Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Coloring on Fabric




This is a pillow I made for my father for Christmas 2011.  My father had a brother who passed away at age 21 with lymphoma. His brother had a 1955 Chevy he restored. The fabric border and backing consists of the upholstery fabric his brother bought for the seats. My grandmother found the fabric last summer & gave it to me when my studio was completed. She wasn't sure that I would be able to use it for anything. But when she told me where the fabric came from, I had to do something with it. My oldest son drew the picture of the car for me. And, I traced it on to the fabric, colored the drawing, and stitched the outline. I used Derwent Inktense Pencils (watercolor).  I came across these pencils at a quilt show and wanted to try them out. The coloring can be set to become permanent.
 What I learned in this process:
Don't use too much water. It (the color) will bleed outside of the drawn line.
Yes, It is permanent after it has been wet & allowed to completely dry.
Other pencils and brands wash out or fade significantly when laundered.
And, I need more colors!!!






This it a pattern by Meg Hawley from Crabapple Hill Designs. I really do like her work!
The center piece is a stitchery that is colored with crayons. I traced the design on to the fabric, then colored it with crayons. Yes, I used regular crayola crayons (64ct box). This was a lot of fun to do. After coloring, I set the colors by using an iron and plain paper. The heat makes the colors permanent. I finished all of the coloring first, then did the stitchery.
Now, I need to quilt it. I haven't really decided yet on how I'm going quilt it.