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Creative Recycling
or How I Made a Mousepad in 5 Minutes I’ve been threatening to make a new mouse pad for quite a while, but of course my “to do” list gets longer every day and it wasn’t a priority up until the other day when I finally couldn’t stand the sight …
This week I’ve been super busy making some fabric postcards for the upcoming Arts on Stage event I’m participating in next month, and along the way discovered that injured prints make fabulous postcards. This is a print that really went screwy. It was printed using digital grounds on textured fabric …
Before I upgraded to my new wide format Epson printer, I was using an old HP wide format to print my large images. It did a fair enough job but it was rather finicky about what what I fed through it and this resulted in a number of very large …
Fabric Embellishment Techniques
Beading is one of my favorite methods of embellishing my art quilts and other projects, and I like to use lots of bead dangles; I just love the way that the hanging beads add movement. Bead dangles are easy to make and don’t take a lot of time. Just be …
Today I’ll be teaching one of my embellishing workshops and one of the techniques I’ll be teaching is my absolutely favorite embellishment of all time – machine wrapped cording. I’ve taught this technique to hundreds of students over the years and I use this embellishment myself for all sorts of …
I’m taking a break during December, but please enjoy some of my previously published articles and tutorials. As I mentioned the other day I was on a mission to make a fabric flower which I wanted to use as an embellishment on one of my new handbag designs. And here …
Fabric yo-yos are really quite simple, both to look at and to make. It’s this simplicity that can often be overlooked or discounted when creating and embellishing with fabric. I remember when I was young that my grandmother used to have a beautiful bedspread made from yo-yos. I remember her …
I mentioned the other day that my next book is going to be about fabric beads which along with machine wrapped cording, is one of my all-time favorite embellishments. Usually I like my fabric beads kinda chunky like this … … but every now and then I need a bead …
If you missed the news, this is my very favorite embellishing technique of all time and you can now find better and more detailed instructions in my new book – Machine Wrapped Cording! Plus LOTS of color photos. PLUS an invite to my private book club! Visit the store for …
As you know, machine wrapped cording is one of my favorite embellishments and I use it on many of my projects, particularly as a finishing edging. I’ve used it on art quilts … fabric journals … and I particularly love using it to finish my Art Bags. I get asked …
Next week I’m doing an embellishing workshop down in lovely Melbourne Florida for some lucky students, because next to printing on fabric, you all know how much I LOVE to embellish! I know you can’t all be there with me, so here’s a little inspiration for you using one of …
Fabric Painting
Dryer Sheets are a fun and interesting way to add texture or other special effects to your art quilts. The Warning First of all the warning. Most dryer sheets are toxic because of all the stuff they put in the perfumes. The toxins can permeate your skin when you wear …
I recently blogged about this idea for a roller stamp . But then I thought … one just isn’t going to be enough, but it’s gonna get kind of expensive to purchase rolling pins in bulk; there must be a better way …. And there is! Here’s how to make …
Image Transfer
Continuing the series Printing on Fabric 101. Last week we looked at printers and printer inks; today I’ll discuss a bit about fabrics. You can print on just about any type or color of fabric so long as it’s properly prepared and backed with a paper carrier so it feeds …
Continuing the series Printing on Fabric 101, today let’s look at printers and the best feed path when printing on fabric. One of the most common problems when printing on fabric is having the fabric jam when feeding through your printer. This problem can be alleviated in part by ensuring …
Continuing the series Printing on Fabric 101. Last week we looked at printer feed paths so today I’ll discuss printer inks, which is another important aspect when printing on fabric. Understanding inkjet printer inks can get a little confusing because each printer manufacturer makes their inks using different technologies and …
I love to print on fabric and I know that you do too! Today begins the series Printing on Fabric 101 which will help to demystify the process. Today we begin at the beginning with The Basics – this is the very least you need to know and do in …
Continuing the series Printing on Fabric 101, today let’s look at ways of making your inkjet prints washable. One of the most common questions when printing images on fabric is … can I wash the prints? And of course you can .. but you do need to use fabric that …
I often get asked about printing on sheers and the best way to get sheer fabric through your printer. When I first started experimenting with sheers I tried using Extravorganza which is available in stores and is sheets of organza cut to size and backed with a sheet of paper. …
My very favorite method of transferring images to fabric is to print images on fabric using an inkjet printer. When I first started printing on fabric some ten years ago I immediately fell in love with the process and it’s always been my favorite. I love the ease in which …
The other week I showed you how to prepare fabric for printing using freezer paper as a carrier. This week let’s look at my preferred method for feeding whole sheets through the printer using full-page size sticky labels instead of freezer paper. With printer ink the price that it is, …
Machine Needle Felting
A few weeks ago I released the updated version of my machine needle felting dvd “Felt-Punch-Embellish” which now includes all the techniques previously offered on the “More Felt-Punch-Embellish” dvd, so it’s now a double dvd containing dozens of different techniques for exploring your needle felting machine. Also included on the …
I love to use my needle felting machine, particularly for texturizing and manipulating fabric in unusual ways. One technique I use is layering my fabrics before needle felting for some awesome results. To learn some of the other fabulous techniques I use in my work, stop by the store and …
Decorative knitter’s yarn makes great felt. It is readily available, comes in great textures and colors and is relatively inexpensive. You can produce beautiful felt with wonderful texture using yarn, and depending on the type of decorative yarn you use, the under side of your piece can also produce great …
Talisman or amulet pouches have their origins in Africa and were typically made of leather or sometimes cloth and contained sacred prayers or written words of empowerment. The pouches were then sealed to prevent the writings from being read and giving power to the words that were written. The pouches …
Machine Quilting
Looking for some “fabulous” free motion quilting tips? Then look no further. I don’t make many quilts any more, but I still do a lot of free motion – mostly free motion embroidery like this. But I’ve been doing free motion for as long as I can remember (that’s a …
Photoshop Elements
What’s better than fabric? Well, maybe not better, but certainly in the ball-park …. Fabric Textures of course! And high resolution fabric textures at that. The Thinkdesign Blog has kindly made available for free a fabulous high resolution “Fabric Fold” texture pack and you can download them here. Because these …
Resizing images in Photoshop Elements is not at all difficult. There are a number of ways to resize images, but this is the way that I prefer.
