Fabric Paper Postcards

Life is incredibly busy at the moment and I am getting minimal computer time - I feel quite deprived as I haven't been able to do my normal blog-reading this week! I'll have to get some catch-up time on the weekend to make sure I stay sane(ish).

I have some mixed feelings about the whole informal blog protocol thing about not posting pictures of postcards, ATCs, cards, quilts etc until the recipients receive them as I personally don't really think it matters much - if I am the recipient I am always thrilled when I see the item "for real" regardless of whether I have seen a picture or not. In some ways I think it adds to the anticipation. So that was a long-winded rationalization of the fact that the picture at the top is one of a set of fabric paper postcards that I have just completed but not yet mailed for a small group exchange that has been running this year.

The fabric paper was made "a la Beryl Taylor" with stamping added. I am loving having a machine that has some nice fancy stitches - this one made a nice frame for the vintage image that was printed out on paper and then fused to strong interfacing before being stitched to the postcard.

I've made seven of these (they are all basically the same) so I have one spare if anyone wants to do a postcard trade with me (first in basis - just leave a comment).

Think Monday - Think ATC - Numbers

This is my Think Monday ATC for the current week's theme of "Numbers" - I am just scraping in before the new theme is announced tomorrow! All of the stamps used are from Julie van Oosten's Collections range and I have used one of the oil pastel backgrounds I made last week. You can't see it in the scan but it has a lovely golden glimmer from the Moon Shadow Mist (Medieval Gold).

Well like all good things my holidays finish tonight and I am back to work tomorrow. Getting a cold has slowed me down a bit creatively but overall the last couple of weeks have been a great break. Yesterday was quite warm and sunny, so in between loads of washing I made several sheets of fabric paper (a la Beryl Taylor), coloured some small fabric pieces with Adirondack Color Washes and painted canvas backgrounds. I also lost several hours in the evening reading "The Divide" by Nicholas Evans. I really like the way he writes and I couldn't stop myself from finishing it, even though my intention had been to make it last a week. So tomorrow on my lunch break I will be off to the second hand book store or the library in search of a good novel.

Today (after attending to domestic duties of the most mundane variety) I have finished my mini clean-up of the sewing and craft rooms so that I feel a bit more organised. I ALWAYS regret starting these clean-ups as they ALWAYS take far longer than I my original estimate and I start to feel as though I am never going to finish. I have probably "modified" what constitutes "finishing" but I have stopped and the rooms look a lot more organised than they did a week ago. Several piles of things have just been boxed rather than sorted but if they are lucky they will be first in line for the next clean-up!




The photos are of various stages in my fabric paper making frenzy. No pictures of the final results - I'll see what I can do about that tomorrow night. I think I have made my paper too firm again compared with the effect Beryl achieves - it will be usable but it certainly isn't very pliable. I obviously need to dilute my PVA glue more but 50/50 just seems so wet and sloppy!!

Here is a photo of the canvas backgrounds - needless to say I was having a bright day! I don't know about anyone else but I find it a lot easier to start a specific piece when my background or the canvas is already started. I guess it is my way of handling the white canvas syndrome. Anyway I find it very relaxing to just splash paint around because there is nothing specific intended at the time I am painting. I have a great big bag of painted canvases "ready" for projects - the initial colour quite often becomes irrelevant as I often completely change it once I am underway.

Something completely different!

These two pictures are of my two pages in Fiona's Heart Shaped book. It is part of a small round robin based on shaped books (mine was the arch). Other than using the heart shape for our pages, Fiona's only other requirement was that we include something we love at the moment. I am in love with the pink and orange colour combination and have been for quite a while although I don't actually do that much art in this colourway so my pages celebrate this love! The background to the scans is silk fusion paper which I have also made in these colours but I didn't end up using any on the actual pages.

The first page is based on a piece of very pink fabric paper that I made some time ago (a la Beryl Taylor). I have toned it down with gesso and then added some stamping, the picture, beading, the orange flower trim etc and a final dusting of Micropearl Pearl-Ex which is a product I have had for several years and hardly used.

