Thursday 30 January 2014

Tutorial: Guide word art quilt

I don't know about all of you but I have a terrible memory.  It is great when I am reading a book I have already read before (its like reading it for the first time again :) ) and when I am listening to a joke I have heard and I can't remember the punchline and when I have heard something about someone and I can't remember what I have been told.  It is not good when I am setting goals,  needing to go to appointments or I need to remember birthdays.  So I knew when I chose a guide word for the year (read about it here )  I would need to find a way to remind me of that word.   So I did the best thing I know how to do I made an art quilt of my word.  To create and have something inspirational at the end is the best sort of creation.


Guide word art quilt



The finished top of the art piece




Cut a piece of cotton fabric (I use good quality sheeting that I have pre washed)  1-2 inches wider than the desired quilt size.  This gives room for the quilt to shrink a little after the quilting and also size to be trimmed if needed.


Textile inks

Chose 2 colours that are next door to each other on the colour wheel, black and white and the primary colour that makes the secondary colour that has been chosen.  I.E I have chosen Blue and green.  Yellow is the primary colour that makes green.  Yellow will be used to make different tones of blue and green.  Have a disposable teaspoon for each colour to get the paint out from the jar.  This keeps the colours from crossing into another jar.


Prepare an area to put all of the equipment once used.  This keeps all painted equipment separate from the working area and it is easier to pick everything up all at once to wash.



Choose 3 different sized paintbrushes to paint the background of the cloth.  I chose 1 large brush, one flat brush and one 'stomper' 




Have a variety of shapes and stamps to chose from for printing


Have a variety of textures surfaces to print from.





Take the 2 main colours and white and place next to each other on the tray.


Spoon 2 teaspoons of water into the tray


Mix the colours together.  The paint should be the consistency of a thin custard. Try not to mix too much. It is good to have a little white, blue and green still visible in the paint mix


Using the large paintbrush wet some of the cotton cloth with water.


Paint the cloth with large brush strokes. 


Keep painting the cloth until it is all covered.  Add white, blue and green to the brush to give more texture to the cloth.


Put the paint brush in the used equipment tray.


Take a large piece of bubble wrap and roll white paint onto it the print onto the cloth.


Print 3-4 time over the surface.


Take a smaller bubble wrap and roll blue and green paint onto it and print 3-4 times on the surface of the quilt top.


Using a stencil brush stencil a white and a little blue onto the surface.  


Place an old towel on the cloth and iron dry.  Or wait for a couple of hours until dry naturally.


Finished background of the quilt top


Place a piece of batting underneath the cloth.  This makes a great stamping surface.  
Mine is well used :)


Take a large circular cork and paint it white and stamp randomly over the cloth.


Use another shape and stamp it over the cloth in a darker blue.I have used an old plastic circle my husband was throwing out of his garage.


Blot any excess paint off.  This make the top easier to quilt later.


Mix yellow with the green and white and use a stencil over the cloth.  This little stencil is an old biscuit maker piece.


Stamp in dark blues another stamp randomly on the quilt.  I have used a plastic buckle I found at an emporium for 10c NZD



Last of all use a small cork in a blue green colour, made with white, black, blue and green All over the quilt top


Iron dry or dry naturally.


Printed quilt top


Rule 2 lines on the quilt for the writing to go on.  With a pencil draw the outline of the letters of the word that has been chosen.  Mark the centre of the of the quilt and work out the centre letter of the word and start with that letter and work outwards.  There are a variety of stencils on the market if you would prefer to use a ready made lettering.


Paint around each of the letters in black paint.



Add any other words to the top.  This is now ready for quilting.  

Stay tuned till next week for the finished top.

Before the wash up is done.......


Don't throw out any paint.  Use a roller to apply the left over paint to another cloth.




Print any stamps with any paint still on them onto the cloth


Wipe paintbrushes,  stamps e.t.c. on another white piece of fabric to use for another project.  There is very little waste doing it this way and also very little paint to wash down the sink.

1 comment:

  1. Great tutorial. I think we may try this as a project with our YW. You are very talented!!

    ReplyDelete

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