F A Q S: frequently asked questions
1. How do I create a Fabric Page?
2. How do you stamp on fabric successfully?
3. How can I Heat Set my fabric stamping so it lasts?
4. How can I stamp on velvet for a gorgeous look?
5. What about stamping furniture and walls with Permanent Inks?
6. And stamping furniture and walls with decorator stamps and Paint?
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1. How do I create a fabric page?
::: My basic instructions for creating FABRIC PAGES or QUILTIES are below; a few simple steps to help you get started! :::
Fabric Pages or “Quilties” can be made any size. I've personally worked on square Quilties in these sizes: 5”x 5”, 6" x 6", 7”x 7”, and 8”x 8”. There are also many variations in-between! They don't have to be square: I've worked on 5" x 7" fabric pages and heard of fabric quilties sized 8 ˝”x 11”. I would say, whatever size will work for you would be great! Find a size you like or choose one that is appropriate according to the swap you are participating in, or the book you are creating. In the fabric quiltie swaps I've hosted, we've been doing smaller quilties, about 5”x 5” or 6" x 6" in size. This is a small space to work on, but it makes it easy to do and you can have lots of fun with it! Plus , very do-able for creating multiple fabric pages.
TO MAKE YOUR QUILTIES: What I do first is select the fabrics I want to work with and use a ruler to mark the page size. I make a small cut in the fabric at 5” or 6" -- whatever size I am working on depending upon the desired dimensions of the fabric age. Then I usually RIP the fabric! I can more often get a straighter square for my quiltie this way. I'll rip out one square for the front and one square for the back of each page. The front & back pieces can both be created from the same fabric, or different fabric. Your quilties for any of the swaps I host can be all the same, OR all different. I consider the front and the back of the page to equal one page. If I have a requirement of pages for a swap, then the front & the back of the page put together = 1 page or quiltie.
Next, I lay the fronts and backs out in front of me and collect any fabric quotes, paper or fabric images, ink jet transfers, transparencies, fabric trims & lace, charms or interesting art bits I have saved for my fabric page. I will gather up anything that might relate to my theme or the colors I might use, and I place these things near my fabric squares. I'll play with the placement of these items on both the front & the back of each quiltie to see what looks good. This gets me ready to sew and glue or attach things with mini brads or eyelets. Lace, trim, images (I'll use both fabric and paper images), quotes and charms can be glued on or sewn on with a sewing machine, or by hand. With a machine you can use a simple straight stitch or a zigzag stitch, or try a fancy decorative stitch. For glue, I always use a bit of white, clear-drying Tacky glue.
IMPORTANT: work on just one side of your fabric page – with just one piece of fabric at this point. Charms and buttons are best sewn on by hand and all your knots can be hidden on the wrong side of the fabric if you work this way. Mini brads can be used to attach transparencies. You can sew or glue transparencies on. The fabric quotes I use (check out the pages to your right - click on the thumbnails) are often glued on. Sometimes hand sewing was done later to embellish the pages. If you have any embroidery thread, it can be fun to use this to embellish your pages. Refresh your memory or learn some basic stitches online. Various beads can also be sewn on by hand; I found this very relaxing to do! You can use fusible webbing (instead of glue or sewing) to iron on quotes, contrasting fabrics, or images. Just follow the manufacturer’s directions. Fusible webbing can be found in sewing stores or online at Joann Fabric & Crafts.
Once your images, trims and embellishments are finished and secure on both the front and back of your pages, it’s time to put your quilties together. I like to put some sort of batting or interfacing in-between my front and back pages. Quilt batting is another item you would find at the sewing store or online from Joann Fabrics and Crafts. My favorite batting is the Warm & Natural kind because it’s flat, yet gives body to the page . . . but sometimes I do use the fluffier polyester batting if I want a puffier look. I cut my batting or interfacing out a little smaller than my fabric squares. Sometimes I add the batting right away, while I am working on the page, so I have something to sew through. Interfacing can also be used instead of batting or in combination with. It is less thick, but stabilizes the fabric page.
To put the page together, Lenna style: Place the batting or interfacing in the middle of the front & back of your fabric page and with the RIGHT sides of your pages facing OUT - sew up the sides. The edges do not have to be finished with binding. I often leave raw edges and just stitch around. You can sew by hand, by machine, or you could even glue your pages together! Use just enough glue, not too much – in all cases, when working with fabric so it does not seep through & stain your fabric. Often when I stitch my quilties the fabric is not turned under. This is OK! You could turn the edges under - ironing first, if you prefer a neater look. Many artists like to cut one piece of their fabric squares a little bigger and then fold the extra fabric edges over and whip stitch the fabric border in place. It's your choice! Check out the sample quilties to your right; click on any of them for a larger, more detailed view.
When the quiltie is sewn together you can add ribbon or trim as needed. Make sure to sign your quiltie with a permanent pen, and attach a Tag with the Title of the Quiltie, your name, address & email, and the name of the swap, if you are creating this for a swap! When you have made or collected a number of these fabric pages, you can make them into a book if you like. There are a number of examples of fabric books in the photo gallery section of this website. If you have any questions at all, please contact Lenna!
