Cool technique-Stitchless Embroidery -from the New Book: Fabricate by Susan Wasinger

First let me say I love the play on words of the title of this yummy book:
Fabricate: 17 Innovative Sewing Projects that Make Fabric the Star
by
Susan Wasinger

Create gorgeous one-of-a-kind handmade fabrics and transform them into fun and useful projects with this guide to distinctive cloth-making techniques. This innovative how-to resource uses classic and modern techniques to create interesting custom fabrics that are used in a dazzling array of fresh, stylish yet practical must-have items for one’s wardrobe or home. From laptop cases to evening bags, elegant wraps to flirty skirts, floor pillows to whimsical curtains, this tutorial uses a variety of easy fiber-art and fabric-manipulation techniques to create original fabric projects from wearable designs and touching gifts to home décor. In addition to the cloth-making techniques, there are 17 projects that show what can be made with each unique fabric.

Additional instruction is included to create unique effects with pleats and crinkles; puckers and tufts; cut-and-fray fabric techniques; laminates that add colorful, versatile, and playful layers; surface embellishment techniques like cording, appliqué, and crazy stitch; heat-treated techniques like burn-out, burn-away, and fabric etching; fabrics designed with solvy and repeating notions like rickrack, hooks and eyes, and zippers—leading to many endless possibilities.

Truer words have never been blogged!

I love all things fiber and this book is just packed with techniques and beautiful designs that utilize them. It was so hard for me to pick which one to make first.

I decided to go with one I had never tried:

Susan calls it "Stitchless Embroidery"

And I LOVE it!

So first I gathered up a bunch of elements that the directions called for, scraps of fabric and fiber, a shear overlay fabric and an under layer, in my case it was a recycled felted wool sweater, go figure.
I then fused the lightweight iron-on adhesive to the shear fabric and then to the element covered sweater scrap.
Here it is all trimmed up:I don't know yet what I'm going to do with this, maybe a page in an altered book? Got any ideas out there?
I think I might try this with paper next or a combo of both, hmmmmm?

So if you are looking for new ways to use fabric and fiber you will love this book too!

The last week of April Crafty Blogger Links

The Crochet Dude
Drew met the King of San Antonio!

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares some thoughts about copyrights, artist's rights and intellectual property theft in this thought provoking post.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside has a call for entries: 1000 Artisan Textiles, a tutorial on how to upcycle an old promo charm with stamped polymer clay, fusing plastic bags from the soon to be released book: Green Guide for Artists, and two asymmetrical jewelry designs made from recycled elements.

About Family Crafts
Why not make a special May Day treat for your neighbors!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen has a Bottle Cap project just in time for Mother's Day or for that end of the year teacher gift!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner finds some colorful inspiration by Wrecking her Journal!

Blisstree Arts
Cyndi's done a round-up of all her image transfer tutorials.

Cathie Filian
Cathie Filian has lots of spring garden projects! Pop by her blog to learn how to recycle paint stir sticks into a garden planter, blend up fresh fruit smoothies, easily create wood burn garden markers and ideas for painting a garden set that is perfect for mom.

Crafty Princess Diaries
More about YuDu - If you still aren't convinced after seeing Margot Potter's video on how to use this interesting contraption, then here is some more information for you to consider.

CraftyPod
Sister Diane is super-excited to launch her new ebook, Making a Great Blog: a Guide for Creative People. It's all about how to write and photograph compelling blog posts, and how to keep the inspiration flowing.

Cross Stitch at About.com
How do you organize your flosses and fibers? See what other stitchers do, then share your own methods.

Earth day Jewelry Making Inspired by Heidi Boyd's Simply Beaded Bliss- making charms from button covers and advertising buttons

Bliss is soooo true!

Simply Beaded Bliss: Adding Unique Elements to Classic Beaded Jewelry, Gifts and Cards
by
Heidi Boyd

Every project in Simply Beaded Bliss features classic beading that will appeal to readers of all skill levels and inclinations.

