Darcy Wilkinson Project #2 Patchwork Paper ....

Today is all about a technique to create some patterned,textural paper that you can then go on to use in various projects.I started by unrolling some regular super cheap brown Kraft paper, the kind that you wrap parcels with. I cut off some large sections, they are about A3 in size, but you could make smaller pieces. I painted 2 colours per piece, to give myself plenty of variety. I found that spritzing the paper lightly with water first meant I only needed a small blob of Fresco Paint, and that it is spread out much easier. Once dry I blended a slightly darker shade of the same colour onto each section. They do look like large sections to cover, but really with the damp paper I used hardly any paint at all.

Next I very lightly marked off each colour into squares and rectangles, nothing is measured and they are all different sizes. Keep the pencil lines super light.

Over the outlines I added some stencilling, using similar colours. So an orangey stencilling over the yellow..

and a darker blue over the blue sheet.. and so on for all the different coloured sheets.

Next I added stencilling inside the squares and rectangles this time I used a contrasting colour. Leave a few of them empty in the middle, as you will be stamping later on.

Now take some backing paper. I used cheap cartridge paper. It does not need to be fancy or super strong, but printer paper would probably be too thin. If you know what shape you want your patchwork pieces to be, then go ahead and cut the backing paper to that shape. You will see me doing that in tomorrows post. If you are not sure what you will make with the patchwork, then keep your backing paper as one large sheet.

Start tearing your painted/stencilled paper into pieces, using your pencil lines as guides. However tear inside the lines as you don't want those on the finished piece. The edges do not need to be neat, but keep them fairly straight. Add a dab of a glue stick to the back of each piece, and glue them down onto the backing sheet. You do not need to fully glue them, this is just a dab to keep them in place for the next stage. Make sure to slightly overlap each piece.

At this point you are going to need a sewing machine, if you don't have one or would rather not use one then you can add faux stitching using a stencil.

{NB:If you decide to stencil your stitches then you will need to glue your patches down properly first}.

If you are machine stitching, set your machine to either a large zig zag or an open type of stitch pattern. Start to stitch lines between all the patches. Because you overlapped the patches a little, then both pieces will get caught under the stitching.

As you are stitching, add in some other ephemera. I added paper quotes and frames, washi tape, pieces of lace and other painted papers.

Next you will add stamping, and doodling with black and white pens. Use all your favourite
PaperArtsy Stamps to fill in the spaces, how much you add is up to you, though some empty areas help to balance the design.

Now you can use your patchwork paper on your projects. Cut out the size that you need and stitch around the outside edge.Here I made a load of small squares. 

Once they were stitched I used them on greetings cards.

I also used a large piece to make a slip on cover for my A4 sized art journal. I took a really large patchwork piece, and folded in the 2 short ends. Then I over-stitched the top and bottom edges to hold the end pockets in place. Then I just slipped the covers of the journal into place. 

Here is a view of the outside, I added a couple of hinge elements, I will shows those in more detail tomorrow.

I hope you are inspired to have a go at making your own patchwork paper. There are so many ways that it can be used, here I have just shown cards and a journal cover.

Tomorrow I will show you how I used the patchwork paper on a larger piece of storage.

Leandra Says: Wow, those cards look amazing! I reckon this is a great idea for those 'organised' people doing Xmas cards, cos you could easily do a bumper batch and how effective it is!! And a great ways to use all kinds of stamp images too!

Gillian Says: Oooo Darcy just loving this project. All those little squares of artyness just look beautiful on your greeting cards and journal cover. Now only if I could work my sewing machine lol {uh oh, another thing to add to your "teacher list"} x

If you are inspired by Darcy's post tonight, and want to jump in and have a go, then do just that, and blog, Pinterest, or Flickr link your web page showing what you made to out InLinkz tool at the foot of Sunday night's blog post here. You need to link by noon (London time) on Sunday Sept 1st. We will do 2 prize draws, one for every single entry (including multiple entries), and a second draw with just one entry per name. Successful winners will get to choose an A5 PaperArtsy stamp of their choice. Good luck!   |