** If you'd like more in-depth instruction please take a look at my Mini Art Quilt Fabric Book Class offered through my own on-line teaching website. This course covers getting started, construction of a fabric book, themes, image transfers, ink-jet printing on fabric, attaching all kinds of items & embellishments, rubber stamping and nature printing on fabric, plus free- form sewing, adding beads, and how to put your pages together into a book. **
2. How do you stamp on fabric?
When you want to use a detailed, fine-line stamp, work with a fabric ink pad. I use a Fabrico Ink pad most often, now called VersaCraft, by Tsukineko. This is the best way to go for most detailed images. ColorBox CRAFTER'S inks are also a good choice and you can learn more about them on the Clearsnap website. Both of these fabric inks need to be heat set to be permanent (info below). Do not press your stamp into the ink pad; tap it repeatedly to pick up the ink and press firmly onto the fabric. Make sure you test your stamping on a scrap piece of fabric before you go on to the actual fabric you are stamping. Testing on scrap fabric will give you the confidence and experience you need to be successful with with fabric stamping. Don't forget to place a plain sheet of paper, or a smooth piece of cardboard underneath what you are stamping on, to protect the other side.
When working with bold, large-surface stamps like Hot Potatoes, fabric paint is the best choice. Again, test before you leap! Fabric paints such as the Jacquard line of fabric paints - Lumiere, Neopaque, and Textile are wonderful to work with. Test what's available to you and see what you like the best. Some paints are thinner than others and will require a double coating on the stamp to work well, or may be better suited for coloring your fabric.
For stamping with Fabric Paint, choose bold rubber stamps and a foam brush or a cosmetic sponge. Shake the jar of paint, dip the foam brush or sponge into the paint and spread it on top of your stamp. You'll need to re-paint your stamp each time you print. You can use paint with line images that are not really bold in design, but you need to be careful of how much paint you brush on your stamp. I can't say this enough: Practice first! Stamping on fabric with paint and bold images produces a very vibrant look that really lasts.
3. How do I Heat Set my fabric stamping?
Yes, you must Heat Set both fabric inks and fabric paints when your stamped images are completely dry: do not be impatient! A hot, dry iron is required and you'll need to iron for about 2 minutes on each area that you have stamped, using a press cloth if you like. For best results iron on BOTH sides of the fabric and let your fabric 'set' for a week or two before washing it. Following this procedure is very important to help prevent any fading of the ink or paint that you have stamped. Flat, tightly woven fabrics will yield the best results when fabric stamping. A light colored pillow case or flat cotton fabric is be the best way to start fabric stamping and 100% cotton or silk (natural fabrics) will hold the ink or paint better than a cotton-poly blend.
4. How do I stamp velvet?
First, gather your materials: you must use either Rayon or Silk velvet for good results. I have had the best success with a blend of 35%Rayon/65% Acetate velvet. Silk velvet is also a good candidate. Both are expensive, so look for sales! Make sure to ask about the fabric content if it is not marked; it's that important. Buy a small amount and test it at home before purchasing large amounts for a project.
This technique works best with bold rubber stamp designs, but your stamps don't have to be completely solid. In fact, stamps with both solid and open spaces impress velvet beautifully. Images with detailed designs that are not deeply etched are not recommended because they do not stamp velvet well.
How to: Gather up a few bold rubber stamp designs, some rayon or silk velvet
scraps, a spray bottle filled with water, and your iron. You'll need to work
around the steam holes if your iron has them so THEY won't make a pattern on
your velvet! Or purchase a Teflon iron cover. Turn the iron to Medium-High/High
heat. You'll have to test your iron for the best temperature for this project,
but it IS in the High range. Lay your rubber stamp down on the table face up,
with the rubber side UP. Lay the right side of the velvet down on top of the
rubber stamp, with the fuzzy RIGHT SIDE of the velvet touching the rubber. Mist
the wrong side of the velvet that is facing you. It should be slightly wet, but
NOT soaked. Place your iron down directly on the wrong side of the velvet,
avoiding the steam holes. Press and hold for 10-20 seconds. If you are working
with a small stamp, you do not need to move the iron, just hold it in place for
that time. For larger stamps, pick up the iron and replace it carefully in a
different position and hold it again for another 10 seconds or so. Gently press
as you do. For a larger stamp, continue picking the iron up and replacing it
carefully in a different position until about 30-40 seconds have elapsed. You
will begin to see the outline of the stamp from the back of the fabric when it
is "done". You'll especially want to do this if you stamp is large, or if
you have steam holes you are trying to work around. It's important to hold the
iron and count, so that the heat of the iron has time to impress the stamp into
the fabric. Be sure you heat the entire stamp and avoid steam holes. That's it!
No ink, no paint, no mess! Just beautiful stamped velvet fabric.
5. what about furniture and walls?
