Fabric Cards

First a Valentine card using paper, fabric and my sewing machine.

Material used:

Kraft cardstock & envelope

Crafters Workshop Stencil - Mini Arabesque

Tim Holtz Stamp - Heart

7 Gypsies Paper - Lille & Cambden

How about a complete fabric card... I love creating these!

Double fold card

And a trifold card

Stamping on fabric

Fabric is such a great surface to stamp on!

I use natural or white coloured linen, calico or muslin. Muslin has an open weave and it is not easy to get a clear impression, it does give a vintage look to it. To give calico and linen fabric a vintage look you can dye it with tea or coffee. I sometimes add some vanilla for a nice fragrance :)

A huge advantage of stamping of fabric is that you can use the stamped pieces in many different projects. Cards, altered art pieces, fabric collage / books and so on. It is my favourite technique!

Draw string bag materials used:

Coffee dyed Calico 

Tim Holtz Cling Stamps - Classics #1

Tim Holtz Distress Stains - Broken China, Musterd Seed, Peeled Paint.

Front

Back

Inside

Fabric card / book materials used:

Calico fabric, lace and other fabric pieces

Tim Holtz Distress Stains - Broken China, Mustard Seed

Cosmic Shimmer Mist - Peacock Green

Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black & Coffee

Tim Holtz Cling Stamps - Classics #1

Indigo Blu - Honeycomb Background

Lost Coast Designs -  Wish Upon A Star

Materials used:

Coffee dyed Calico

Ranger Archival Ink - Coffee

Stampendous cling - Bluebird Branch (CRM285)

Crafty Individuals - Chicken (CI-289), Seagull  (CI-344),  Robin (CI-357)

Materials used:

Rangel Archival Ink - Coffee

Coffee dyed muslin

Crafty Individuals - Praying Angel (CI-056)

I had some questions about this technique, this is what I keep in mind when stamping on fabric:

• It is easier to colour the images with (distress) inks on a thinner fabric but the ink is most likely to bleed.
• When using distress inks your project is not washable.
• Acrylic paint is more opaque and can cover the lines, project will be washable.
• You get the best impression when using a foam mat (for example mouse pad) as stamping underground. 
• Contrasting colours like black on light fabric give a good and clear stamped image.
• The tighter woven the fabric, the better the stamped result.
• Most stamps are suitable for stamping on fabric, rubber stamps however give the best result.
• Ink that can be used to stamp on fabric are Ranger Archival inks or Stazon.
• To enhance the image you can outline with a black marker (I use Faber-Castell Pitt Artist pen).

Make a wish

Peace Flags provide you with a special way to express some of the most important wishes of your heart. In words or pictures, you can display positive wishes for yourself, your family, friends, community, or the world. You may wish to convey something especially for one person (for example, health, success, prosperity) or affirm a concept you would like to see manifested in the world (for example, peace, cooperation, equality, understanding, compassion). (excerpt from Prayer Flag Project)

I just love the recycle *smile*. The flag I made this time has a little envelope where you can add a note with your wish. Whenever you feel like you need to express a new wish you can exchange the note. (The angel stamp I used is from Crafty Individuals).

A new start or just more of the same...

The weather has entertained us the past year with rain in every shape and form and most of it in large quantities and our traditional Christmas walk along the lake was a wet but fun one.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a happy start of a new year. I stay far from resolutions like I will blog more, health regimes, less eating and big bold plans for the future with the start of a new year, to avoid disappointments *smile*.

During the holidays I kept my hands busy... mainly to relax my mind. I have finished my first crazy quilt block, I'm not sure what to do with the finished block... maybe hang it on my wall or something. Anyway I feel I have stepped into the new year with a peaceful mind :)