Carol Quance Project #3 Flower Canvas And Tags ....

So technically this is Carol's final Guest Designer post, but i think you have busted us, and know to expect her back tomorrow with a surprise! ...so we'll reserve our proper goodbyes till then! Here she is...... (drum roll)....Carol Quance...

"I think this is my favourite project during my time as Guest Designer. I hope you like it too."

I started by stamping flower images from ELB01 and ELB03 onto some heavyweight cotton canvas in StazOn Black.  I re-inked my pad before doing this to make it more juicy because the cotton canvas is quite thick and it helped with the absorption of the ink into the fabric. I also found that if I held down the rubber stamps for a while longer than usual it gave a stronger image. 

 ELB01

ELB03

Next I painted the images with Fresco Paint.  I added some water to the paint to help it spread into the fabric but not too much as I didn’t want it to bleed. A pointed paintbrush was helpful at this stage for accuracy. I started with the flower accents in the centre. Then dried.

I painted a border round the edge of the images about 4mm (quarter inch) so that when cut out they would still have a coloured edge and not a white fabric border. Make sure you dry the fabric before switching paint colours, or the 2 colours will merge. If you dry after the first colour, then that will contrast nicely with the second colour.

  I painted up some leaves and branches too.

Next up, I cut out the different painted shapes and layered them up with some soft curtain interlining.

 I then used some plain cotton for the backing.

You don’t have to use curtain interlining – just whatever is to hand but make sure it’s not too thick.   As you can see, I didn’t cut them out particularly carefully.

Out came the sewing machine.  I set this up for free machine embroidery and with some gold thread, stitched round all the borders and highlighted the inner areas where I felt like it.

I did not tie off any loose ends of thread.  I made sure I re-stitched over the beginning and ends of my stitching lines and just cut them off. 

Once all the stitching was complete, I carefully cut round the edges. 

I didn’t like the white edges that were left after cutting out the flowers so I painted round them with watered down Fresco Paint in a matching colour.

Because the Fresco Paints have a high pigment, you don’t lose any of the depth of colour by watering them down.  It also makes it easier for the colour to absorb into the fabric.

Next I sprayed a piece of 25 x 25 cm piece of cotton canvas with dye inks. 

Finally it was a matter of placing the flowers and leaves on the canvas until I liked the layout. I only attached them lightly to the canvas with the sewing machine so that the edges were free and gave a more dimensional look. I also added a few beads to the flower centres for added texture.  Some words from the ELB03 plate were stamped onto a plain piece of canvas and stitched in place.   I backed the picture with another piece of cotton canvas and roughly stitched all round the edges to hide where I had attached all the flowers and leaves. 

Side project – canvas tags.

I had a lot of spare leaves and flowers left over and made some tags with these.  If you don’t fancy a full sized canvas, this is an easier way to go.  The tags can be cut out with the Tim Holtz tag die or cut from a template. I really enjoyed painting the canvas with the Fresco Paints because it worked so well. I liberally watered them down and the colours blended beautifully. As I mentioned previously, because they have a lot of pigment, the colour stays strong. 

  And this is the result.

 I also painted the edges and the backs.

 I attached the flowers/leaves and words as previously and here is the finished result.

This is my final project for PaperArtsy this semester. I have had a fabulous time. The PaperArtsy products are such fun to work with and I have been on a creative roll with them. Thanks to Leandra and Gillian for inviting me to a fun filled and exciting few months.

Leandra Says: Such a great idea. I love how you have used the little flower head 'upside down' it works really well that way! Adding a bit of 'puff' to fabric through stitching and the interlining giving depth really gives some real life to the flowers. Fantastic. Thanks Carol, you projects have been amazing this semester! It's been so great having you share with us all. Thank YOU!

Gillian Says: I think I have to agree with you Carol, I adore how you have combined the Fresco Paints with Lin's stamps onto these fabric works of art. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It has been a real pleasure seeing you create over the last few months. xx

Don't forget that if you want to join Carol in this week's challenge, then please why not have a go re-creating, or twisting-any-idea Carol has presented this week, and link your creativity here. Winners get to choose an A5 stamp set from PaperArtsy of their choice. We love to see how our designers inspire you! So join the fun!