19 October 2011

Quilting Arts In Stitches blog tour

Thanks for visiting the last stop on the In Stitches Volume 5 blog tour! I am SO excited about this issue - there is an abundance of beautiful, intriguing, strong work and creative, innovative techniques.



One of the best parts of my job as editor is getting to know and to work with the artists in each issue. I am grateful to all of them for sharing their art and talent and time with all of us.

Some highlights from this issue:

Carol Ann Waugh has an interesting take on combining hand and machine stitching. I seriously want to explore the decorative stitches on my machine now! (Many thanks to my friend Vivien Zepf for telling about Carol and her work!)

Therese May shares her abundance quilts and inspires a challenge for our readers! Make sure you check it out - I think you'll be tempted to enter.

Barb Forrister makes the most beautiful, artistic three-dimensional flowers and her video is super informative. If you've never tried this, Barb is the perfect person to show you how.

Alma Stoller's fabric beads are fun and colorful and there are definitely some of these in my future too! I need to justify my bead-buying habit and her fabric beads are just the ticket.

Larkin Van Horn has inspired me to create a fabric reliquary. I'm thinking these embellished boxes would make fantastic containers for presents this holiday season as well as special containers for treasured items.

Cheryl Sleboda is on the cutting edge of technology as she introduces us to electroluminescent wire that lights up your quilts. You have to see this to believe it! There are light switches next to each of her quilts in the article so that you can see what the quilts look like with the wire on and off. 

Amanda McCavour creates the most sublime drawings in thread using just thread. Seriously, only thread! They're suspended in air and are Line in its most pure form. And she's so appealing in her video - I just want to hang out with her in her studio!

I hope you check out this latest In Stitches for your Mac or PC. 



I'm super excited to announce that it's now available for your iPad too! Just head to the App store and search for Interweave or Quilting Arts.

In case you missed any of the other stops on the blog tour, here's the complete line-up. I encourage you to see what else these talented artists are up to!

Monday 10/10 Lindsey Murray     http://quiltingdaily.com
Tuesday 10/11 Larkin Van Horn      http://blog.larkinart.com
Wednesday 10/12 Cheryl Sleboda      http://blog.muppin.com
Thursday 10/13 Alma Stoller      http://almastoller.blogspot.com
Friday 10/14  Therese May      http://theresemay.blogspot.com
Monday 10/17  Barb Forrister      http://barbforrister.com/category/blog
Tuesday 10/18  Carol Ann Waugh      http://carolannwaugh.com/blog/
Wednesday 10/19  Jane Davila     http://janedavila.blogspot.com

If you have an idea for In Stitches and would like to be in our emagazine, please visit the submissions page and send us your thoughts!

06 October 2011

Natural Solvent Transfers

Oh how I love Citrasolv natural cleaner and degreaser! Not only is it an awesome cleaner (you know, if we had time for cleaning!) but it is also a perfect solvent for transferring laser-printed images or photo-copied images to fabric or paper.


Supplies:
CitraSolv orange-based natural cleaner and degreaser
Toner-based laser print or photocopy (either black and white or color) printed onto plain copy paper, in reverse
Foam brush
Scissors
An old spoon or a burnisher
Paper or Prewashed fabric (the smoother the surface, the sharper the print)
Scissors

1. Cut the printed sheet apart into separate images, if you’ve printed more than one on the page. Make sure that the image is printed in reverse or mirrored as the transfer process reverses the printed image, This is especially important for text!

2. Place the image face down on the desired fabric or paper and hold firmly.

3. Moisten the foam brush with a small amount of CitraSolv. Be judicious, a little bit goes a long way. 



4. Rub the moistened foam brush onto the back of the printed image, being careful not to shift or wiggle the paper which will result in a blurry transfer.




5. Once the paper is saturated you will see the image start to show through the back of the paper. At this point, vigorously rub the back of the paper with an old spoon or a burnisher.

Tip: It can be helpful to work on a slightly padded surface. I often place a scrap piece of batting or an old mouse pad under everything.




6. Lift up one corner of your printed page to peek and see if the image is transfering. If it isn’t, let go of the corner and resume burnishing. If it has transfered, remove the printed paper.

Tip: Printed images can only be transfered once, so discard the saturated paper after you’ve completed the transfer.


7. If you allow the transferred image to sit out the CitraSolv will evaporate in a few hours. If you are in a hurry, cover the transfered image with parchment paper and lightly press with a warm iron. Make sure your work area is adequately ventilated as the odor will be concentrated and more intense with the heat of the iron.

 Finished piece with CitraSolv image transfer.


There are many different ways to transfer images and photos to fabrics and other surfaces. Using a solvent and a laser-printed copy is one of them. I prefer a natural, orange-oil-based solvent like Citra Solv for its non-toxic properties and its great smell. It’s essential that the image is printed on a toner-based laser printer or photocopy machine as an inkjet printer or solid ink laser printer won’t work.