Blisstree » fabric art

Projects Using Rust & Relics

Mary Emma Allen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:00:40 +0000

After I wrote the post, Crafting with Rust & Relics, a reader asked, “So what kind of crafts can we do with these old relics?”Since I’ve seen my daughter using these items, I have used them myself, read about relics, and have viewed them at craft fairs, I didn’t think to explain about projects you can undertake.

Many can be attached to mixed media pieces.
Some can be background material for attaching others.
Use old wood and arrange some of the relics on it.
Some people attach keys, buttons, watch findings and similar items to quilts and fabric art.
Glue them together for three dimensional art.
Create memory shadow boxes of old items belonging to a family member
String them on mobiles

The possibilities are unlimited; simply use your imagination and creativity.

Image: sxc.hu

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Projects Using Rust & Relics

The Fascination of Button Collages

Mary Emma Allen — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:00:42 +0000

Many artists nowadays incorporate buttons into their mixed media and fabric art. This photo reminded me of some of the lovely effects you can achieve.

Image: sxc.hu

The appeal of your art will vary depending on colors, styles and materials. They also be memory pieces, using buttons from special occasions and from clothing of family members attire.

Some quilters/fabric artists use many buttons of various colors and types so these nearly cover the piece. Others use buttons simply to enhance their design or emphasize specific portions.

How have you used buttons in your art work?

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The Fascination of Button Collages

Microchips for Quilt Security

Mary Emma Allen — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Microchips are coming into vogue as a way to label and identify one’s quilts, fabric art and other crafts. This also is a method of helping to ensure the security of your item.

Image: sxc.hu

Worried about your quilts being stolen from a shop or gallery? Embedding a microchip isn’t a sure fire way to prevent this, but you can determine ownership if the quilt is recovered. Also, if the microchip identification method is more publicized, perhaps thieves will think twice about taking such art objects.

These microchips can be placed in the layers of the quilt or fabric art before quilting or embedded after it’s finished. There’s a number in the chip that’s registered in your name.

The quilt can be identified by scanning the chip and matching the numbers to the registered owner. These microchips can be used with other valuables and family heirlooms.

For more information about microchips and quilts, visit:

The Pinewater Quilting Company

Soft Expressions

Have you had experience with microchips in your fabric art?

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Microchips for Quilt Security

Quilt & Craft Labeling Suggestions

Mary Emma Allen — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:00:27 +0000

Labels for quilts and crafts can be as simple as signing or quilting your name and the date to attaching a piece of fabric with many details. Signing with indelible ink or embroidering your name on the item makes it more permanent. A label can be removed.

Image: sxc.hu

There also are ready made labels you can purchase and then simply sign your name with permanent ink. Applique these to the back of your quilt or fabric art.

Computerized labels have come into vogue and enable you to add more information to your quilt. Simply print directly on inkjet fabric sheets, then stitch to the back of your fabric art.

Label designs are available online at quilting websites. Print these off and use for your template. Sometimes you can print them directly on the fabric sheets available for your printer.

There are quilt books, too, that offer label suggestions and designs.

(Also, keep the information about your quilts and art work in a journal that refers to the items you’ve made.)

How do you label your quilts and fabric art, as well as other craft work?

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Quilt & Craft Labeling Suggestions

Collage artist Karen Stiehl Osborn

Cyndi Lavin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:36 +0000

I’m not usually drawn to urban scenes. I live so far out in the ‘burbs that it’s really sort of sub-suburban. But Karen Stiehl Osborn’s Urban Landscape series just takes my breath away.

There’s a lot more to like on Karen’s site too. I love here fabric “fragments”, her Autumn Traces series, and the series called Conversations with Myself. Karen is one of the partners involved with the wonderful Collage Mania auctions.

Images: Karen Steihl Osborn

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Collage artist Karen Stiehl Osborn

Use Textural Photos for Quilt Designs

Mary Emma Allen — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:00:37 +0000

My daughter has become adept at taking interesting photos as inspiration for her quilting and fabric art. Often these will be bits of bark, barn siding, flower segments, and other textural objects.

Then she incorporates them into many of her small quilts, utilizing a variety of techniques.

Image: sxc.hu

This photo of barn siding offers suggestions for textural ideas you may want to try.

Sometimes you might get ideas from a single photo. Other times you can try combining a variety of close-ups. Or you can vary the close photos with distant scenery to give you a fascinating combination.

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Use Textural Photos for Quilt Designs

Quilting from Scraps

Mary Emma Allen — Sun, 03 May 2009 09:00:02 +0000

My daughter, fiber artist Beth A. Mastin, is forever using up her scraps for her quilting and fabric art projects. For this quilt, she started with a blue background piece she had put together previously from strips of various shades of blue.

As she dug through one of her bags of scraps, she found other snips and pieces of fabric to create the rest. The blue portion is postcard size, with a border around to enlarge it.

: Beth Mastin Image

What have you created from scraps? Large quilts or wall hanging size fabric art? Or even postcards and inchies?

(See more of Beth’s work at Meandering Threads.)

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Quilting from Scraps

10 Reasons Why I Print My Own Fabric

Chloe Findlay-Harder — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:37:57 +0000

Printing, dyeing and painting your own fabric can be a lot of fun – here are my top 10 reasons why I like to create my own fabric

You can make the exact fabric you need for a particular project.
Even if it’s not the exact match – odds are good that you’ve still created a really cool piece of fabric!
I’m a control freak. If I can make it myself, I’m a happy camper
You can transform an ugly piece of fabric into a usable one – paint, dye, bleach and more are great ways to “upcycle” fabric.
It’s thrifty! If you don’t have to go out and buy more fabric, you’ll save $$$ by using fabric from your stash.

image: C Findlay-Harder

Why says you won’t use those high school color theory classes? You’ll learn a lot about how color works by creating your own prints.
You’re pretty much guaranteed that no one will have the exact fabric that you do.
Worried about using a licensed print in a project for sale? Making your own fabric prints ensures that you won’t have any copyright hassles.
Want to use a particular kind of fabric in a project, but can’t match the color to the fabric type? Dye it yourself!
My final reason? It’s just waaaay too much fun.

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10 Reasons Why I Print My Own Fabric

Book winner!

Cyndi Lavin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:26:46 +0000

Sharon Fairclough says:

I would use the book for ideals for my end of the year t-shirt for my pre-k class were thinking about tie dye but this book probablly will have more ideals. Thanks for the giveaway

Well, that’s great, Sharon, because YOU’RE THE WINNER!!

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Book winner!

Thursday Thirteen-13 Embellishments

Mary Emma Allen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:55:18 +0000

Embellishing quilts, fabric art and mixed media has become very popular. The artist might use simply a few items or can almost cover the piece in a technique called encrusted embellishing.

Image: sxc.hu

What types of embellishments are there?

Beads
Buttons
Charms
Scrapbook stickers
Handmade fabric buttons
Pieces of wood
Decorated CDs
Foil
Artificial flowers
Keys
Advertising buttons on pins
Postage stamps
Rubber stamping

Do you have any other interesting embellishments that you use? How do you use them? What are your favorites?

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Thursday Thirteen-13 Embellishments