Creating Stencils

For most of my quilts I've used freezer paper stencils with textile paint, paintsticks or oil pastels.  Some designs I've drawn or traced then cut with a blade.  While I've become quite accurate with my cutting it takes time and is difficult to get precise small pieces.

Earlier in the year, after some research, I purchased a Silhouette Cameo.  With the combination of the Silhouette software and the magic little blade my world of cutting freezer paper has become way bigger.

For my current project I wanted to repeat the technique that I used in my quilt 'Out My Window' using freezer paper stencils with paintsticks applied over the painted background (the swirls).

'Out My Window' detail

The Silhouette Cameo uses a 12"x12" carrier mat, whatever is to be cut is 'stuck' to the mat and feeds into the machine and the design is cut.  

trimming freezer paper to fit the mat

smoothing the freezer paper to the sticky mat

  






 
After a bit of use the mat looses its stick.  To 'clean' the mat a quick way is to lay down printers tape then remove the tape - this returns some of the stickiness and removes all the stray pieces of paper or whatever else has been cut previously.



This is my first mat - still working well despite the interesting cut patterns.

Using the Silhouette software the design is created then 'sent' to the machine for cutting. I'll explain a bit more about the Silhouette software in a later post.

completed cutting

 

slightly better view of cut images

 




















The cut pieces easily peel off ready to be used ...

Another Outing

My quilt 'Knit One, Paint One'  gets another outing next week.  See here and here for previous posts about this quilt.

It is part of SAQA's 'Redirecting the Ordinary' Exhibition that will be showing at 'Quilt! Knit! Stitch!' in Portland, OR, during August 13-15. 

I was sent a jpg to use ...

The next appearance will be in France at Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork, Alsace, during September 16-19.  Now that would be a nice place to visit ...
 

Knit One, Paint One, Repeat

My quilt 'Knit One, Paint One, Repeat' has been hanging at Nancy's Stitch Studio for a few weeks now.  It is mostly the same as 'Knit One, Paint One (see here) except the colour is less blue and slightly lighter to fit the colour scheme for their new shop.

Kint One, Paint One, Repeat

In March I posted about my initial progress with the quilt (see here).  

A couple of detail pictures ...

finished quilting

back view

It takes a bit of getting used to seeing the quilt when I enter the shop.  A nice feeling and now to remember to enjoy seeing it as it is and not thinking about what I could have done differently or better. 

K1, P1, rpt

Earlier in the year Maureen at Mystic Quilter blogged about working in a series.  I thought this was a great idea and that I could work through either Jean Wells book 'Intuitive Color & Design' or Elizabeth Barton's book 'Inspired to Design; Seven Steps to Successful Quilts'.  

So instead I've been working on a commission for a second Knit One, Paint One quilt.  

Knit One, Paint One

Same pattern just a slightly different colour.  While I'd kept my original pattern I needed to recreate the freezer paper stencil - this took longer than I remembered with the original quilt!

Adding the colour was relatively fast.  To emphasise the white 'knitted stitches' I add a layer of batting and quilt around the shapes, then trim away the batting.

Stitching the first layer of batting

Freezer paper stencils

I'm currently about half way with the stitching and trimming.  The next stage is to add another layer of batting, the backing and finally quilt it.

Quilts on show

Quilt Symposium Manawatu is currently on in Palmerston North.  I can now show my four entries - the rules stated that quilts couldn't be shown before the event.

Aqua Panels

Now Sew HSTs

Harakeke

Market Fresh

As well as the Symposium exhibitions, Aotearoa Quilters' (AQ) also has exhibitions.  The 'Growth' Challenge makes an appearance as it tours the country, so I'll see 'Increasingly Modern' again.

Increasingly Modern

Out my Window II

AQ also have a Silent Auction, I've donated 'Out My Window II'.  This is a bigger version of 'Out My Window' that was part of the 'Beneath the Southern Sky' travelling exhibition.

The purpose of the silent auction is to raise funds for AQ, while showcasing quilts from well known (!) NZ quilters.  Not sure how I managed that, maybe because I know one of the organisers!!

 




and finally AQ's Purple 12x12 challenge.  The triangles are painted iwth textile paint and the ric rac is coloured with oil pastels using freezer paper stencils.  The scooters piece is commercial fabric, quilted and trapunto-ed.

my three entries

a bit of background

Here I posted about my quilt 'Knit one, Paint one' that is part of SAQA's 'Redirecting the Ordinary' Exhibition. 

"Redirecting the Ordinary" is about turning things around, upside down, inside out, backwards, or how even just a minuscule course correction can charge up the humdrum, turn the common into the uncommon, and make the expected unexpected.  

Some background to how the quilt has been created.

After drawing the pattern and cutting (a lot) of bits of freezer paper, the whole quilt was coloured with mostly one oil pastel and a tiny amount of the darker pastel.

freezer paper stencils on white fabric

oil pastels, stencil brush, freezer paper stencils

I no longer bother attempting to wash my stencil brushes - while some residual paint or pastel can be removed the colour mostly stays.  I now have quite a collection of brushes and tend to just match the colours.  

For some reason my local art shops have stopped selling the smaller stencil brushes so whenever I see them at quilt shows or elsewhere I stock up on a few. 

When I start a new project I usually (!) create a sample (or two).  This is where I try out colours, techniques, patterns, then later thread colour, quilting patterns.  This has helped reduce the number of abandoned efforts - unlike patchwork painting doesn't have an unpick function! 

sample

The first stage of quilting is stitching around each shape then cutting away the batting.  I use the same or similar coloured thread to the final quilting thread.  Then another layer of batting and quilt again around the shapes.  This extra layer of batting (Trapunto) gives more definition to the shapes.

I don't use washable thread, as some do for Trapunto, as I don't want water near the quilt.  Even though I've heat set the pastel I don't need any surprises such as the pastel fading.

Exciting Stuff

Today's exciting news is my quilt "Knit One Paint One" has been selected for SAQA's 'Redirecting the Ordinary' Exhibition, curated by Alicia Merrett (click here to see her amazing map quilts).  

The first showing will be at the International Quilt Festival (IQF) in Houston, in October.  It will also show at IQF events in Chicago and Portland in 2015. 

Knit One, Paint One

It is a whole cloth quilt with turquoise/aqua colour added with Sennelier oil pastels and each 'knitting' stitch has been padded with an extra layer of batting (Trapunto).  

While I've been using the Sennelier oil sticks I had never tried their oil pastels.

I was introduced to them by a family friend, Henry (14) who has been creating and exhibiting stunning drawings of birds with these pastels.    

The oil pastels are cleaner to use, I did find them a bit harder to blend - just need more practice!