During the next few weeks I’ll be showing you some of the great new features that are available in the latest version of Photoshop Elements which is version 9. If you haven’t yet tried Photoshop Elements 9 and you want to follow along, Adobe offers a free 30 day trial. …
If you’ve been following along, I’m currently doing a review of all the cool new stuff in the latest version 9 of Photoshop Elements. If you haven’t yet tried Photoshop Elements 9, Adobe offers a free 30 day trial. You can download it here. In this tutorial I’m going to …
Over the last few weeks I’ve introduced you to some cool new features in the latest version of Photoshop Elements, version 9. If you haven’t yet tried Photoshop Elements 9, Adobe offers a free 30 day trial. You can download it here. Today I’m going to show you a fun …
Today, a quick tutorial on how to use the Camera Raw editor to edit jpg files. The Camera Raw editor is generally used to edit “.raw” format images. The .raw format is available in some high end cameras and saves the photo with minimal processing which allows greater editing capabilities. …
When I was first learning how to use Photoshop Elements, one of the things I *really* wanted to know was how to make a collaged image; that is, one image made up of a combination of two or three images that were all blended together and looking lovely. It was …
A couple of weeks ago I posted a tutorial for making a vignette with a faded edge. Today I’ll show you a way to make a colored vignette. A colored vignette can be used to highlight an area of your image to draw focus to it. Note: This tutorial is …
There are different ways to colorize a photo; that is, to add color to isolated areas of a black and white or sepia toned image and over the coming weeks I’ll show you how to do this in various ways. This tutorial however shows you how to remove the color …
Although I’m getting much better using Photoshop Elements, I still don’t quite know everything there is to know, and one of the challenges I’ve always experienced was when removing backgrounds from an image so that it didn’t look like the dog had chewed around the edges of it. This is …
There are a number of ways to make a vignette and there are a number of different types of vignettes. This tutorial shows how to make a vignette that fades the edges of an image. The tutorial is for Photoshop Elements 6, but the instructions should be the same or …
Remember this recent tutorial for removing backgrounds in Photoshop Elements when I showed you how to go from this to this Well that process just got a little easier. I don’t know what I was thinking when I took this photo using my old cutting board for a background instead …
I don’t think you can improve on the colors of nature, but if you’re only a somewhat ordinary photographer like me, well it’s really quite easy to mess things up without trying too hard. You can talk to me all day long about how to use the features of my …
I don’t know about you, but some photoshop elements techniques I only use once in a very long while. And of course you tend to forget how to do things after a while, memory being the way it is and all. I’ve found the best way to remember how to …
One of the most commonly used designs on fabric is a repeat pattern design. Repeat patterns are easy to make in Photoshop Elements using the Offset feature and simple copy and past. So let’s get started … Note: This tutorial is for Photoshop Elements 6 but the steps are probably …
Textured and decorative framed edges for your photos, can really set the mood and turn your photos and images into something memorable, don’t you think? There are lots of different ways to texture your photo edges using photoshop elements, but the easiest way I’ve found is to make a separate …
When printing images on paper I think most of us are used to, at the very least, selecting the “Photo” or “Best Photo” setting on our printer and hoping for the best which is usually pretty good to excellent. But getting the best possible print on a piece fabric can …
Piecing
Curved inserts on your art quilts or projects add movement and interest, and curved checkerboard in particular can make a very bold statement especially if unusual color combinations are used. Curved checkerboard may look impossibly difficult to make, but it is in fact a very simple process. Supplies Two pieces …
I whipped up this cute little shoulder purse from some leftover scraps I had lying around. I used the flip’n’sew technique to piece together some coordinating fabric scraps down the right side of the purse, and added some fabric flaps to the left side. The flip-n-sew technique is really easy …
Quilting Basics
Binding a quilt is usually one of the last things you do before the quilt is considered finished. There are a number of ways to bind a quilt: double fold binding also known as french fold binding single fold binding fusible binding raw edge binding Quilt binding can be wide …
This is a quick way to make continuous bias quilt binding. Step 1 Calculate the size of your fabric square "Calculations for Continuous Bias Binding" below, and cut the fabric square on the diagonal. Step 2 With right sides facing, stitch a seam along sides A and B being careful …
Instructions for making a double fold quilt sleeve Step 1 Cut a piece of fabric 10" by the the width of the quilt Turn under a 1" hem on both short sides of the fabric and topstitch Step 2 Fold sleeve in half lengthwise, wrong sides facing and raw edges …
