Free Projects & Tutorials

DIY Alcohol Inks

If you work with mixed media, then you'll know that alcohol inks are perfect for staining and adding transparent color. I generally use them with stencils and also for adding aged effects and subtle shading effects to both paper and fabric. Alcohol inks can get quite...

Fabric dyeing using Jacquard Color Magnet

I currently teach several hand-dyeing workshops using techniques that I've developed over many years, but I'm always looking for new and fun ways to work with fabric and dyes. Jacquard's Color Magnet is definitely one of those fun products. Color Magnet is a paste...

How to Make a Quick and Easy Traveler’s Notebook Cover

Several years ago I began using a traveler's notebook. When I first bought it, I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, but over time I've grown to love it! I particularly love the idea of being able to use several different styles of notebooks such as a writing notebook,...

Stick Totem: A Stitched Mixed Media Collage Tutorial + Free Printable

This year my goal is to make a small stitched mixed media collage each day with the intention of making monthly mixed media journals. To make these page quick and easy to create, I'm using pages from my new series of printable journals as backing pages. These pages...

How to make a Handmade Journal with the Stitches Hidden in the Spine

It took a little trial and error to figure out how to make a cover and assemble last month's journal which was themed Taking Flight. I wanted a cover that looked like a book cover with no stitches showing on the outside, and pages that weren't all squashed together....

How to Make Mini-Tassels using Silk Cocoons

One of the best things about being a textile artist is discovering unusual things that can be stitched and sewn, and incorporated into mixed media art in creative ways. Silk cocoons and silk carrier rods are definitely some of those unusual things. The cocoon is the...

The 3-2-1 Creativity Tracking Journal

Do you ever find yourself wishing you were more creative? I do my best to make at least 15 minutes of creative space in my life every day, if not more. I find that having a regular creative practice not only helps me to be more creative, but it's also where I find a...

A Quick Start Guide to Printing on Fabric using an Inkjet Printer

Thanks to today's technology, printing your images and designs directly onto fabric using an inkjet printer has never been easier. The creative opportunities for using your own personal photos or your own custom designed fabric are limited only by your imagination....

Need a quick weekend project? Try Some Fabric Beads

This post contains affiliate links Fabric beads are easy and fun to make and can be used to embellish all your creative sewing projects. They are also a great way to use up all those small scraps of leftover fabric and fibers. This tutorial shows you several ways to...

How to Sew Beads onto Fabric so they don’t fall off

Beading on fabric is one of my favorite fabric embellishment techniques, although I have to admit I'm a little addicted to it. I love to bead all sorts of different types of textile art, and sewing projects. I sometimes like to sew beads on individually ... ... and...

How to turn mixed media textures into digital background textures

Making mixed media textures using pastes, gels, and other textural elements is one of my favorite things to do. It's more like fun playtime than work. I use some of these textures in my mixed media artwork, but mostly I like to transform them into digital form and use...

Ways to use your Digital Photo Art: How to Make a Wrapped Canvas

One of my favorite ways to use my digital photo art is to print it onto fabric and make wall art by wrapping it onto a stretched canvas. Wrapping a canvas is really easy to do, and you can use cheap wrapped canvases found in the craft store, so it's also quite...