Unlocking The Magic of Stitching in Nature

 

I am constantly fascinated by the intricate and unique designs that can be achieved working on the leaves. It's incredible to see how the texture and color of a dried leaf can be transformed into a beautiful work of art with just a few simple stitches and other creative techniques.

Out of the leaves I have tried so far I particularly enjoy working with the Sea Grape leaf, which dries into a rich, deep tan or reddy-brown color. Using this leaf as my canvas, I began my slow stitching process by adding some basic stitches around the leaf.

As I progressed with my stitching, I felt inspired to add more details to the piece. I used a wood burning tool to create a series of intricate holes that would serve as decorative elements. The combination of the stitches and the burn holes created a stunning visual effect that really brings the piece to life.

What I love about this process is that it allows me to create art out of resources that I have readily available in my garden. The final result is a beautiful and unique piece that showcases the natural beauty of the dried leaf.

I invite you to watch the video of the process and take a look at the images of the completed piece. You'll be amazed at how something as simple as slow stitching on a dried leaf can create such a stunning work of art.

Thank you for joining me for Material Mondays.  Check out some of the other designs that I have done on leaves.

Weaving a design into the leaf

Working with leaves and Fabric

Material Mondays - My Tools for Working with Leather

Welcome to Material Mondays!

As a DIY enthusiast, I love working with different materials and finding new ways to use them in my projects. One of the materials I like to work with is leather, and in this post, I wanted to share some of the tools that I use.  It is by no means an exhaustive list, it is just what I have available to me at the moment.

Most of the tools that I have in my arsenal can be used in other areas of my mixed media work, whether it be working with jewelry pieces as embellishments or working with clay or paper crafts. I find that having versatile tools gives me the most value for my money and the flexibility to explore new creative avenues.

I found that purchasing a bag of leather scraps is a great way to sample a variety of leathers, and if I have a specific project that calls for a larger piece, I can then go out and buy that when needed. This is a great way to save money and still have the option to try out different leathers.

One of the things that I always recommend when working with materials is to experiment and play around. Get to know your tools and find what works best for you. This will also help you find your creative inspiration and develop your skills.

If you're interested in exploring leather crafting and would like to take a look at some of the supplies that I use, I have created a Leather Supplies Guide on Amazon. Feel free to check it out and see what catches your eye.

Working with leather can be a lot of fun and there are so many possibilities for what you can create. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things, and most importantly, have fun!

Check out other leather posts:

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Check out the FREE Art Resource Hub

 

Fabric Wax Resist - A Technique - Material Mondays

 

Have you tried a wax resist technique on fabric?  In week 20 of Material Mondays I share one of the techniques that I use to create the designs on my fabric.

Dyeing your own fabric is a great way to create your own designs, and the fabric can either be used as a whole or cut up and used in smaller projects.

I start out with an image loosely sketched on the fabric, I usually do a combination of faces and patterns

The next step is to add the wax either on the lines you have drawn or in-between the lines which will create varying patterns.

I combine a selection of dyes together to get the color that I want, you can do swatches so that you are able to recreate the colors when needed.

Once dried the wax is removed.  I use an iron and place paper over the fabric.  It is a great way to apply color and pattern to some of the fabrics that you may have, and you can experiment and see what effects that you are able to create.

If you are interested in checking out some of the supplies, you can check out my Wax Resist Supplies List on Amazon

Material Mondays - Week 17 - Adding Beading to the Stitched Project

For Material Mondays this week we are going to be adding beading to our project. This piece is nearing its completion and you get an idea what goes into creating a piece like this.

It goes through many stages and the process part of it is really enjoyable.

The project has to go through the many stages as part of the process and you should take your time and really enjoy it. I like to let the piece sit for a couple of days. You can check out the supplies list on my Amazon Store Here.

This is what it looked like previously, you can see the progress

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Check out some of my digital stamps on my Etsy Store below

Material Mondays - Larger Stitched Kit

 Material Mondays - Larger Stitched Kit that I keep in the studio

Welcome to Material Mondays and Week 16, we get to have a closer look at my main sewing kit and some of the supplies that are in there. I usually use this one when I am in the studio and it houses additional needles, elastic, tape measure and more. You can find all the items in my Amazon Store Idea List

Check out the video

In case you missed it...

