Summer T-Shirt decorated using Tattered Lace dies to create stamps and stencils

Good evening. I hope that you like my summer themed project. You may of seen my stamped and decorated summer top in my last posting. This time I have created a variation using dies to create the stamps.

I designed this to showcase how dies can be used to create stamps by cutting from funky foam. Stencils can also be created by cutting acetate or plastic stencil sheet.

Use the coordinating stamps or stencils to complement die cuts on cards, or use them to decorate fabrics for sewing projects, or to decorate ready made items.

Front

Back

Decorated tag to match

Materials:

• Tattered Lace Dies from: Zig Zag Cascade 1 (Foliage 1 and 2), Zig Zag Cascade 2 (Foliage 1, 2, 3 and 5; Flower 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7) – ETL274, Oval Shutter ETL124 (Leaf 1 and 3) and Trio of Butterflies D1099.
• Iron fix fabric paints (green, lime, metallic turquoise, pink, violet, blue, black) and glitter glue for fabric (green/gold)*
• Light coloured smooth knit T-shirt (turquoise)
• Thin funky foam, waste acetate and copy paper
• CutNDry foam, water spritzer bottle
• Zig 2 Way glue and acrylic blocks for mounting stamps

*I used Vallejo fabric paints (Green, Metallic Turquoise, Bengali Rose, Parma Violet, Blue and Black) plus Martha Stewart Multi Surface paint (Spring Pasture) and Pinflair Glitter Wand. IMPORTANT NOTE: I was assured that the Pinflair glitter wand was suitable and fixable on fabric (after heat fixing) but mine has just washed out – eek! I will find another glitter glue suitable and let you know when I find an alternative.

Note: If you want to stamp onto a darker coloured fabric you will need to use opaque fabric paints specially formulated for dark fabric.

How to do it:

Prewash the shirt in plain soap to remove any fabric treatments or conditioners (I use ordinary dish washing liquid). Dry and iron to give a smooth stamping surface.

Load the paints onto the CutNDry foam and work in well with a palette knife. Place them sponge side down onto a palette (I used a piece of waste packaging) and lightly spritz with water to keep them damp. While not using I also place a damp cloth over the top. This keeps the paints useable while working on your project. I have found this to be the best method for getting nice crisp stamping without paint clumping or drying out. They will even keep overnight if placed in a plastic bag.

Use the dies to cut funky foam shapes. Apply Zig 2 Way glue and leave to go tacky (this glue is blue on application and dries clear to give a repositionable tacky surface). Mount stamps onto acrylic blocks for stamping.

Cut the butterflies from waste acetate and use the apertures as a stencil.

Stamp the butterflies onto copy paper and cut around the outer edge to create masks for stamping. Wash stamps immediately after use (or place face down on a wet cloth until ready to clean).

Lay some plastic sheeting inside the shirt to protect any paint from seeping through layers (i.e. front to back) while stamping. I placed my glass mat inside the shirt while working. Stencil the butterfly silhouettes with multi colours. Dry. A hair dryer is useful to help speed up the drying process while working (the paints do dry quite quickly).

Stamp the butterfly details over the top of the silhouettes using black paint.

Stamp the foliage using paper masks to protect the butterfly images.

Finally add glitter glue to the butterflies on the shirt front.

Leave overnight for the paints to fully cure and then iron fix the paints on the reverse to make them permanent and washable.

Summer T-Shirt created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. I hope that you like my summer themed project. I decided to revamp a plain T shirt top with foliage and butterflies.

Front

Back

Close up

Materials:

• Wild Meadow, Butterfly Blush and Just Butterflies stamp sets
• Iron fix fabric paints (green, lime, metallic turquoise, pink, violet, blue, black) and glitter glue for fabric (green/gold)*
• Light coloured smooth knit T-shirt (turquoise)
• CutNDry foam, water spritzer bottle
• Waste copy paper

*I used Vallejo fabric paints (Green, Metallic Turquoise, Bengali Rose, Parma Violet, Blue and Black) plus Martha Stewart Multi Surface Paint (Spring Pasture), and Pinflair Glitter Wand. IMPORTANT NOTE: I was assured that the Pinflair glitter wand was suitable and fixable on fabric (after heat fixing) but mine has just washed out – eek! I will find another glitter glue suitable and let you know when I find an alternative.

Note: If you want to stamp onto a darker coloured fabric you will need to use opaque fabric paints specially formulated for dark fabric.

How to do it:

Prewash the shirt in plain soap to remove any fabric treatments or conditioners (I use ordinary dish washing liquid). Dry and iron to give a smooth stamping surface.

Load the paints onto the CutNDry foam and work in well with a palette knife. Place them sponge side down onto a palette (I used a piece of waste packaging) and lightly spritz with water to keep them damp. While not using I also place a damp cloth over the top. This keeps the paints useable while working on your project. I have found this to be the best method for getting nice crisp stamping without paint clumping or drying out. They will even keep overnight if placed in a plastic bag.

