Patti Medaris Culea - Creative Cloth Explorations: Adventures in Fairy-Inspired Fiber Art

adventures in fairy-inspired fiber art

PATTI MEDARIS CULEA

QUARRY
BOOKS
BEVERLY MASSACHUSETTS

Dedication

To the wee fairies (grandchildren) in my life: Kieran, Kayleigh, & Kayman

By its very nature, art is creative. It begins with a fleeting thought, a moment of inspiration, and then an idea. Finding that spark to ignite your creativity is what this book is all about.

Our adventures with Creative Cloth Explorations will be on flat surfaceshowever, unlike those who thought the world was flat and had defined boundaries, youre about to go flat-out to new and exciting destinations.

Your bottomless trunk of supplies will include all kinds of fibers, paints, rubber stamps, stabilizersthe list will be endless in your fairy-themed fiber arts journey.

Never doubt your ability to create. Just look at what you were equipped with when you were created. Each of us carries around a computer that cannot come close to being duplicated. It only weighs about three pounds and controls such things as memory, vision, learning, thought, and consciousness. Inside the computer are about 100 billion nerve cells that are constantly being charged. That computer is your brain!

In this book, well activate a few million of those cells together to enable you to create art you never thought possible.

Creative Cloth Explorations is more of a compass than a map. I hope youll let me point you in the right directionand from there you can take off on your creative roads to destinations unknown. I wish I could see what wonderful works of art are waiting for you when you get there. I know they will be fantastic.

Patti Medaris Culea

Fiber arts are two words that connect a world of new and exciting creations. Just as fiber defines somebodys character, fiber, for me, is the starting point of specialized art. While my life is confined to planet Earth, my mind and artistic expressions often are lost in other realms. One of those realms holds my fascination with fairies.

When I was a child, fairies were a wonderful part of my imaginary world. Ive shared in earlier books how my mother told me that I had fairies as imaginary friends. My great-grandmothers and grandmothers added to that delightful fantasy with beautiful stories of fairies that lived in the forest near our farm. Since then, Im happy to admit that I have never fully grown up. Not surprisingly, for me, combining fairies with fiber arts was natural.

I hope this book encourages you to first look through your stash of fabrics, threads, yarns, beads, and other supplies. Then, please consider using all of them in ways that go beyond the artistic postal zone youve been living in. My goal is to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to create one-of-a-kind beautiful works of art.

Although the projects in this book are geared for fiber book pages, dont feel confined. Remember, this book is a compass, not a road map, and there is no definitive end. Use these techniques to make a quilt block, wearable patch, purse, tote, bag, or any other work of fabric art.

The items in the Basic Sewing Kit (below) are used for every project and you probably already own most of them. There is a specific materials list for each project at the start of each chapter, however. In case you are always shopping for inspiration, a general list of beading and embellishment supplies follows.

General supplies

sewing machine

sewing machine needles: universal in sizes 10 and 12; embroidery, metallic, and topstitch in sizes 12 and 14

sewing machine presser feet: darning or free-motion, open-toed, zigzag, and cording

sewing machine tools (for changing needles, oiling, and cleaning)

seam ripper

iron and ironing board

press cloth or parchment paper

small bottle of Sewers Aid

extra bobbins

hand-sewing needles: sharps, milliners, quilters basting needles, darners, and embroidery

variety of threads

straight pins

safety pins

pincushion

thimble

rulers

measuring tape

rotary cutter and cutting mat

fabric scissors

fabric marking pens

embroidery scissors

paper scissors

pencil

small scratch pad

These are a few of the basic bead supplies that you will use to make the projects in this book.

beading thread: Nymo or C-Lon, sizes 0 to B; 6 to 9 lb. FireLine

beading needles in sizes 10 and 12

seed beads in various colors and sizes

accent beads

sequins

Swarovski crystals

heat-set wand for setting crystals

beading wax: beeswax or Thread Heaven

24-gauge beading wire

needle-nose pliers with a cutter

Bead supplies

As with most fiber art, it is smart to have a variety of embellishing supplies on hand. Youll never know ahead of time what will make the perfect finishing touch!

stabilizers

silk rods, waste, and cocoons

various yarn, thread, embroidery floss, and ribbon

photo transfer fabric

wool roving

lace, ribbon, and trims

fabric paints: opaque, metallic, pearlized, transparent, glitter, and so on

variety of paint and stencil brushes

paper plate or other mixing palette

colored pencils

alcohol-based markers

detailing pens such as Micron Pigma or COPIC Multiliners

soldering iron with a fine point

embossing powders

rubber stamps

rubbing plates

oil-based paint sticks such as Shiva/Markal

freezer paper or card stock for making stencils

ink-based stamp pads

The patterns for two stencils are provided on , but remember you can always draw your own.

There are two easy ways to make stencils: from freezer paper or from card stock. If you are using freezer paper, trace the patterns onto the paper and cut out inside the design. Then, iron the freezer paper directly onto the fabric. If you are using the fern stencil provided, youll need to trace it several times.

You can also make a stencil from card stock, which is stronger than freezer paper. Trace the pattern onto plain paper, cut it out, and then draw around the design onto the card stock.