Check out some of the other videos in the Series

Material Mondays - Painted Fabric - Vase

 

In Material Mondays this week I share working on a painted fabric.  The surface was prepared previously and I took the time to work on a few images which included this vase with flowers and some figures.

This is a great way to prepare your fabric for stitching projects and can also be a standalone project.

Supplies used include the following:

Homemade stencils - check out my free course for making your own - https://bit.ly/messyhabit 

Tea Towel for crafts - https://amzn.to/3gutIOR 

Stencils - https://amzn.to/3Gvswpf 

Fine Brush - https://amzn.to/3UNiOCR 

Tulip Paints - https://amzn.to/3EuCZQm 

Dimensional Paints - https://amzn.to/3UZ0XbA 

Permanent Ink - https://amzn.to/3hH926F

Join me each week for Material Mondays, check out the last two episodes:

Material Mondays - Week 14 - Painting on Fabric

Material Mondays Painted Fabric Art

In the video this week, we're going to be painting on fabric before stitching! This is a great way to add some extra interest to your fabric project and make it look more unique.

Painted art journal page with glitter

You can use a variety of creative supplies and paints. I am using the brand called Tulip and I have listed the supplies below that I use to paint on fabric.

I usually use recycled fabric, cottons etc where I need them for specific projects I will order them online.

By painting on fabric before stitching, you'll be able to create some really beautiful and unique pieces. You can see the other videos in the Material Monday's series.

Preparing the fabric with paint

Check out the video to see how the fabric progressed:

Supplies used

Tulip Paints

Fabric Glue

Glitter

Pallet knife

Dimensional Paints

Permanent Ink

Other Resources

I am teaching - Check out my FREE Courses HERE

My Amazon store - Click HERE to see my Store suggestions

Check out my Art Supplies on Kit: https://kit.co/Realityarts

Thank you for joining me in my art studio. We all have 5 minutes that we can give to creative play, why not see how you can fit creativity into your every day

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For More inspiration please visit my Patreon page.

Material Mondays - Textile Art Project - Week 12

Welcome to Material Mondays, this week we are working on a lovely art piece that I had started a while back and it was calling to be complete. I managed to get it a bit further along.  You can check out the video below.

I had got the piece to this stage and checking what kind of beading that I want to have attached to the piece.

I added some seed beads and will see how I feel about them as to whether I will add some more.  It is great to be able to use the supplies, some of the beads have come from clothing, charity or thrift store and other I have brought over time.

I was contemplating whether to turn it into a journal cover

Check out the video below to see how it went.

Let me know if you are working on any textile pieces or would like to incorporate it into your mixed media work.

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Check out some courses while you are at it!

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Material Mondays - Stitched Project

 Welcome to Material Mondays - This week we are going to create a stitched project.

The fabrics have been taken from ones that I have made over time and have them in my stash, but you can use whatever you have to hand and also make some painted fabrics as well for yourself.  You can see the materials that I use to create my painted fabric HERE

If you want to purchase some supplies similar to the ones that I am using, you can check out these links on Amazon:

You can source some of the supplies here: 

ribbon - https://amzn.to/3TANuqu 

fabric - https://amzn.to/3gs0MXq 

buttons - https://amzn.to/3Sxi7f9 

embroidery thread - https://amzn.to/3DtyKUL

I hope you have fun using your supplies and look forward to seeing your results.

Material Mondays - Creating a Stitched word Sheet

 

Today in Material Mondays I show you how you can create a stitched word sheet with some encouraging words and inspiring phrases.

I took a selection of embroidery threads

Selected a white tea towel to write the words on.  This was quite thin cotton, and so I doubled the thread, check out the video to see how it progressed.

If you want to try it yourself, you can see the links for supplies below:

Embroidery threads - https://amzn.to/3EyxKQ8

Embroidery Kit for beginners - https://amzn.to/3fZ00kF

Embroidery hoops - https://amzn.to/3CuoFoS

Cotton fabric - https://amzn.to/3MoJ82Y

Material Mondays - Creating a Travel Sewing Kit

Welcome to Material Mondays, my weekly fabric and mixed media art materials session where we tak a look at some fabric projects, techniques and have fun playing with fabric.  This week I show you what is in my travel kit.

