Craftside

A SNEAK PEEK INTO THE NEW BOOK FABRIC ART PROJECTS BY SUSAN STEIN

Fabric Art Projects
Fashion and Home Decor Items Made From Artfully Altered Fabric
By
Susan Stein

Fabric Art Projects shows crafters how to alter and embellish plain fabric, then use it to create useful and decorative items for fashion and home décor.
It is a technique and project book all rolled in one. The project steps teach the technique as part of the process. Readers can use different fabric art techniques to make various projects.

Susan Stein  (White Bear Township, MN) owns a successful quilt and fiber arts shop in St. Paul, Minnesota, called  Colorful Quilts and Textiles. She stocks all the cutting-edge products for quilters and fabric artists who love to go beyond basics into fabric painting, dyeing, fabric manipulation, and other fiber arts. In 2003, Susan was voted Minnesota Quilter of the Year. She has written two other quilting books and has researched and contributed to numerous books. Check out her store and some of her work at www.colorfulquiltsandtextiles.com.

This book is packed full of cool ways to make and transform cloth and I have a lot of cloth that is always in need of transforming (cars aren't the only thing that can do it ya' know). There are so many cool techniques I couldn't decide quite where to start, but I could decide that this page from the gallery was the one I wanted to share with you today. It includes these cool round samplers.

 

This page along with all the cool techniques in Fabric Art Projects combined in my brain and this is what I made:

 

It is a little pillow with small squares and rectangles of scraps of fabric that have been very loosely top-stitched down using the stripes of the plaid background fabric as my guide.

I simply pinned the scraps in place and then ran the fabric through the sewing machine at appropriate intervals to catch each piece of fabric at least twice.

Yes, that is my stuffed Peep collection checkin' out my new pillow.

I have already started collecting up the materials from the materials lists for a whole bunch of the cool and innovative projects from Fabric Art Projects and be sure to come on back to see what I come up with. If you are afraid of forgetting, you know you can subscribe to the blog or follow it over on Facebook!

Today's question:

What is you absolute favorite thing to do with fabric?

I clearly LOVE fussy cutting it and sewing it onto something else. I do it all the time.

Leave your answer and your entered to win a free book!

SLICE AND STRETCH TECHNIQUE FROM THE NEW BOOK IMAGE ART WORKSHOP PLUS A FOLDED ATC DESIGN INSPIRED BY IT

Image Art Workshop
Creative Ways to Embellish and Enhance Photographic Images
By
Paula Guhin

This book teaches the reader to think of a photograph as a canvas for a wide range of artistic manipulation and coloring techniques.

Once upon a time, you hesitated to even take scissors to a photo (even an imperfect one) because if you lost its negative, you’d also lose that moment in time forever. In this day of digital images and photo printers for the home computer, photographs are easily duplicated, so you never have to be concerned about preserving printed photos.

You can cut, color, collage, and camouflage to your heart’s content. The photo is now an art medium that can be altered physically or digitally to create all kinds of effects.

Paula Guhin is a former educator, visual artist, photographer, and the author of the ever-popular Glorious Glue, Art with Adhesives, published by J. W. Walch, and Can We Eat the Art? Her articles have appeared in School Arts, Instructor, Teaching Today, and many more periodicals. She is also a contributing editor for Arts and Activities Magazine.

Click on the images to enlarge and read the full instructions on how to cut up  photos and stretch them to create movement.

Well, I didn't have two photos to work with but I wanted to play around with cutting up a photo.

 

So off to the old crazy photo stash and this one seemed to call to me for this new cutting up a photo technique.

And here is the sliced up photo turned into an ATC. I simply cut the photo into strips and then re-taped them back together with Scotch tape. I left a bit of space in between each strip of the photo to accommodate for the thickness of the folds. I got a different type of movement in this project, not just a visual, an actual movement.

 

The quote I scratched into the photo is a joke on the saying, "I'll try anything once", it is "I'll try anything over and over and over."

To read how to scratch a photo click on the link below: Image Art Workshop-Paula Guhin

Today's question:

Have you cut up a photo and put it back in some way? How?

As a thanks for answering, you'll be entered to win a free book.

LOOK, LEARN & CREATE VIDEO WITH LANCE RICHLIN AUTHOR OF DRAWING MADE EASY: LIFELIKE HEADS

This episode of Craftside's Look, Learn & Create how-to video series has a couple of really cool tips and techniques as well as give you a bit of insight into what is in Lance Richlin's comprehensive book Lifelike Heads.