Stamp the butterfly silhouettes onto copy paper and cut out to create masks for stamping. Wash stamps immediately after use.

Lay some plastic sheeting inside the shirt to protect any paint from seeping through layers (i.e. front to back) while stamping. I placed my glass mat inside the shirt while working. Stamp the butterfly silhouettes with multi colours. Dry. A hair dryer is useful to help speed up the drying process while working (the paints do dry quite quickly).

Stamp the butterfly details over the top of the silhouettes using black paint.

Stamp the foliage using paper masks to protect the butterfly images. Finish with a touch of glitter glue on the butterflies.

Leave overnight for the paints to fully cure and then iron fix the paints on the reverse to make them permanent and washable.

Skirt Restyled using the All Geared Up Collection from Heartfelt Creations

I have used stamps and dies from the All Geared Up Collection to revamp a skirt that I got from the Charity Shop for just £2. I thought that the style suited a Steampunk makeover. I love it.

Sadly this Collection is no longer in stock from Heartfelt Creations but you may be able to get hold of it elsewhere if you don’t already have it. Alternatively use any one of the lovely floral Collections available to jazz up your garments.

Heartfelt Creations Materials:

• Cogs and Gears stamp set (HCPC-3636)
• Tarnished Gears stamp set (HCPC-3634)
• Shifting Gears stamp set (HCPC-3635)
• All Geared Up die set (HCD-754)

Other Materials used:

• Evolon Standard weight – non fray polyester mix fabric (Colourcraft)
• Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Acrylic Paints in pinks, oranges and yellow (Satin finish: Carrot, Part Streamer, Pollen and Easter Egg. Pearl finish: Tiger Lily and Fruit Punch)
• Jacquard Lumiere paint with mica – Halo Pink Gold
• Vallejo Textile Paint – Red and Bengali Rose
• Badger Airtex Opaque fabric paints – White and Yellow
• Cut-N-Dry Foam (or sponges)
• Card – shim for die cutting
• Fabric to Fabric Matte Decoupage Medium (Martha Stewart)
• Pinflair Glitter Wand – gold (glitter glue suitable for fabric)

How it was made:

First I used the stamps to create a background along the upper and lower skirt hems, stamping randomly and overlapping some areas. The Martha Stewart and Textile paints are semi translucent and so give subtle results on dark fabrics. I wanted soft results for the background painting. I mixed yellow or white opaque paints in with other colours to create stronger colours for some areas of the stamping along the hem of the upper skirt where I wanted more obvious design detail. Tip: While multi stamping place the stamps face down onto a damp cloth between uses. This helps prevent the paint drying on the stamp. When finished clean the stamps quickly with warm water.

I coloured a piece of Evolon randomly with the acrylic colours. When dry I cut out using the dies. From the waste I then cut out some swirly stem shapes using scissors. Tip: add a sheet of card over the fabric when die cutting. This gives the die something to ‘crunch’ into and ensures that it cuts right through. Keep the card cuts for another project.

I used the fabric decoupage glue to glue the flowers and stems onto the skirt front, applied with a brush. Finally I added some dots of glitter glue (suitable for fabric), and left overnight to fully dry.

The paints and glue were then heat set by ironing (making the garment washable). Tip: If you intend to machine was your garment it may be an idea to add some stitching to the applique for added security. It is not essential to over sew all the edge as Evolon is non-fray. Just a few running stitches would be sufficient, or maybe embellish with embroidery.

Wrap Skirt Coloured with Spectrum Noir Alcohol Pens

I revamped a black skirt that had been screen printed in white fabric paint with dragon designs. I thought that it just shouted out for a bit of colour. I used Spectrum Noir Alcohol Pens from Crafters Companion.

I wasn’t sure if the pens would work over the top of the fabric paint (presumably acrylic based) and remain permanent with washing. I tested a small area first and yippeeee it worked!

I simply coloured over the fabric paint, left for a couple of days to fully dry/set, then iron fixed on the reverse to heat set the ink. The pens worked beautifully. One of the panels was beaded, and I was able to colour around the beads using the fine tipped end.

I really love my newly revamped skirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy crafting, Anne x.

Dyed and Printed Silk Scarf Designed for Chocolate Baroque

This is another one of my samples for the recent TV show on the Craft Channel featuring the lovely Lace Fragments stamp set  from Chocolate Baroque.