Step-by-step jewelry projects show the reader how to combine a wide variety of interesting elements, including sequins, buttons, phone wire, snaps, washers and tin with traditional beads, all created in Heidi's uniquely pretty style. The innovative selection of gifts and cards shows readers how to use those same elements in multiple crafts, therefore expanding the practical application of the techniques presented.

Jam-packed with over 40 projects and 15+ project variations, Simply Beaded Bliss offers a great value to mixed-media and jewelry-making enthusiasts alike. I am both so I am so good to go!

This is the way cool piece that I took my inspiration from. Heidi made her charm from a button cover-brilliant! Well, I happen to have a million promotional buttons from all sorts of events I go to and I flipped one over and it looked perfect for this technique of placing an image in and then filling with a protective coating!

So here is what I did:
I pulled the wire pin part out of the promo buttons, this was very easy, they are simply in with a bit of tension.
Then I used a round paper punch the same size as the interior of the button and punched a bunch of images from magazines and catalogs.
Then I simply popped the images into the backside of the buttons and filled them with Judikins DG3 Art Gel and let dry.
Then after they dried over night I drilled a tiny hole just big enough for a jump ring and linked them up on a chain.

I can tell this is going to be addictive! Have a "green crafting day"!

Hot hot hot Crafty Blogger Links

Vickie Howell's Pop Goes Crochet
Vickie's latest book, Pop Goes Crochet, hits stores in 2 weeks! Get a sneak peek of 5 accessory projects now though, including designs by The Breeder's Kelley Deal, The Stitch Diva and The Crochet Dude. Give 'em a gander and enter to win a free, signed copy!

The Impatient Crafter
Check out the new YuDu home screen printing machine in this brand spanking new The Impatient Crafter video hosted by Madge. While you're there, follow the link to her interview with fellow crafty blogger Sister Diane of CraftyPod on personal branding!

The Crochet Dude
Drew recaps an amazing Southern Caribbean Crochet Cruise!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside is in full bloom with an inside look into the soon to be released: Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media by L. K. Ludwig along with a full tutorial on stitching a bird cage on a card, a how-to for embroidering barbed wire, cleaning and cutting Acrylic and how to paint a checkerboard floor.

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen shows you how to wear your stuffed animal collection as a bracelet. Plus enter to win a free copy of her book The Naughty Secretary Club!

Cross Stitch at About.com
See how Kitchinstitchin used an old window and a piece of crazy quilt for an unusual framed Cross Stitch project.

CraftyPod
Sister Diane reviews Betz White's new book, Sewing Green.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Become a professional crocheter with the help of an organization designed for those who are interested in make yarn craft a j-o-b.

Cathie Filian
Cathie Filian is calling all Colorado crafters! Stop by the Colorado Women's expo April 25th & 26th. She will be doing presentaions on both days - the topic is...Living Creatively by Re-Crafting and Recycling.

Blisstree Arts
Miriam Schaer makes books from materials that you would never think to use! Come see how she pushes the boundaries of bookmaking.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Create a very cool, colorful accent wall on the cheap using scrapbook paper!

About Family Crafts
Discover many creative projects all made using paper plates.

Yarn scrap bead from the cool new book: Strands

If you like fabric or fiber or anything in between, around, under, over or even near them you will love the wildly cool stuff in this book:
Strands: Creating Unexpected Fabrics And Fashionable Projects
by
Jacqueline Myers-Cho

I love all things fiber and fabric and the never ending ways to cut them up and put them back together. So this book was for me! There are some really new and innovative designs that really are speaking to my avant garde side that I am embracing at the moment!

The first project I had to try was the Thread Ball bead:


I made my thread ball with yarn though, I happen to have a huge stash of yarn scraps, go figure. As you can see the directions and photographs in the book are wonderful and it went like a dream!

I decided I was going to where my yarn ball bead as a single drop so I bent a piece of wire into a small "U" at one end and cut the other end at a severe angle so it would poke through the yarn ball bead as easily as possible. Then I just formed a loop at the top and slipped it on some ball chain.Well there you have how I made some yarn scraps into a bead. Off to find a sweater to try the loopy technique featured on the cover!

