Lavinia Stamps Fairies on Fabric.

Hi Blogging Friends  thought it would be nice to use some of the heart downloads as we are approaching Valentine's Day.

This is the download I used which is available from Lavinia Stamps.

 I also used wadding for the backing and various hand and machine embroidery threads.

Begin by tacking the wadding to the back of the fabric and then using hand stitching, embroider the detail to enhance the design.

There is no need for complicated stitch work, I use stitches such as Chain stitch, Back stitch, Running stitch, Stem stitch, French Knots and Satin stitch.

It is particularly nice if you are able to add some metallic threads as these work well as focal points.

The pictures below show the work in progress.

To give depth to the finished design it is better not to fill the whole of the printed design with stitchwork. By leaving some of the print it appears to fade into the background.

I also had an idea to create embellishments by printing onto shrink plastic to use with the fabric.

It is possible to buy shrink plastic which works in an inkjet printer. I purchased mine from the Stamp Man.

After printing the images I cut them out ready to shrink as I only wanted the hearts not the background.

Don't forget to punch a hole at this stage before shrinking the plastic.

I know that some people are a little nervous when using a heat gun  as the plastic curls up but in my experience if you just keep going it will flatten out again.

I often turn it over half way and then continue to heat it and....

I finish off by placing my old iron over the top,while it is still warm, to flatten the plastic.

I decided that the plastic needed colour on the back as the white seemed a bit harsh and then finished it with a Lavinia Stamps Fairy Words stamp and embossed it.

When the embroidery is complete, sew around the outside of each heart, this can be done with hand or machine stitching, to attach the wadding to the printed fabric.

 

Sew two of the hearts together, catching the ribbon in the centre as you sew and pad the inside. I attached the embellishments to the ribbon and finished it with a bow.

The more I use the downloads for Needle Art, the more I like them.
The designs are so gorgeous that it is easy to add as much or as little stitchwork as you wish and then use the finished project as wall art, place mats, sections on clothing, bags, table runners, tags, cushions, book covers and of course greeting cards, it is just endless and I am sure you will think of other ways to use them.

        That's all for now, back soon.
                  Angela x

Lavinia Stamps Faries on Fabric.

Hi Blogging friends, just a little something extra, had a small piece of the printed fabric left over from something else and thought it would nice to use it on a tag, so here it is.

 

First I placed wadding at the back of the fabric, machined the leaf veins and enhanced this with hand stitching using gold thread.

I machined on the black flower trim before trimming away excess wadding, glueing the fabric to the tag and edging it with crackle glaze.

When the glaze was dry, I went around the edge with a gold gilding pen.

 I have included this closeup as it shows the crackle glaze better.

 

I love the Lavinia Mushroom stamps (Zen Tall Mushrooms) and the idea of combining them with the downloads so decided to stamp them onto a sheet of acetate, (Stazon ink is best for this).

I have used this as an overlay for the tag.

 

I just had to make their eyes stand out so added brads.

 

Finished this off by joining the fabric section and the acetate with a black cord.

 

This is a fairly quick way to use the downloads as there is a lot less hand sewing.

 Hoping Tracey likes this.

             Back soon,
              Angela x

Lavinia Stamps Fairies on Fabric.

Hi Blogbuddies finished this at last, not that I haven't enjoyed making it more a matter of knowing when to stop lol!
These downloadable designs are so inspiring, you can quilt on them, add hand or machine embroidery, embellish with beads, buttons and sequins etc., use them in patchwork, alter the colours with an art program or just leave them as they are.
I felt a bit guilty at first embellishing them as the designs are so gorgeous on their own.
None the less here is the finished project and I hope you like it.

I make no apologies for this being a rather long posting, this was a fairly lengthy project but I hope you think it is worth it.

These are the downloads (Lavinia Stamps) as they are when printed and the printing media.

 

I began by tacking the coloured organza on the back and applying machine stitching around sections of the design and cutting away some of the printed fabric to reveal the colours below.

 

 Next I inserted wadding into the face section by opening the back slightly and then started the embroidery and embellishments.

 

 This shows the early stages of the surface embellishment.

 
Now for the border.

Used cotton calico for the background and sprayed it using Deka Silk dye. I will not apologise for the messy jars, you can see they are well used.
I like to use a diffuser for spraying as it gives a better finish but other methods will work too.
Allow this to dry and iron to ensure the dye is set.
I don't really worry too much about the fastness of the dye as this type of product will not be washed.
I also cut out a paper arch which will be used later.

 

Next I used Distress Inks and Big and Juicy to stamp a sunburst stamp (Lavinia Stamps) over the sprayed fabric.

For the following process I used polyester fabrics (net and organza) as they melt easily.

