The Promised new video

As promised I have recorded and posted the video on how I did the  coloring on fabric for my Island Batik table topper. 


I completely forgot to discuss heat setting.  To heat set your piece after it has dried for 24 hours, use the hottest iron you can use without damaging your fabric. Cover your work with a press cloth (simple muslin or cotton fabric works fine.) Press for at least 20 seconds, moving the iron to avoid scorching.

Here are my notes for your convenience:

Adding color to embellish fabric with Derwent Inktense Pencils

Supplies

·         Inktense pencils

·         Fabric - white or light colors work best - color will affect the final product. Must be organic fabric not synthetic for permanence.

·         Paint Brushes - reasonable quality - not expensive

·         Activator -textile medium or Aloe Vera Gel  (Brands not terribly important)

·         Imagination and a sense of fun

Drawing or Design options

·         Machine embroidery

·         Permanent pen - I like Micron fine point pens

·         Direct drawing with Inktense pencils

Testing colors - until you know what results you get testing is a good idea.  Also test new ideas on a practice piece.

Coloring in the design

        Shading  - more pencil

        Blending - more than one color

Wetting agent

        required for permanency

        types: Water (highly likely to bleed),  Aloe Vera Gel, Textile medium

        Differences  I have noticed: look, brush care,

        Application - using appropriate brush, getting in smaller spaces.

        Option of adding more color while wet

Drying - allow to dry at least 24 hours - it should not be damp at all

Heat setting - After drying, heat set with a hot dry iron using a press cloth to protect your fabric. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Embellishing To POP a project

Have you ever worked on something and then realized it was not making you happy?   Y'all know that I love lots of color.  When I added some redwork embroidery to my current project I thought it would stand alone.  But when I saw it there beside the applique,  it looked too bland, tame, uninteresting.   As the project was already quilted,  I needed to step outside the box a bit and find a solution.

There are so many ways to embellish fabric, but it becomes trickier when you have already completed the project.  So I took a wild chance and pulled out some colored pencils and started coloring it.

You can see that these are Derwent Inktense pencils.  The pigment is actually an ink so it will be permanent once I heat set it.   To intensify the color (and insure that it will be permanent)  I used a couple of artist paint brushes to apply some textile medium to the colored areas. 
The textile medium makes the ink pigment flow and blend. I used it very sparingly to avoid bleeding past the embroidered lines. 

Here is the completed stocking.

The background fabrics are lovely Island Batik neutrals.

I love the soft hand-painted look that I get when I use these pencils.  In fact there is only one thing that I don't love about them.  The tin doesn't stay closed well on its own.  So I do this to store them.

Two simple rubber banks hold the lid on the tin so that I can pop it in a bag for an "on the go" project without worrying about the tin popping open and spilling my lovely pencils.

Now, this project has to cure and dry - so I will leave it for a day and then heat set it. After that I will do a photo session and post this project so that you can see my new Christmas table toppe

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.