Susan Stein - The Complete Fabric Artists Workshop: Exploring Techniques and Materials for Creating Fashion and Decor Items from Artfully Altered Fabric

THE COMPLETE

fabric
artists
workshop

SUSAN STEIN

Copyright 2011 Creative Publishing international, Inc. This book is a compilation of the authors previously published books Fabric Art Workshop (2007) and Fabric Art Projects (2009).

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping of information on storage and retrieval systemswithout the written permission of the publisher.

Due to differing conditions, materials, and skill levels, the publisher and various manufacturers disclaim any liability for unsatisfactory results or injury due to improper use of tools, materials, or information in this publication.

First published in the United States of America by Creative Publishing international, Inc., a member of Quayside Publishing Group 400 First Avenue North Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55401 1-800-328-3895 www.creativepub.com Visit www.Craftside.Typepad.com for a behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world!

Digital edition: 978-1-61058-133-2
Softcover edition: 978-1-58923-663-9

ISBN-13: 978-1-58923-663-9
ISBN-10: 1-58923-663-7

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Copy Editor: Karen Levy
Proofreader: Alissa Cyphers
Book Design: Tina R. Johnson
Cover Design: Mighty Media
Page Layout: Danielle Smith

Printed in China

Permission to reproduce the printed images from Carol Belanger Grafton, ed., Authentic Chinese Cut-Paper Designs, Dover Design Library (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1988), used in Printout to Fabric Transfer, granted by Dover Publications, Inc.

dedication

To my dad, C. Emmett Shogren, who was my greatest supporter and encouraged me to accomplish whatever I set my mind to.

To my husband, John, for many years of love, support, and encouragement.

contents

i can do that with this?

With busy lives and lots of distractions , taking a little time out to play , to create , to find out what if is important.

These small and portable projects make catching some creative time easy. Designed as journal pages, they are fun to do at group get-togethers and with kids. They also require very little equipment.

The idea for making fabric journal pages began during a Quilt Market in Houston. Among all the gorgeous quilts, wall hangings, and garments were small pieces that chronicled peoples lives throughout a year. Some included writing and poetry, but typically the page alone conveyed a message. It was an arresting exhibit because it was so unusual and personal. Inspired, I began to teach a journal class to explore innovative techniques for, with, and on fabric. I encouraged students to pick a theme that held meaning for them, both to express themselves and to contribute unity to their collection of pages. Youll see a haiku journal, a dragonfly-dusted wall hanging, and autumn-as-inspiration pieces in the Artists Gallery at the back of the book.

Who knew we would paint fusible web, make beads from fabric, and take worms out of cocoons? But new ideas pop up constantly and the only thing stopping fiber artists from trying something is the desire to do it all right now!

The Complete Fabric Artists Workshop takes you through 27 techniques that use paint, fiber, embellishments, and even copy machines to make personal pages. These can then be used for wall hangings, fabric books, matted pieces, screens large and small, boxes, and anything else your imagination can devise. You may find yourself inspired to create larger pieces that combine several of the techniques, or perhaps youll apply the artful approaches to enhance garments.

In preparation for making the projects, collect the best paints and fabrics you can find. Prepared-for-dyeing (PFD) fabric is ideal for any painting technique; it has no sizing or finish to interfere with good paint absorption. You will find PFD fabrics at fine quilt shops. For all of the projects, you will want to start with pieces of fabric cut at least 9" 11-1/2" (22.9 29.2 cm) so you have a little insurance while working or for seam allowances. After you complete a piece, you can trim it to the finished book size, 8 1/2" 11" (21.6 27.9 cm), unless you plan to mat it or sew it onto another piece of fabric.

I used paints by Jacquard for many of the methods in The Complete Fabric Artists Workshop. They layer well and offer a range of possibilities: Dye-na-Flow, a thin transparent paint, behaves almost like a dye; Textile Colors, a medium-bodied paint, also gives transparent coverage; Neopaque colors are opaque; and Lumiere colors are metallic. Embellishments I found everywhereeven at the hardware store!

The makers of some of the products used with certain techniques never intended (or imagined) such uses, so be prepared for unexpected results! Many techniques should be tried a couple of times before using them to make a final project piece. Write notes with a permanent marker on the edges of practice pieces to record what you did. Turn a mistake into a happy accident whenever you can. Keep a file of test samples (and articles and resources) so you can easily find them when you want them. Be mindful of safety precautions when using products like bleach or when melting synthetic materials; work outside when possible or work in a vented room. Most of all, cultivate a playful attitude and be ready for the question How did you DO that?

COLOR and IMAGERY

Artists have used paintstikslinseed oil and pigment solidified into a stick formfor many years.

Versatile, easy to use, and permanent when set properly, they come in many colors and a wonderful array of iridescent hues. A blender sticka colorless stick used for making value gradationsallows you to create lighter colors. You can purchase paintstiks individually or in sets.

Now that the fiber people have discovered them, paintstiks have become a very popular tool for decorating clothing, wall hangings, cloth books, and art dolls.

Apply the color directly to the fabricits just like coloring with a crayon. You can use paintstiks to make rubbings of fairly flat objects that have recesses deep enough to feel through fabric, or try one of the many commercial rubbing plates. Stencil using a stencil brush and any purchased stencil design (or make your own stencil from freezer paper or template plastic). Use masking-tape guides to paint straight lines for plaids. Pull the color off of a paper with torn edges to create lovely, soft stripes.