To this:

In a few weeks!

• Step one: making the silk paper.
• Step two: adding layers of paint.
• Step three: making cartoons to help visualize the completed work.
• Step four: painting the canvas background.
• Step five: embroidering the canvas.
• Step six: attaching the silk paper to the canvas.
• Step seven: free-motion embroidering the silk paper.
• Step eight: playing with the background colors.
• Step nine: quilting the fabric background.
• The final step – gallery mounting the entire piece.

So there you go – all the links, now go and be creative with them

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper – all the links

I’ve sewn the canvas onto the quilted background, using straight stitching on the edges and just tacking down the top and bottom. I want to gallery mount the quilted fabric onto canvas, but I think it’s easier to show you how, rather than try to explain it

Ginger Cook has created a great how-to video on gallery mounting canvas – it’s the same process for mounting quilted fabric.

Here’s the finished piece – I’m quite pleased how everything turned out!

I hope you’ll try some of the techniques we’ve explored over the past couple of weeks – there are a lot of fun things you can do with them

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper – gallery mounting the fabric

I’m going to make a quilted background, so the next step is to cut out the batting (I’m using Warm & Natural cotton batting) and the two pieces of fabric to “sandwich” the batting.

I cut the fabric & batting approximately 4 inches wider than the finished dimensions of the piece, enough so I can stretch it onto a canvas.  I’m using spray glue to lightly baste the layers together (I like Elmer’s spray glue, but try some different products and see what works best for you)

We don’t really need to quilt the center, where the silk paper will sit, so I’ve marked the corners and then drew a rough rectangle to show where I don’t need to quilt:

I’m using a water-soluble pencil, but you can use chalk, or even soap if you prefer.

Time to quilt!

I’m doing free-motion embroidery, using rayon machine embroidery thread.  I prefer to use a metallic sewing machine needle for free-motion embroidery – I find the thread slips through the larger eye a little more easily.

Now, I’ve got a choice…  First of all, I can leave the background as it is, with just the green embroidery that follows the lines of the leaves.

But I could also…

Use black thread to quilt lines that mimic the lines I embroidered around the silk paper.

Or I could also use very dark reds/burgundies and purple to echo the shape of the flowers.

Ah, decisions, decisions

all images: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper – quilting the background

I quite like the way it looks on black – it’s clean, simple and doesn’t add any extra clutter:

But how about red? I pulled out my trusty photo editing software and started playing.

I think the red is a little too much – it’s overwhelming everything else… green perhaps?

I’m still not thrilled with it – but there’s purple in the flowers & stripes, how about a really dark eggplant?

I think it’s a tie between the purple and the black. By playing around with different colors, you can see what’s going to work best. It will also show you how different colors affect the piece – there’s such a dramatic change with every change of the background.

all images: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper – playing with the background colors

I want a loose, free line of embroidery, so I’m not marking anything onto the surface of the silk paper.  I do know where I want to embroider though – using a graphic design program can be a great way to help you plan out where you want to stitch.

I’m using plain black sewing machine thread for this piece, with a free-motion foot and dropped feed dogs:

I’m essentially making the same black lines as the first sample, just with thread, not paint.  I’m not trying to outline the flowers, but to show their sense of movement and enhance the composition.

I still haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to touch up the embroidery with a little bit of black paint… stay tuned, I’ll share my decision with you tomorrow

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper – part seven

I’m going to baste the silk paper onto the canvas using some good quality fabric glue (I’m a big fan of The Ultimate) You don’t have to glue the silk down, but I find it’s easier to have it mounted on the canvas before I start embroidering it.

Make sure to only put glue on the thicker parts of the paper – like this:

If you put glue on the thinner layers of the silk, it will do funny things as it dries – like leaving clear polka-dots! If the underside of the paper is completely opaque, it should be safe to glue.

Let it dry on a flat surface for a couple of hours, or until it’s completely dry.

image source: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper – part six

Ah, back to the silk paper… In my last post, I showed you how I was using wax crayons and fabric paint to color a background to mount the paper on.  I’ve now embroidered on the canvas using two colors of variegated rayon machine embroidery thread:

I’ve used different floral motifs and the red thread to enhance the red & pink stripes.   I used a simple zig-zag stitch and yellow thread to enhance the thinner yellow stripes.

Now, you could sew the paper onto the canvas at this point, but I’m a firm believer in letting artwork sit over night in between major steps.   It allows you to come back into your studio, with fresh eyes in the morning and be a little more objective.

So let’s meet back here tomorrow and keep on creating!

image source: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper, part five

I’m using standard artist’s canvas as the foundation layer for the background.  You can also use cotton fabric & quilt batting, or even work directly onto a stretched canvas.  Play around and see what you like best.

I show you the sketch I’m using to create the background in my last post.   Here’s how I’m translating my sketch into the finished piece:

 I’ve started off by marking out the edges of the background.  I’d recommend using chalk or erasable fabric markers if the edge will be visible.  I then used standard wax crayons to draw soft stripes onto the canvas.

Wax crayons are a lot of fun to use on fabric – just make sure to use a pressing cloth if you’re going to iron it.  They’re not particularly color-fast, so don’t use it on garments that are going to be washed (they will stain still!)

 The crayons aren’t quite as strong as I want, so I’m using a combination of Dye-Na-Flo and Jacquard textile paint to add more color and stronger lines.

It still needed a little bit more color, so I dry-brushed more red Dye-Na-Flo (the same color I used to paint the flowers on the silk) onto small patches of the canvas.

The paint needs to dry throughly – and then I’m going to stitch it

all images: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper, part four

Now what do you do with it?

I’m going to attach mine to a piece of quilted canvas, and then stretch it onto a wooden stretcher (the way paintings are hung)   Now, that’s easy to say – but do I really know what I want to do?

It’s time to get out your sketch book!

Sketching and making “cartoons” can help you to visualize exactly what you want to create.  In my case, I’m going to have narrow strips of fabric, creating strong vertical lines.  I’ve made quite a rough sketch, but it’s enough to tell me if the composition is going to work:

I like how the vertical lines play off the soft, fluid flowers – I think the overall composition is going to work.

Sketching doesn’t have to be a meticulous process, it can be quick and rough – as long as you get a feel for how your art work is going to come together as a whole.

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – making silk paper, part three

Here’s how the paint looks after sitting overnight:

You can see how much the colors have softened and blended together.

For this particular piece, I want to draw on some stronger lines, so I’m using a small plastic squeeze bottle with a fine-tipped nozzle on it. I want a very strong color, with a runny consistency. I’m using a 50/50 combination of Golden GAC 900 fabric medium (the same medium we used on the paper) and Golden fluid acrylic paint in carbon black. This combination of paint and medium will give me a finished texture of slightly thickened ink – perfect for doing this:

I’m painting the lines on when the silk paper is still damp, so there will be a slight amount of bleeding from the black paint. If you want to end up with a hard line, wait until the paper is completely dry.

Let the paint dry thoroughly… and I’ll see you next time

all images: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day: making silk paper, part two