Monday, August 12, 2013

The Perfect Accent...

Hi, Linda Kittmer back with another tutorial to show you how I used Terri Stegmiller's stencil called Blades.
I don't want you to think that all I can make are journal covers.  Really, I do other things too!  However, I was making a journal cover for my sister-in-law using my indigo dyed fabrics and I found I just wanted a little accent of colour and Terri's stencil was perfect for achieving that little bit more on the piece.

As I was auditioning possibilities  I had lined up a collection of indigo strips and then woven in a couple more when I decided I wanted to bring in a little more of the green in that one over-dyed piece.
I picked a piece of hand dyed green and Terri's stencil, and using a Micron pen I traced her design onto the fabric.




 Cute right?  But it still needed a bit of a pop of colour so I pulled out my Inktense pencils, dampened the fabric slightly and then just coloured in the shapes.


Once the Intense pencils dry, the pigment is permanent...the iron just helped to speed up the drying process.

There...I like that better!  At this point everything is just lying on the ironing board loosely, so it was time to get the sewing machine out and put it all together.  Using the photo (shot with my iPhone) as a guide, I took it all apart and re-assembled it on a backing piece, using some fusible web to hold it all together.

I added hand dyed indigo yarn, machine couching it over the spots where the strips met.

The image below shows what it looked like after that step was competed (sorry about the funny colour...not sure how that happened).


And now for the really fun part. I did a bit of hand stitch (running stitch) along the edges of the horizontal strips used in the weaving.  I then took it back to the machine and added random free motion quilting to all of the various indigo strips before I switched to black thread and traced around the Micron lines made by tracing Terri's stencil.  I added a circle in the centre to create little flowers from the shape.


And here's what the finished journal cover looks like, ready for a composition book to be slipped inside!


Make sure you stop back tomorrow! Maria will be back a project.




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28 comments:

  1. froebelsternchenAugust 12, 2013 at 12:31 AM

    That looks great Linda!

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    Replies
    1. Linda KittmerAugust 12, 2013 at 7:09 AM

      Thanks Susi. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

      Delete
  2. Terri StegmillerAugust 12, 2013 at 6:36 AM

    Love this cover Linda! Those blue fabrics are so gorgeous all by themselves but adding that pop of color with the green strip really enhances those blues! Blades is one of my favorite stencils and, funny, I've never used it like this. Now I want to! LOL!

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    Replies
    1. Linda KittmerAugust 12, 2013 at 7:12 AM

      Thanks so much Terri. I'm glad you like what I did with your stencil!

      Delete
  3. AnonymousAugust 12, 2013 at 7:03 AM

    Love this Linda. Your quilted flowers of Terri's stencil are just perfect for your journal cover. xox

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  4. Mary C. NasserAugust 12, 2013 at 7:30 AM

    Gorgeous, Linda! Love the textures and patterns and blues!!
    Very inspiring!

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  5. MB ShawAugust 12, 2013 at 7:36 AM

    The indigo is so stunning, LOVE!!! And you offset it perfectly with the pops of color. I didn't know you could use Inktense on fabric, so I learned something too :)

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    Replies
    1. Linda KittmerAugust 12, 2013 at 1:08 PM

      Thanks Mary Beth. Intense pencils are fabulous, and once dry and pressed they are heat set and permanent on fabric.

      Delete
  6. KrisAugust 12, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    I would never have thought to use my Inktense on Fabric. The wheels are turning now.

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    Replies
    1. Linda KittmerAugust 12, 2013 at 1:10 PM

      Thanks Kris! Have fun...intense are fabulous on so many projects.

      Delete
  7. UnknownAugust 12, 2013 at 9:29 AM

    Love the colors! Wish I could sew!

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    Replies
    1. Linda KittmerAugust 12, 2013 at 1:12 PM

      Thanks Kristen. I'm sure you could sew. Just have fun with it and start small.

      Delete
  8. Katie Jeanne WoodAugust 12, 2013 at 10:18 AM

    Gorgeous colors!! Thanks for sharing how you did it. :)

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  9. MarveLes Art StudiosAugust 12, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    very creative! love it!!

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  10. Judy SheaAugust 12, 2013 at 11:47 AM

    Linda.. this makes me feels comfy cozy. Shall we call you the fabric queen now? I think so.

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  11. JeanAugust 12, 2013 at 1:49 PM

    This is a very cool stencil!

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    Replies
    1. Linda KittmerAugust 12, 2013 at 9:54 PM

      Yes, Jean, it's got so many wonderful possibilities.

      Delete
  12. Kay WallaceAugust 12, 2013 at 2:01 PM

    Just beautiful, Linda. You have me wanted to dust off my sewing machine! Just a wonderful project!

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  13. UnknownAugust 12, 2013 at 6:14 PM

    What a pretty project! Would love the "how to's" for the cover itself!

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    Replies
    1. Linda KittmerAugust 12, 2013 at 11:18 PM

      Thanks Nancy. I did an earlier post with the measurements, etc. (search for Heart Swirl Love). Sew the fabric strips together, layer them and quilt, and then trim to size before stitching the edges. I hope that helps.

      Delete
  14. Carolyn DubeAugust 13, 2013 at 9:13 AM

    Holy Smokes- this is amazing and your tutorial is so clear! Wow!!

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  15. Angi in hanaAugust 13, 2013 at 10:06 PM

    hi linda! i loove what u do! i don't have a machine but i am thinking this would be pretty cool using hand stitching! tx for sharing and inspiring, aloha, angi in hana

    ReplyDelete

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