Friday, June 14, 2013

Crayon time...


A couple of people have emailed or commented that they like the "Baltimore Rhapsody" blocks but don't like applique.  I am experimenting with turning a block into a stitchery!


I've watched my friends use this technique with Crabapple Hill stitchery patterns, so I thought I would give it a try.


First, using a light box and a .005 black Pigma pen I traced the design LIGHTLY on my background. The washout blue pen won't work here because the crayon wax will cover the marks and make them impossible to remove.  A pencil would probably work.

I like this skinniest of Pigma pens because I can cover the marks with floss easily, even when working with light and pastel floss.


Next, you have to color the design with a WHITE crayon first (see the first picture).  Make sure there are no touches of other crayon colors on your white crayon, or you will get color where you don't want it!


The Crabapple Hill gals actually sell boxes of just white crayons...you can find them here.

This is the first time I have ever used the white crayon in a box of Crayola's!

Then, color to your heart's desire!  I LOVED coloring as a kid!  My teenage daughter and her friends like to color to escape from the stress of of high school.  She actually asked Santa to bring her coloring books last Christmas and this cool crayon tower (see it here).  It's so cute to see 16-yr-old girls sharing Disney princess coloring books!

I color over the white.  You can blend colors and shade to make things look as realistic as you like.  I just try to stay inside the lines.  I find that my background stretches a little as I color, but that will fix itself later.

I work on my slick, smooth table so that I don't get any weird, unwanted textures.

After I've finished with the crayons, I put paper towels on my pressing surface, place the background CRAYON SIDE DOWN on the paper towels, and press with my iron.  This sets the crayon and removes any excess color onto the paper towels.

Then I put my traced work on a piece of thin, cheap, white flannel and baste them together so they won't shift.


Now I am ready to outline stitch with colorful embroidery floss (2 strands), followed by embellishment with French knots, other stitches, and maybe some tiny seed beads.

I am excited to finish this and see how it works out.  I really like the results so far...and the coloring was just what I needed last night after a stressful day.

In stitches,
Teresa  :o
)

8 comments:

  1. This is an interesting approach to your patterns. I have not tried crayons, but have seen some lovely quilts made using them. Did not know about coloring with white first- good info. Would pressing a square of freezer paper to the back of your block (after tracing with pen and before any coloring) help stabilize and keep the fabric from stretching as you color? I know it's done with quilt labels to help with lettering. Just a thought.

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  2. Very interesting concept. Your blocks look good with the coloring. I have never used white as a base. I just recently read about that technique. Are you going to do just a few blocks or the whole quilt?

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  3. Such an interesting post! Your colouring looks great - I look forward to seeing the stitchery part now. A box full of white crayons!! I can hardly imagine it :0)

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  4. I have never heard of this and find it most interesting. I've got a couple ideas in my (already full) head now and find the need to go out and buy some crayons...Crayola crayons, of course. And probably the BIGGEST box I can find, of course. Teresa, I think you have just created a monster!

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  5. Very interesting and fun. I think I may have to try this, thanks for sharing.

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  6. Great... another thing to add to my growing list of things I want to try! Seriously, I love everything I've learned from you and just this week, I refreshed my memory on how to prep applique pieces. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. OK I don't understand. Why do you use white color first, then colored over the white? I always wanted to do a crayon quilt.

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  8. Great idea for your blocks! I have done this method and had so much fun coloring my blocks (Periwinkle Lane series). We did not use a white crayon first. When I took a class from Meg Hawkey (Crabapple Hill) she uses the white crayon first, and then the colors.

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