::: For your Home decorating projects you can choose from permanent inks, a variety of paints and glazes, and any number of different stamps :::
Permanent inks are a good choice if you are looking to decorate with detailed, fine line stamps. Solvent-based Decorating Inks are best applied to rubber stamps with a cosmetic sponge or with a blank foam pad that you ink up yourself. These inks are NOT water soluble and you'll need a special cleaner made for permanent inks to remove the ink from your stamps. StazOn ink pads by www.tsukineko.com is a permanent solvent-based ink pad I enjoy using for this type of stamping. This is the type of ink you'll need for stamping plastic (shrink), acrylic, glass, metal, transparencies, terra cotta pots, mirrors... anything non-porous you would not usually be able to stamp on. Solvent inks will NOT work for stamping fabric! Wear disposable gloves to make clean-up of your hands easier.
Use a blank foam pad and re-ink whenever necessary with using bottled solvent-based inks, or make small puddles of ink on a disposable plate and use a cosmetic sponge to capture the ink and bring it to your stamp, patting it on (wear gloves). You can keep the ink pad fresh for several days in an air-tight Ziploc bag. For detailed images, I think you get better results when using a homemade stamp pad. Test it out yourself first and see. Use firm cardboard or a piece of foam board to test your stamping. Remember, if you are stamping on a wall, start your actual project in the closet or some other inconspicuous place!! You'll get more skilled as you gain experience.
Tips for Permanent Inks: if your stamp becomes tacky, you may need to clean the stamp off with the permanent ink cleaner about every 6 - 8 times or sooner. Make sure you have a fan on and good ventilation when working with permanent inks and cleaners. You'll want to tap your stamp lightly on your ink pad, or get just a bit of the ink on your sponge and bring it to the stamp. TEST FIRST on a piece of card board, foam board, or even paper. Some people like to stamp their design out on paper first to help them with the planning out of the space; it's a good idea. You don't want too much ink or your stamp will slide. Too little and it will dry too quickly and stick to the wall. Only practice will make you adept at judging how much is too much or too little..... so PRACTICE!
Here's a hint: Ink your stamp pads up a day in advance if you can.
This will
give the ink a chance to be absorbed and give you a better print. You can save
the ink pads for quite a long time before they need replacing. Some people even store
them in the fridge so they keep longer.
6. How about furniture and walls using Decorator Stamps & Paint?
The Decorator Stamps for walls that I have worked with are: Rubber Stampede's Decorative Stamps, Plaid's 'Stamp Decor' Sponge Stamps, and Plaid's 'Decorator Blocks', which are a little bit different. The first two mentioned are are thick, dense sponge stamps, usually large in size. Decorator Blocks are thin, flexible foam stamps - I am not sure if yhey are manufactured any more. Both types of stamps can be used for home decorating on walls, wood and furniture, as well as on fabric. The Rubber Stampede and the Stamp Decor stamps (the large sponge type) can be used with any acrylic paint or fabric paint. Remember that when stamping fabric you must heat set your paint! The package directions recommend putting your paint on a plastic plate or palette and using a makeup sponge to dab the paint onto the surface of these large sponge stamps. It's quite easy to do and the stamping goes very quickly as the stamps are large. I've had really nice results with these stamps on cloth napkins, my kitchen walls, a living room table, and even sweatshirts. The stamps clean up with water easily - just don't let your stamps sit too long after you've finished stamping, and before you clean them.
Decorator Blocks and their accompanying Glaze give a nice, soft, natural look, almost watercolor-like. They do require a little more practicing and testing in order to get the hang of how much glaze to use to get the look you want, but all my students say it's worth it. With these stamps - foam pieces with details cut in - you use a regular paint brush to apply the glaze over the foam stamp. Lay the stamp down, and "walk" your fingers over the back of the stamp to print it. pick up the foam stamp, re-place it in another spot, and then "walk" your fingers over it again, this time a little more firmly to get another lighter print with more of the details. To get even more details, you can put a darker color glaze in the cut places (the veins of the leaves). Easily cleaned up with water, you will also need to heat set on fabric. Decorator Blocks produce a beautiful, natural look; see the photos to your right.
Don't forget! The most important thing you can do is to practice! Get out some scrap fabric, a foam board if you are working on furniture or walls, or something to practice on, even paper -- and test your stamping first. I can't emphasize the importance of this enough! Beware, though! Once you start, you could find yourself stamping every piece of fabric or furniture you can get your hands on! After you try that first sweatshirt or T-shirt, you never know but you could go on to dish towels, napkins, placemats, tablecloths, table runners, curtains, skirts, blouses, dresses, tote bags, leotards, and even your underwear! Try a scarf, a vest, baby clothes, denim jackets, or fabric yardage for curtains! Pillow cases, an apron, or what about your kitchen walls? After that there's no stopping; you could stamp boxes, photo frames, your bathroom wall, terra cotta pots, tables, chairs, your mailbox . . . .
that's how much fun this can be!
If you have any questions, please Contact me. I have some talent, but most of what I have is experience and therefore, the guts to try things! None of this is very hard to do. Just have a little faith in yourself, and practice enough to gather some experience. Then go have some fun!
Written by: Lenna Andrews © 2005-2011
A tablecloth I stamped with
Rubber
Stampede's Decorative Sponge Stamps ~ easy and fun!
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