The second page is based on striped scrapbook paper which had been stamped several times in different colours (white gesso, Orchid Chalk Ink, Brilliance Orange) with flourishes/swirls (Fancy Pants and Rhonna Farrar), text (Oxford Impressions) and a small heart. The picture, embellishments and trims are then added along with some dots of dimensional paint and gel pen. The flower in the little girl's hair looks too big but it only just covers the enormous bow she was actually wearing in the photo! The ric rac doesn't go all around the heart as Fiona is binding the book on the bottom left side and that part needs to be relatively flat.

Lessons Learnt re Paper Fabric Quilts

I just took this quick photo to share. The pot of Z..... (the name has completely escaped me!) sits on an old wooden table outside my kitchen window while it is in bloom. It is so bright and cheerful and reminds me of all the reasons I love hot pink and deep orange together. Time to do some bright art I think - maybe tomorrow, because this afternoon I have to finish my alphabet tags (all the fiddly bits that are left).

So these are the lessons I learnt in the course of making my first paper fabric quilt (following Beryl Taylor's method for making paper fabric) as outlined in the Premiere Issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and her book Mixed Media Explorations:

1. Make lots of pieces at the same time in different colourways (if you have the space as it would be good to have lots of choices for layering, applique pieces etc). It is probably better to make several 12 inch squares rather than a couple of big pieces.

2. The PVA can be quite heavily diluted and still work - too thick a glue impacts on the softness (or otherwise!) of the paper fabric. I think it also makes the surface a bit shiny which may or may not be a good look depending n what you want.

3. On some pieces, colour the back side (which will look like fabric with paper images peeking through the open weave) as you may like the result even more than the front.

4. Maximise colour variations when colouring the surface while it is still wet (my pieces didn't end up with enough variety really).

5. Make some pieces that are not "too busy" - this is determined by the paper pieces you are using (although you can tone them done by using paint etc).

6. The paper fabric tears quite easily if you want rough edges but it is a bit unpredictable.

7. Paper fabric punches really well.

8. It is really easy to sew paper fabric, especially by machine but needle holes really show up if you unpick any stitching.

9. If you back your paper fabric with felt and then want to use wonder under or vliesofix to adhere it to another piece of fabric that is felt backed, it won't work as the sandwich is too thick! Ask me how I know...Solution had to be more stitching which messed things up a bit visually.

10. Adirondak Color Washes are a fantastic colouring agent while the paper fabric is still damp. I didn't use my Moon Shadow Mists but I will be next time as I think they would be gorgeous as a final light spray over the diluted inks and paints.


Seeing it was so long ago that I posted pictures of the two pieces of paper fabric that I originally made, I have included them again for reference. I have only used a section of the butterscotch/walnut ink one so far in making the first quilt. I am planning something completely different with the pink piece (which is VERY pink!).

Method I followed in making this quilt as pictured in my last post - tear out a piece of the paper fabric and zigzag stitch it to a piece of felt the same size, similar colour. Stamp desired images on kraft coloured tissue paper with permanent black ink. All of my images are from my favourite Oxford Impressions plate "The Art of Being Beautiful".

Use Mod Podge to glue the tissue images to the background, overlapping them where desired. I also cut out and glued a bit of manila folder to sit behind the woman's image so that her features would not be obscured by the images showing through the tissue.

Glue on some paper ephemera (the ticket and painted die cut dress form) and a scrap of tulle. Glue on twill and lace. Stitch around some parts of the tissue pieces and stitch in the gutter down the lengths of the twill and lace.

Ironed on wonder under to the back of the felt and attempted to iron it to a piece of black fabric that was backed with black felt (already stitched together). Failed. Stitched the two sandwiches together cursing my stupidity for not anticipating the wonder under dilemma.

Hand sew buttons and the scissor charm to the quilt and use small black pins to pin black twill to the quilt as a removable hanger.

Ciao for now