Fabric Elements – Painting on Fabric

Fabric Elements puts in your hands a mix of fabric and paper to create art. Please take a few minutes to visit JoAnn’s and see the collection. The packaging is beautiful, covered with inspiration! This is Mixed Media – it mixes, you mix, media and mediums.

The idea is to keep mixing, adding, layering, until your piece is complete. It’s all here – tissue, stencils, textures, lutrador, peltex and more. Pick up a kit or work from the Techniques book put together by Rebeka Meier. You will develop your own style. Start by imitating, but quickly you’ll evolve and your designs will be unique. There are no rules with Fabric Elements.

Every Friday in September I’ll post some pictures of studio work play time. It’s a peak at my creative process using Fabric Elements. We’ll experiment together, with techniques and supplies.  Even if you don’t think you are a creative artist, you can make these beautiful, heartfelt art pieces. Let’s get started with a Friday Play Day!

The “Techniques” book, page 12 was used for guidance. Pick one of the white-on-white fat quarters for the background, they are amazing! Gather a few supplies – a few paints, water, brushes, a palette, then protect and cover your table.
To loosen up, don’t think about the big picture, or what this fabric will be used for. Enjoy the present – the moment. Start with your favorite color in a corner or right in the center. Textile paint will flow easily, craft paint will need to be thinned. Experiment. Spritz the paint. Spritz the fabric.

Add another color; blend; spritz; soak the fabric and watch the colors run. Experiment again. Hold the fabric up so the paint travels, blot to remove some.

Be bold, or go so soft. Use paint right out of the tube or mix with white.

Because this piece is a background element, I’ll stop here and let it dry. At this point, your hand painted fabric can be used for patchwork or sewn into a little zipper pouch, like Rebekah did. It would be lovely!

What if we try some more techniques on our painted fabric? Pull together a few stamps and stencils,  Artist Trading Card bases, picture frame and lace.

Works in progress. After cutting to size, stamp and stencil to add dark and light contrasts. The ATCs need just a little more layering and embellishing.  Add words and dimensional accents as you’d like.  This is the place to add personal elements to your hand painted fabric.

To one background, I mixed lace, painted flowers, pearls. To display this little piece, a simple pillow-case background and hem was made, then slipped over a simple acrylic frame.  I have a beautiful old butterfly brooch that I may pin to the bottom right corner. What do you think?

Thanks, Rebekah for the inspiration!