Lifelike Heads:
Discover your inner artist as you learn to draw portraits in graphite
by
Lance Richlin

The Drawing Made Easy series introduces budding artists to the fundamentals of pencil drawing. With in-depth information, including several approaches to the discipline, these books will help beginners become inspired and feel confident in their own talents. This addition to the Drawing Made Easy series helps beginning artists learn how to draw lifelike portraits! Following the basics, author-artist Lance Richlin shows how to light the subject, block in and render each feature of the face, and address a variety of expressions—from subtle smiles to toothy grins. Then he guides the reader through four impressive projects, showing how to develop a lifelike head drawing in seven simple stages: the lay-in, plumblines, volume, outline, tonal pattern, value, and finishing. 

I really liked making this video with Lance. He was so sweet and really knew what he was talking about, good combo, hu?

Today's question:

How would you describe your drawing style?

I would say mine is definitely "primitive sketch" I learned the basics of shading and perspective but I rarely use those elements. I stick to line drawing mostly just to remember ideas and to make patterns.

That said I am trying to improve my sketching so the tips in this how-to video on drawing lifelike heads was really helpful.

Leave your answer and you will be entered to win a free book!

THE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR WINS TWO BEN FRANKLIN AWARDS AND CRAFTY BLOGGER LINKS

The Creative Entrepreneur
A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real

By

Lisa Sonora Beam

 wins two Ben Franklin Awards.

One for Crafts/Hobby/How-to and the other for Business. They were awarded at the end of May in NYC by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Congrats Lisa!

The Artful Crafter
What new mom would not be delighted with this precious keepsake pendant? Eileen gives you step-by-step instructions for making it using polymer clay and decal paper.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge went on a bead buying trip to NYC! Get the scoop!

Vickie Howell
Craft Corps Stencil Kits are in! Check out Vickie's How-To on making your own, stenciled gear. Stand up, shout loud, you've joined The Corps and you're proud!

About Family Crafts
What is in your craft cupboard? What craft supplies can you not live without? Has there been a craft item that your purchased thinking it was the greatest invention of all time and then never used?

Aileen's Musings
Aileen needs your help! She's created another whimsical character in her curalicious series and needs a saying or quote to go with her! Post your quote or saying and enter to win a curvalicious coffee cup!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Create fun and graphic letter & number decopauge jars in a flash!

Cathie Filian
Recycle old jeans and fabric scraps into a quilted 4th of July Table Runner in under 2 hours!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Cat Domination at Jewelry Bench! Where or where can I work on jewelry, Tammy asks?

CraftyPod
Take a handful of buttons and some craft wire, and make charming button monograms to wear as jewelry.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Dinosaurs rule in the Land of the Lost and they also rule at About.com Cross Stitch. There are three of them stalking through Connie's latest free pattern collection.

Mixed Media Artist
Here's a way to combine planning with serendipity when you paint fabrics!

Naughty Secretary Club
Think all the marketing at a craft show is already taken care of for the vendors? Think again. Jen shares some marketing tips.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Another of Stefanie's Happy Bunnies-This one created using the help of the cool book: Stray Sock Sewing

THE ART OF DECORATIVE PAPER STENCILS 2 BY KANAKO YAGUCHI

More fabulous eye candy and projects made with my favorite tool-the scissors!

The Art of Decorative Paper Stencils 2
Traveling with Stencils
By

Kanako Yaguchi

Paper artists, papercrafters, cardmakers, collage artists, and scrapbookers are always looking for unique and exciting ways to embellish and enhance their work. The Art of Decorative Paper Stencils 2 provides crafters with a range of instruction and inspiration to create beautiful stencils inspired by your travels. Paper stencil art is a traditional craft with a long history in Japan.

Kanako Yaguchi, a successful paper stencil artist, bases her new techniques on the classic methods, bringing this ancient art to a modern audience. The Art of Decorative Paper Stencils 2 includes images inspired by the author's travels to Japan, the United States, Jamaica, Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria. Each project includes detailed and illustrated step-by-step instructions. There are also instructions and ideas for attractive home decor projects that reflect your travels.

Kanako graduated from the Department of Design at Joshibi University of Art and Design, Japan. Her other publications include The Art of Decorative Paper Stencils (Quarry Books) and The Book of Decorative Paper Stencils for Adults (PHP Institute, available only in Japanese).

I love this paper stencil and when I saw what Kanako's inspiration was, the vintage bowl, I just giggled because I have those bowls!

This mobile made from stencils and circles of paper is so whimsical and pretty.

Click on the image for the instructions on how to make a paper stencil mobile.

Today's question:

Do you make a craft or piece of art when you travel?

Leave your answer and as a thanks for sharing you are entered to win a free book!

Have a lovely weekend.