I have a felted piece of material that houses my needles and pins and a selection of embroidery thread in different colors depending on the project that I am working on and some standard ones.

I also travel with an embroidery hoop and a piece of heavy cotton that I have written several encouraging words on.  When I travelled this time, I hadn't wanted to take a lot of supplies and found the words on the fabric ideal, as I could not only stitch, but I was continuing to reflect on the encouraging words as I was stitching.

I also have a series of fabrics of different stages, some have been wax resisted and dyed or painted, it is great having these small pieces to collage together and add stitching when the mood takes me.

Check out the accompanying video to see the travel it up close and you can check out the previous Material Monday Episodes HERE

I am also taking part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and you can check out previous posts below

Day 1 - What are you Doing with your life?

Day 2 - Coles Adventure and the Case of the Rogue House Sitter

Click HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Material Mondays - Working with Fabric Paints

 

Welcome to Material Mondays this week where we look at working with Fabric paints to create designs on our fabric pieces.  You can check out the video above.

You can use them as a layer on your fabric or as a finishing touch.  I like to add stitching as well as other elements.

Today I share how I use the fabric paint to lay down color and then add mark making and other designs using a range of different brands.

I also use stencils and sometimes stamps creating on the surface of the fabric.  I use the metallic dimensional paint to add highlights on the surface of the fabric rather than have the dimension.  This piece will then have either some more mark-making done on top or I might draw a figure.

 

Material Mondays

You can also check out some of the other videos in the Material Mondays Series below.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Check out my latest course, and also while you are there check out the free resources available.

Material Mondays - Working with Fabric Pens

 

Welcome to Material Mondays this week where we look at working with Fabric pens to create designs on our fabric pieces.

You can use them as a layer on your fabric or as a finishing touch.  I like to add stitching as well as other elements.

I share with the a selection of fabric pens that I use, they come with different nip sizes for different effects that you may want to create on the fabric.

Amazon has a wide selection of fabric pens that have dual uses - you can check some of them out here - https://a.co/bNs0Iya

Material Mondays

You can also check out some of the other videos in the Material Mondays Series below.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Check out the free resources listing in the side bar of the Blog and sign up for one of the FREE courses.

Material Mondays - Play with Textiles is Back!

Join me for Material Mondays, a weekly look at stitched project, painted and dyed fabric and more

Check out the video below

What kind of fabric or textile projects are you working on at the moment?  leave a comment and let me know.  I like having at least a few on the go at the same time or have them at different stages, adding variety.

Art Journal Page - Inspired, Material Mondays!

 Art Journal Page Process

Today I share an art journal page process as I do quite a bit of mark making on the page.  I had already created the face, which is something I do a lot in my journals, either fill up the pages with background color or faces until I am ready for them.

Material Inspired

One of the other things that I would like to get back to is working with fabric.  I like creating different activities that enable you to play with your supplies.  These spools have been wrapped in fabric and lace and I have added stitching and a variety of different fabrics together

I also found some beads and buttons that were in my overspill container and was able to use them.  The container holds all those elements that I haven't yet put away and so I would see what could be used on a project.

I managed to put together 3 spools that I can use in other projects.  It was really fun working on them.

What do you have on hand in your creative space that you can get to work on if you had limited time to create, you have to try and make time for your creative practice?

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Material Mondays - Fabrigasm, List Shephard and Mud Cloth

One to keep an eye on in the world of African Fabric is Lisa Shepard who sells a very wide selection of African fabrics in her store front in 1417 Main Street in the Arts District of downtown Rahway, NJ , online and you can book to have a virtual tour of her studio HERE

I came across Lisa when she did the Live Event, which had a great selection of artists talks sharing their work, it was great to be among so many others who were passionate about fabric.

Check out her video below:

She has written several books which has a lot of hints and tips for ideas that you can make - click on the images to find out more!

You can also check out her website HERE 

And her new issue of Fabrigasm

Magazine