Working with Fabric Transfer Paint

Fabric Transfer Paint

This week I have begun a new piece in my journey series and used some transfer printed background as a basis for the piece.

Here, I have used fabric transfer paint on several pieces of thin copier paper. Some were simply painted with a brush: others were sponged or printed on using bubble wrap. Once dry, I tore the papers, arranged them onto a long piece of paper & glued them down using a glue stick.

With the image face down onto the fabric that I wanted to print, I then ironed the image carefully onto the fabric.
When ironing transfer paints onto fabric, you have to remember that you will need to use a synthetic fabric for the colours to transfer boldly. I like the effect on cotton voile or evalon best. Try a few experiments to see which work for you.

This was ironed onto cotton voile, which is too thin to use as a ground for stitching onto, so I applied fusible webbing to the back & then cut carefully around the image to transfer to my cotton ground.

 

 

Unfortunately, keen to get on whilst the inspiration was there, I completely forgot to photograph the direct print before I began adding other things!
This is part of the image once I started to layer over other fabrics & papers and with some stitching on. Hopefully you will see the full image in a few days on my Facebook page


New Workshop Sessions

In addition this week, I've also worked with 2 new groups, facilitating felt workshops...a studio session with WORTH (Women on the Road to Healing)  and a wellbeing group that meet in Erewash who all produced some lovely felt pieces.

 

Oh, and I also sold some work at Sheffield Open Up Studios last weekend -as well as having work exhibited at Thoresby Craft Gallery with Art Through Textiles.

Working with Fabric Paper

I've been working increasingly with fabric paper & have been using small amounts in my textile art for a while.
I discovered the technique about five years ago and it seemed to combine my love of fabric, paper and collage.
I like how the paper creases when I make it and the fact that I can collage or paint, print or stitch into its robust surface and I'm quite pleased with the effect I've managed to recreate of the look of wooden boards in this piece.

Here's what I did...

I've used watered down PVA glue over a layer of muslin, which is covered with tissue paper, then more PVA glue. You can use any coloured tissue or magazine papers, but here I wanted to paint it later so have used white...

After drying out fully, I've then used Koh-i-nor dyes  to paint over it, followed by a touch of Derwent Inktense pencil...and voila.. a robust stitching surface.

I used fusible webbing on the reverse and then free machined from the back to recreate  the wood grain effect using two coloured brown threads.

...and here is the finished effect on the final piece...

   ...close up

 

 

 

...and the finished piece 

 

You can read more about this piece on my other blog "Sanctuary in Stitch"