Using Crayons & Watercolor Pencils to Tint Fabric

Thinking I would try crayons or watercolor pencils to tint fabric in preparation for embroidery, I researched some options. I knew that crayons could be used to color fabric, but was unsure of applying the waxy color directly to the fabric, thinking the color would run. However, TintedLinenTutorial gave these easy instructions:

Trace your pattern onto your fabric very lightly with a pencil or a water soluble marker... Tape the fabric down on the corners to a flat smooth surface.Take out your crayons and color! You may need to color a little harder in the fabric because the ironing will soften the crayon. Experiment with shading to add depth or only color a few things to really make a bold statement. Try to color in the same direction because the strokes will show (unless this is the effect you are trying to achieve).

When you are satisfied with yourself, sandwich the fabric between 2 pieces of plain paper. Set your iron to the "cotton" setting. Press the fabric sandwich slowly and smoothly. This will 'set' the crayon. You may need to press a few times to get the results you want. I did mine a few times to soften and melt the crayon for a smoother effect. From this point you can either back the design with another piece of fabric or place in an embroidery hoop. Embroider your heart away! Use different stitches, beads, sequins, etc.

The possibilities are endless with this technique. Experiment, be brave, try new things!

But wouldn't it be easier to just embroider a design, and then color it in with crayon? Apparently, this option of "coloring within the lines" is a no-no, because in another thread discussion, Contadine said:

You could stitch first, but that causes a few problems - You can't get right up tight to the stitching without getting some wax on the threads. Once you iron, that wax melts a little and makes your stitching look funny. If you scrub the piece heavily between ironing, you'll rough the threads up too much, and they'll look very fuzzy.When you iron, place a piece of copier paper on your ironing board, and then the colored fabric face down on it, and iron from the backside, or you'll get melted wax everywhere!

OK, so now I was ready to try my hand at this. I pulled out some old fabric cocktail napkins from the 1940's which were still usable, and had nice hand-work on the edges.

Now for a design choice for embroidery...a pink ribbon since Relay for Life is a timely June topic, and I recently knew of a friend with a breast cancer recurrence who might need a "pick-me-up".
Here is a picture of five napkins with pink ribbons crayoned on them. The blue outline is a water soluble pen that I used for sketching the ribbons on the napkins. Then the napkins were ironed between white copy paper to take off some of the waxy color.

And here is the finished product on the right. The pinks came out pretty well, and I was surprised that so much color stayed on the fabric. A heavy embroidery floss in dark pink was threaded and used for the outline whipped stem stitch.

More examples of using crayons to tint fabric can be found at TheFlossBox. Another great source for embroidery patterns can be found at Needlecrafter. And I found some cute pictures drawn by Beatrix Potter through a Google search, and some transfer-worthy images of Peter Rabbit here.

Jemima Puddle-duck of Beatrix Potter fame will be my next quilt square for a baby blanket, and I plan to tint Jemima with watercolor pencils in blues for her hat and pinks and roses for her shawl.

Check out the Beatrix Potter website for delightful illustrations, and more about her life here at the BeatrixPotterSociety. If you are a fan of hers (like I am), you might be interested in seeing the movie Miss Potter. Renee Zellweger was the star, and it was a delightful film IMHO.

At VintagePatterns, an entire free catalog from 1886 of embroidery patterns is available on-line and in the public domain. This site is fascinating. Tutorials are also given of how to turn the patterns into usable designs.

And to think that our foremothers probably used some of these patterns on their lingerie!

Making a Mandarin Collar Several Ways

Wanting to create a mandarin collar from a large and outdated standard collar, I folded the corners of the regular collar downwards, then folded the collar in half, stitching down all sides. Voila! A mandarin collar was created in about ten minutes; you don't even need a sewing machine if you can thread a needle and make a running stitch.

Here is a picture of a mandarin modified collar that I made on a linen blouse with a standard, large collar. It was further embellished with sewn on Cat Buttons:

Other ways to make mandarin collars is to use scarves, tying it in manners depicted in Scarves:

1: Try a GQ oblong style! Fold a textured oblong scarf in half and place it around your neck. Feed one panel behind and then through the loop. Feed the other panel through the loop from the top. Finish the design by adjusting the panels. (Looks great over a jacket!);

2: Start by folding a large square scarf into a triangle. Place the folded edge next to your neck and tie a single knot. Twist the panels together. Wrap the twisted panels around itself and tuck the ends into the center, creating a rosette. Wear it off to the side or at the center of a collar.

Mandarin collars cover a multitude of "aging skin" flaws. Crepey skin can be concealed, as well as double necks.

In her later years, Kathryn Hepburn sure knew how to wear those turtlenecks well!

Diary Project 2009

Fantazya Fantazies (Lucy B) is the initiator, creator and driving force behind the 2009 Diary Project. Lucy lives in Quebec, Canada.

She published the 2008 Diary with the help of close to 400 artists who submitted their work free of charge. In her words:

The Diary 2008 was designed by at least 365 artists and crafters around the world. All of them are web sellers and you can reach them by their webpage address on the bottom of their page. Each page correspond to a date. There is 7 address pages, 3 notes pages, 12 months page, 2 introduction pages, and 2 year pages. Total: 392 pages with different designs. It is BEAUTIFUL !

The cover is plain, so you can decorate it as you like.The CD contains the complete pdf file, ready to print, with instructions. On the CD you have both sizes, small diary: 4¼" x 7" and medium diary: 5½" x 8½".With the CD, you go to a photocopy center and you ask for the quantity of book you want, with the paper of your choice, the cover color of your choice, the color spiral of your choice, and the size you prefer between 5½" x 8½" and 4¼" x 7". It is free participation and a free publicity for you. You don't need to buy a book, but if you want one or more, all the participants will have a special price.

The picture to the right is a submission from Lalootka. She also participated in the 2008 Diary Project.

My submission for the 27th day of February in 2009 is shown below to the left.

It should be a fun project to have and to hold once it is published.

Deadline for submissions for the 2009 Calendar is July 1, 2008, so contact TheProject now if you are interested in contributing to this intriquing world-wide artist submission campaign.