Instructions for make a single fold quilt sleeve Step 1 Cut a piece of fabric 6" by the width of the quilt Turn under a 1" hem on both short sides and one long side of the fabric and topstitch Step 2 With wrong side of the sleeve facing the …
Surface Design
For me, the best part about embellishing is using beautiful fabric with beautiful colors to work with and what better way to acquire beautifully colored fabric than to make it yourself by dyeing it, painting it or stamping it. If you’re interested in fabric dyeing, there is no better resource …
I posted a thread painting video the other day and I have since found some really good tutorials and instruction for thread painting. I like to do thread painting, although only small pieces at a time, but it gives you the freedom to create designs without the need for an …
I was playing around the other day doing some fabric stamping using moldable foam stamp blocks. If you’ve never used these types of stamping blocks before, they are fun and easy to use. But best of all they’re reusable so you can use them again and again by impressing them …
As you know, fabric paper is one of my favorite materials and I use it in many different ways by printing on it using my inkjet printer when I make my art bags and three dimensional art, and also painting on it for use as backgrounds on my art quilts. …
Using Water Soluble Stabilizer
This technique and many others can be found on my fabulous instructional dvd Titivations. You can find it in the Instructional DVD Section of the store. Water soluble stabilizer offers great opportunities for art quilters to get very creative. Decorative lacework, needle-lace, lace inserts, embellishments—the possibilities are endless! Combining water …
Book Wraps are great projects to make either for yourself or to give as gifts. They are easy to make and offer the perfect opportunity to express your creative self through your use of embellishment. This project demonstrates a technique for making fabric using Decorative Stitch “Art Lace”, and then …
I love playing with the flower stitch foot. If you’ve never used this foot, I can guarantee it is way too much fun. But did you know that you can use this foot with water soluble stabilizer to create all sorts of decorative effects? The Flower Stitch Foot is only …
Don’t you just love getting creative with new and fun products and techniques? Even though this product isn’t new, water soluble stabilizer is one of my very favorite products and I use it in various ways to create different types of thread and fiber effects. Soft edges… Lace windows … …
With Valentines Day quickly approaching, I thought this would be an ideal time to revisit my tutorial for making a “see through” heart design using machine needle-lace. Machine needle-lace is a very versatile technique and one I use often, particularly for making embellishments. But you can also use it for …
Video
I’m taking a break during December, but please enjoy some of my previously published articles and tutorials. As I mentioned the other day I was on a mission to make a fabric flower which I wanted to use as an embellishment on one of my new handbag designs. And here …
During the next few weeks I’ll be showing you some of the great new features that are available in the latest version of Photoshop Elements which is version 9. If you haven’t yet tried Photoshop Elements 9 and you want to follow along, Adobe offers a free 30 day trial. …
If you’ve been following along, I’m currently doing a review of all the cool new stuff in the latest version 9 of Photoshop Elements. If you haven’t yet tried Photoshop Elements 9, Adobe offers a free 30 day trial. You can download it here. In this tutorial I’m going to …
Over the last few weeks I’ve introduced you to some cool new features in the latest version of Photoshop Elements, version 9. If you haven’t yet tried Photoshop Elements 9, Adobe offers a free 30 day trial. You can download it here. Today I’m going to show you a fun …
Today, a quick tutorial on how to use the Camera Raw editor to edit jpg files. The Camera Raw editor is generally used to edit “.raw” format images. The .raw format is available in some high end cameras and saves the photo with minimal processing which allows greater editing capabilities. …
I’m taking a break during December, but please enjoy some of my previously published articles and tutorials. One of my favorite techniques is image transfer. Mostly I like to transfer images directly to fabric using various methods, however sometimes I also like to transfer images to “fabric paper”. “Fabric paper” …
I was playing around the other day doing some fabric stamping using moldable foam stamp blocks. If you’ve never used these types of stamping blocks before, they are fun and easy to use. But best of all they’re reusable so you can use them again and again by impressing them …
Wearables
Today is the final day of the “30 Days of Titivations” and I hope you enjoyed all the great links, information and tutorials presented throughout the last 30 days. To finish up the month please enjoy this beautiful and titivating “Embellished Purse” tutorial. The purse is really quick and easy …
As you know, I simply love handbags, purses and totes. A girl can never have too many! And if you haven’t done already, make sure you visit my listings for FREE Purse, Handbag & Tote Patterns and Tutorials – there are currently over 270 listings! And as you all know …
Last month I posted a tutorial on how to make a simple purse strap; you can find it find it here. Today I’m going to share my new very favorite technique for making purse straps which is a lined purse strap. I think they just look so professional and elegant. …
