Stamping at the Savoy

Yesterday it rained all day. I made stamps using fun foam carved and glued to corrugated cardboard with a little tab handle of white Duck tape. Maybe it was the bright colors of fun foam that urged me on past a reasonable number of stamps.

I made a flamingo, some butterflies, a fox, poppy pods, flower forms, leaves just for fun and abstract lines. A tulip, a star, a seahorse, a bony fish --I could hardly stop.

Today when the sun shone bright, it was time to try out my work. I unrolled the undersea quilt and a lady quilt with fuchsia velvet and poplin.

I got cold feet. I had to remind myself that it was just cloth and thread and a little paint would not hurt.

I stamped a sand dollar beside some felt seashells.

I let some bony fish swim up out of dark water to tie the two 'water' fabrics together. While we're here, the two color item on the right is a little embellished zipper pocket. Suzanne encouraged me to add some zippers. I found one in my treasures to put on this quilt.

I added a stylized butterfly that forms my initials. While it rained, I read about Whistler --the one who painted the famous Portrait of his Mother-- signing his work with a similar mark. Of course, Whistler's was hardly recognizable as a butterfly, no more than mine is but his is much fancier. This first stamp, a negative shows up well but I decided a regular stamp was better suited.

  







I gathered courage to stamp my butterfly initials on  blocks belonging to the Lady Quilt.

I am emboldened to try some new decorative details since I joined free classes at Textile Evolution.

It sounded like such a fun place, I could not resist, even though it was a year past the time when others were taking part in the original studies. They assured me that it was all right to visit, comment, have a great time.
 
"Check out the free book studies of Fabric Embellishing: the Basics and Beyond with my friend Ruth Chandler and I under the Online Classes tab. You do need the book to participate in the book study but there isn't any fee to jump in and play. You will find tutorials, videos and fun projects." --Liz Kettle.

I had to make a little laundry list of the embellishments appropriate to my projects with Touch Quilts, else I'd be hauling out boxes of beads and ordering off for things not suited for tugging and tasting and going though a hot washer and dryer.  

Some of the class elements are things I already use: Couching, reverse applique, and decorative stitching using heavy thread in the bobbin sewn from the wrong side.  

I had already stitched many of the different stitches my sewing machine can make, but mine are just on pieces of scrap cloth, not neat and suitable for binding into an awesome book of embellishments. I did think to label most of the better ones.

Twenty-five years ago, I would have been flying off to the PNW or Colorado to take part in live classes for an unequaled learning experience. This is the next best thing.

 

Embellishments

The original notion to start making Touch Quilts was to use up fabric and trims that were stashed away starting years ago. All kinds of projects were begun, like doll dressing and Christmas ornaments, then abandoned or completed and the leftover materials tucked into drawers and cupboards.

Today I read a challenge: Use what I have or can find at no cost. This vow I am taking after I ordered off to two different vendors for fleece and other fabric, ribbons and Velcro at the end of 2015.

Those orders were not as pricey as they could have been because of coupons and deals like free shipping over a set amount. I made myself a promise to try to use up everything before I order off again.

I guess I'll have to set myself a tiny limit at local vendors. "I can spend $4.00 and tax," usually does it for me at the dollar store. "I can buy 2 yards of  flannel," might work for a store where there is fabric.  A yard of velveteen or fake fur would make my heart glad when I'm putting together a touch quilt that needs more texture.

I have a Hancock's card worth $10.00 that I could use in a store when we go to the city if I reach a point where I just must buy something.

The best embellishments of course use buttons and/or beads. Touch Quilts need to be safe, so those are tucked away for yet another project.

I have a stash of ribbons from projects but they are mostly narrow. Narrow ribbons make nice flower stems couched with machine stitches. I think I can make some other trims by sewing them in groups. Every time I look at them I see a color that I am lacking, like yellow.

 There is no end to the embellishments that can be made with nothing but fabric and thread when making quilt blocks that need something of interest to the fingers as well as to the eyes.Tucks and gathers can be made in all widths and numbers, for a start. One of my favorites is Prairie Points. There are other shapes of folded fabric that work well for making flowers and other decor.

There's a little basket of acrylic paints that I bought at a yard sale on the way home from Blakely once. Researching painted fabric revealed that I could use those paints and further research told me that I have household chemicals that will render them even more useful. There's even mostly the colors I need for a project that I have in mind to try.

Interesting to me is that many of the best art quilters know how to use what they have and share generously their expertise. Separating the true experts from those who have something to sell and push products has been most revealing.

It's like finding the golden egg at an Easter hunt to find a short tutorial on a blog where the author says, "This is from my class on..." coming from someone whose classes are at the other side of the country and I am not likely to go to class. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live close to one of those places?