. 7-12 Art Quilt Tahoe
Her classes are fun and informative and she is a wonderful teacher!

Inspirations for Embellishment

Shopping for stuff.

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Peace by Melody Crust


The Priority quilts for December's Show and Silent auction have been posted on small quilters' favorite website.






Here are the quilts and facts about the Smackdown:
Hollis Chatelain won the championship belt. Her quilt, "Fading" sold at auction for $3,600.
Becky Goldsmith came in second. Her quilt "Mini Passion Flowers" sold at auction for $2,500.
Sue Nickels' quilt, "Golden Feathers" sold for $1,200.
John Flynn's quilt, "Red Hawk's Star" sold for $1,000.

ALL of these quilts brought in more money than any other AAQI quilt previously sold. In my book, they are ALL winners.

Shopping

I have been shopping for a new lamp. There is some really interesting stuff out there. Who knew? Great shapes for quilting designs or?

Dallas bling

Many of you know I collect vintage rhinestone jewelry. I buy it whenever I get a chance. Phyllis, one of the lovely ladies in Dallas took me to Antiqueland, undoubtedly the largest antique mall I have ever seen.

Quilt Show

Saffron

Color, always I am driven by color.

Machine pieced and quilted using cotton and silk fabrics. Using specialty threads with traditional feather designs as another design element is an exploration in texturing the surface.



A Walk on the Wild Side

Pure joy, rich vivid colors plus pattern and texture…the result? A Walk on the Wild Side.

This piece is composed of commercial cottons and decorative threads. It is hand appliqued, machine pieced and quilted.

Quilt Guild of Dallas

We painted fabric










We foiled Fabric

Quilt Guild of Dallas

We made labels

We made Eye Candy Quilts

It's Time for Dallas

I'll be in Dallas visiting the Quilters Guild of Dallas for a lecture and three workshops.

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Lecture: Quilt Toppings

Friday, November 6, 2009
Workshops:
Eye Candy Quilts
Eye Candy quilts are stunning mini-quilts that are so much fun to make they should be illegal! They can be finished in practically no time and adding beads, buttons, ribbons, paint, feathers and a myriad of other commonly available materials is so fun and easy that ANY quilter will be dazzled.

Decorative Labels
Quilts personalized decoratively will enhance their value and interest with age. Using techniques developed for her pattern publications, Melody will help you to identify your quilts with permanent, colorful and attractive labels!

Saturday, November 7, 2009
Simple Surfaces
Learn all about paint sticks and foiling on fabric. Applying foil or paint sticks to silk or cotton is easy, fun and permanent. This informative hands-on workshop is for both traditional and non-traditional quilt and clothing makers. Based on her book Quilt Toppings; Fun and Fanciful Embellishment Techniques.

Bid now for Alzheimer's research!

You'll see an usual phenomenon in the quilt world: otherwise friendly compatriots locked in a battle for quilting supremacy. You gotta see the first World Quilt Federation Smackdown Auction. It's for a great cause--Alzheimer's research--and the quilts are mini-masterpieces by Hollis Chatelain, Sue Nickles, John Flynn and Becky Goldsmith. Bid now!