 

On the sample piece below you can see that I have layered these up using the calico as the backing, as this will not melt, the net and organza can be layered in whatever order you wish.

 

 

Machine stitch using whatever design you prefer. I made a curved grid pattern.

 

Then comes the exciting bit or scary depending on how you look at it.

It is a good idea to work in a well ventilated room for this, just to be on the safe side.

Be brave and start the heat gun, the fabric will start to melt very quickly so keep an eye on what is happening.

I use the scissors to stop the fabric moving about rather than burn your fingers.

And there you have it, fabulous texture!!!
You can melt this as much or as little as you wish, I wanted to be able to see the stamped detail beneath.

 

When this has cooled you can pull it back into shape which will separate even more of the fabrics, don't worry.

When the fabric is back into shape and flat this is the effect you can expect to see.

 

Next, I sprayed some lace, whatever you have is great.

These are the inks I used.

 

 

Gather the lace and tack everything together in the centre of the fabric in an arch shape.

I used the paper arch template as a guide.

When that is complete, cut away the centre leaving a small seam allowance. You will need to cut little notches into the seam allowance to help it turn over.

 

Once you have turned the calico inside, tack the edge and machine it to keep it in place.

 I then used Treasure Silver and rubbed this over the fabric but you could add other stitch work to this if wished.

 

Ensure that the lace is at the front ready for the next stage.

 

And now for the final stages.

I caught the lace down with small french knots and then lined the back with calico and edge stitched it to keep it nice and flat.

If you want a more ridged finish to the hanging you can insert thin board inside before completing the lining.

I don't tend to press the finished work as it can flatten it but that's up to you.

I have sewn a brass ring onto the back so that it can be hung on the wall.

 

 

And here is a closeup of the finished design.

 

 

I do hope you like it and that it will inspire you to visit Lavinia Stamps and maybe invest in the downloads.

Although I have used these on fabric they can be printed onto anything that will go into your printer.

What about acetate, now there's an idea for a future project.

 

Bye for now, wishing you lots of creative moments,

Angela x

 

 

 

Lavinia Stamps Fairies on Fabric

Hi Blogfriends, been a bit indisposed since coming back from the ski trip, some kind person sneezed on me in the airport and I've been feeling a bit yucky.
However, I have managed to do a little more work on the fairies, not finished yet but here is a little sneek preview.

 

More views soon.

 

Happy New Year, Angela x

Lavinia Stamps. Fairies on Fabric.

Hi Blogstitching friends, just finished the next stage in making the waistcoat.

I have added stitch detail to the printed fabric. I am using this stitch detail to attach the printed fabric to the calico.
This is completed on both front sections and at the back.

 

The next part requires the attachment of the wadding to give the quilted effect.

 

I prefer to do this in the traditional way by tacking the fabrics together, vertically and horizontally.

I realise that this process takes time but I feel that it is necessary to ensure a good finish as quilting on the sewing machine can distort the fabric.

 

 

It is particularly noticeable on the photograph how well the prints take on the fabric, the colours are really good.

Hope you will visit Lavinia Stamps and have a look at the range of downloads available.

 

The next stage is to quilt the plain section of the waistcoat.

As the calico is a natural colour, I used a similar coloured thread rather than white.

With this type of design I felt it was more appropriate to have a gentle curve to the machining rather than straight lines which would have been more traditional.

 

 

This was the effect I ended up with on the front.

I also added some additional stitching to the patterned fabric using straight stitching on the leaves.

 

 

So far so good.

The waistcoat is now ready for construction.

 Back soon with the next stage.

 

Crafty Hugs,

Angela x

 

Lavinia Stamps Downloadable Designs. Fairies on Fabric.

Hi  Blogbuddies, I'm going back to my roots for this one.
I am making some samples for Tracey at Lavinia Stamps using some of her new downloads.
If you haven't already seen these, click on the link above which will take you directly to them.
Tracey also sells the printable media you need for this technique.
If there is enough interest I will post the complete set of instructions for some of the products I am making.
Hope you will leave a comment if you are interested.

For my first sample I decided to make a waistcoat.
I used the Inkjet Printing Cotton and the Autumn Hues download.
I then cut the printed design in half.

 

After cutting out the waistcoat pattern I attached the printed fabric to the two sides of the waistcoat using bonderweb to stick it down though it could easily be tacked down instead.

 

At this stage the waistcoat is ready for the stitch detail to be carried out.

I am using a very simple manual sewing machine deliberately so that anyone who has a machine that is capable of straight stitch and

zig-zag could easily make something similar.

 

I hope you will leave a comment if you are interested in seeing the stages in the making of this product.

 

Back soon.

Crafty hugs,

Angela x