Using Paintstiks

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Linda Matthews

Embellishing your fabric with paints and dyes has never been so easy with all the different types of products that are available these days, and I do love for things to be easy.

One of the easiest ways to add color and design to fabric is with paintstiks. Paintstiks are fabric paint in stick form which makes them not only easy to use, but versatile as well and they can produce stunning results. This video from BeSewStylish.com demonstrates a few ways to use paintstiks. Be inspired!

This post is part of the 30 Days of Titivations; a 30 day blogathon all about embellishing and embellishments.

You can find lots of free embellishment tutorials in the tutorials section of my blog which can be found here, and even more techniques can be found on my Titivations DVD. Please visit the Instructional DVD section of the store for full details.

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Angelina Fiber Tutorials

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Linda Matthews

This post is part of the 30 Days of Titivations. Details can be found here and for additional information on the Titivations DVD, please visit the Instructional DVD section of the store.

The other day I posted a great video tutorial on how to use angelina fiber. Today I thought I’d dig around for some different types of projects to get you started using this fabulous glittery fiber.

It might be difficult to see but on the photo to the right I’ve used angelina fiber as an underlay for the butterfly wings. Angelina fiber can look a little garish and brassy sometimes, but by placing it underneath the needle-lace, it had the effect of toning it down a bit and now it just adds a lovely soft glow to the wings. But now on to the tutorials.

You’ll find a great tutorial for an Angelina Fiber Vase at Three Creative Studios. You’ll find the tutorial on the left hand side of the page under “Gifts, Jewelry & Sculptural Items”.

At the Embellished Community you’ll find a short video that demonstrates how to make an Angelina Fiber picture frame. And then head over to Fembellish where you’ll find a beautiful little project using angelina fiber in four parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

And if that’s not enough, head over to Amazon.com and grab Between the Sheets with Angelina which is full of great ideas for using angelina fiber.

All these tutorials offer great ideas for using angelina fiber, so have fun!

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Fine Embellishment Techniques

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Linda Matthews

Embellishments don’t always have to be “in your face” to be effective; very often a subtle embellishment is all you need to dress up a project.

Fine Embellishment Techniques by Jane Conlon was published some years ago, but is a favorite in my library. The book demonstrates a variety of techniques for adding elegant and sometimes understated embellishments primarily for clothing, however these techniques can easily be applied to any fabric project.

Inspired by embellished clothing from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s, you’ll find the book is divided into five sections – beading, threadwork, trims, applique, and bindings/pipings – and each section contains various techniques that includes choosing tools and materials, step-by-step instructions and ideas for using the technique, and the instructions and accompanied by lots of lovely photos and diagrams.

If you love to embellish, this book will quickly become a favorite.

This post is part of the 30 Days of Titivations; a 30 day blogathon all about embellishing and embellishments.

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Embellishing with Fusible Thread

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Linda Matthews

Fusible Thread Tutorial Fusible thread isn’t commonly used; it’s been around for a while and is very useful for certain applications, but I must admit I don’t use it much myself either. If you want to know how you can use fusible thread, you can find instructions and tutorials on the Superior Threads website for a super quick way to attach binding, as well as applique. And Trish Stewart has a really nice downloadable photo tutorial for reverse applique – you’ll need to scroll down to the bottom of the page to find this.

I never even considered using fusible thread for embellishing, however this tutorial by Lazy Girl Designs shows you how to use it to make an embellished design – very clever.

So if you’ve never even used that spool of fusible thread that’s been rolling around the bottom of your thread bin for years, give it a try, you just might find that you like it after all!

This post is part of the 30 Days of Titivations; a 30 day blogathon all about embellishing and embellishments.

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And now for something completely different

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Linda Matthews

This post is part of the 30 Days of Titivations. Details can be found here and for additional information on the Titivations DVD, please visit the Instructional DVD section of the store.

Embellishments can be added to most anything but for the ultimate embellished wearable, you can’t go past embellished shoes. I have a few pair myself, modestly embellished of course, but they do turn heads. By the way, the shoe in the photo is not mine; that’s just a *little* over-the-top, even for me. But let’s look see what’s out there.

Do shoes have to be practical? This shoe is just exquisite, but definitely art.

For embellished shoes with attention to detail, visit Marina Dempster and be inspired.

Or maybe you want to try embellishing your own shoes. Simple ideas for adding a little embellishments to your shoes can be found at the Glitter Sweatshop. And for those with no time for DIY, pick up a comfy pair at Zazzle.com.

Are you inspired yet?

Photo courtesy Northampton Museum

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