Materials:

• Lace Fragments stamp set
• 100% silk white scarf finished with hand rolled edges
• Steam fix silk dyes (mix of pinks, orange)
• Heat fix acrylic based fabric paints (black and pink with gold mica)
• Decolourant medium (for faux bleaching)
• Frame for stretching silk while painting
• Granular sea salt
• Pressure cooker, unprinted newspaper, aluminium foil for steam setting dyes and iron for setting heat fix paints

How to make it:

1. Stretch the silk onto frame and paint with a random mix of pink steam fix dyes. Leave to fully dry.
2. Randomly splash with orange steam fix dye. Dry.
3. Paint circles with water and drop in salt. Dry and brush away the salt.
4. Lay silk onto newspaper, roll and make a parcel. It is important that no layers of the silk directly touch. Wrap loosely with foil. Steam set the dyes in the pressure cooker (approx 1 hour). NOTE: Steam fix dyes are a bit tricky for beginners but they have properties that are not achievable with iron fix silk dyes. Steam fix dye molecules remain ‘moveable’ until they are set so you can create special effects, e.g. by overpainting with water or other dyes, that are not achievable with iron fix silk paints. Steam fix dies also leave a beautiful soft handle and sheen to the silk. You could use fluid heat set silk paints to achieve a similar effect, then simply iron to set. The fabric will be very slightly dulled and stiffened by this method.
5. Wash to remove excess dye, dry and iron the silk.
6. Lay the silk over a waste piece of fabric (I used a piece of recycled curtain lining) for stamping. I found that newspapers tended to stick to the paints. I held the silk in place while I stamped sections using large elastic bands stretched over my glass mat.
7. Using decolourant stamp the lace flower, placing the flower head onto the circular ‘floral elements’ of the dyed silk. Apply to the stamp with sponge.
8. When dry iron on steam setting. This removes some of the colour from the background. This step is a bit variable as some dyes ‘discharge’ their colour better than others. This step just gives added texture to the background. Wash, dry and iron the silk.
9. Stamp the lace flower with black, the lace texture with pink mica paint. Dry then iron fix. Finally wash, dry and iron.

This project may seem a bit scary for beginners – just experiment. Silk can be a bit fiddly to handle as the fabric is so fine and paints will bleed through. Why not try stamping iron fix paints on cotton, cutting up and making patchwork bags or cushions.

A big tip for stamping on fabric. I used to use ordinary sponges to apply paints to the stamp. Using this method the stamps soon become clogged with paint and crisp stamping is lost. I have found that applying paint with a palette knife to cut and dry foam gives far superior results. No messy palettes drying out as you work either. Much better method.

I am hoping to start doing some YouTube videos soon so this would be a good tutorial to do. Much easier to see than to describe in words.

Happy stamping, Anne x.

Technorati Tags: Chocolate Baroque,Stamping,Fabric painting,Silk Scarf,Silk Painting,Lace Fragments

Hand Painted T-Shirt using Stencils and Stamps from Clarity (March 2015 Challenge)

I jazzed up a plain yellow cotton peplum vest top using stencils and stamps from Clarity – giving it a FAB summer makeover.

Fabric Painting Materials:

Crafters Companion E-Brush – fitted with adaptor for Spectrum Noir alcohol pens.

Spectrum Noir alcohol pens – oranges & reds (OR1, CR10), blues and turquoises (BT9, BT7, TB5).

Deka transparent fabric paints – Pink (20-29) and Turquoise (20-58).

Textile Color semi opaque paints (Colouricious) – Azul Blue and Red.

Stencils and Stamps from Clarity:

6X6 Stencil – Seaweed Frame

7X7 Stencils – Seed Heads and Torn Shapes (NDSC5)

Clear Stamps – Round Tree (NDC-90), Dandelion Leaf (DANDL-B and DANDL-F), Coral (CORAL-GG), Fossil (NDC83-FF), Nautilus (ND6-G), Sea Horse (AM06-E), Tropical Fish 1 (FISH1-E), Tropical Fish 2 (FISH2-D), Small Tropical Fish (AM25-B), Large Tropical Fish (AM26-E).

How It Was Done:

1. Created a paper mask and sprayed orange alcohol ink lightly around the base of the peplum.

2. Sprayed red alcohol ink through torn shapes stencil – to create rock shapes around the hem.

3. Sprayed turquoise blue alcohol ink through the seed head stencil. Again right around the peplum hem – but also extended up into the body of the shirt.

4. Spayed blue and turquoise alcohol ink onto one edge of the seaweed stencil. Created random patches around the hem and up into the body of the shirt.

5. Partially stamped with the Round Tree stamp and pink fabric paint – around the red rocks to create a coral effect.

6. Used the Coral stamp in Turquoise paint around the hem base.

7. Used the large and small dandelion leaf stamps and turquoise paint to create additional seaweed fronds. Also stamped seahorses around the peplum.

8. Next stamped the nautilus and fossil around the hem in Red and Azul paints. Added a few more seahorses in the Red and Azul. Finally used the lovely fishy stamps around the hem, with a few up into the main body to complete the design.

9. Left the garment overnight to fully dry before iron fixing the paints and inks to make them washable.

 

• Hope you like it as much as me. I will enjoy wearing this.