Tie one on this weekend! Ya know what I mean?

Spring Crafty Blogger Links

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares her three pronged approach to success and a link to her CraftCast interview with Alison Lee.

About Family Crafts
Find a wide variety of egg related projects! Everything from creative Easter egg coloring to cute egg crafts

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's offering freebie Spring images for you to download and use in your art. Happy Spring!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner shows you how to make rainbow tie-dye rosettes!

Blisstree Arts
Unexpected results abound when you use this easy method to create background papers for your work.

Cathie Filian
Cathie Filian is having a spring fling with 11 different spring projects.

Crafty Princess Diaries
ArtFire Crafty Princess Shop is Live! Tammy is kicking the tires, testing the waters, and basically, trying to figure out what the deal is over at Artfire.com.

CraftyPod
Sister Diane offers lots of creative ways to use Sharpie Paint Markers.

Naughty Secretary Club
This week Jen explores using fabric to make jewelry.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got mixed-media art from Lisa Engelbrecht and an ATC by it, a free Amigurumi knit antler pattern, a couple of Art Nouveau jewelry designs with a how-to on making a wire ball bead and some pretty greeting cards with a tutorial on an Easter card made with stiffened fabric die cuts.

A Hoppin' cute moveable easter die cut card from fabric scraps

I have been called "The Left Coast Martha" and I am simply tickled by that nickname because I am a huge fan of the Right Coast Martha!
And I am a huge fan of her new mammoth craft book:
Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration

They aren't kidding when they say "endless inspiration" here is my post-it riddled copy of the book after just what I want to make now!

So with Easter almost here I needed to make some Easter cards and I thought her technique that she uses to stiffen fabric and then punch out shapes was a perfect place to start. She has a wonderful project for making a bouquet of flowers but I wanted elements for my card.

I followed the directions in the book and grabbed my fabric stiffener which happens to be Plaid's Stiffy and some fabric scraps.
Then onto punching out my elements. I used my Sizzix Sizllit Easter Phrase set, McGill's Egg, and the Martha Stewart Bunny to punch my elements.

I then cut the egg apart in a zig zag shape.

I attached the top of the egg with a tiny piece of wire with a bead on the end and punched a hole in the corner of the egg and paper.

I bent the wire in a spiral on the back side. This allows the egg top to open and close.

I then tied one end of a piece of button thread to the plaidbunny and the other end through a hole in the paper card behind the bottom half of the egg I had glued onto the card only around the edge so the bunny could fit into it like a pocket.


If you like this Easter card, check out another one I made here die cutting and punching out stiffened fabric.

Happy Easter!

Oooh La La, Crafty Blogger Links

CraftyPod
Sister Diane reviews the new Heather Ross book, Weekend Sewing.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Childhood memories influence the name of Connie's new free pattern. It is a Dilly of a chart.

Naughty Secretary Club
Every Thursday in April Jen is revamping a project from her book The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry. First up fabric scrap and tape roll bangle bracelets.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is an inside peek into the new book Sculpting Mythical Creatures with some Easter Bunnies thrown in for the season, a Mother of the Bride box project, a photo standup Easter Eggs decoration and an interview with Quilt Artist Robbi Joy Eklow author of Goddess of the Last Minute.

The Impatient Crafter
Check out this fab free mixed media collage jewelry project Madge created for Beadalon.

About Family Crafts
Not only is recycling good for the environment, it can help save you money, and, with the projects I have gathered, you can find out how to recycle creatively!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's getting in the Easter spirit with her quicky Easter card project.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Alexa shares how to make glam graffiti earrings out of gift cards!

Blisstree
We're crazy about books, and we've got lots of information to share!

Cathie Filian
Cathie Filian has a step-by-step guide for making boutonnieres - perfect for wedding and prom season and a super $$ saver.

Crafty Princess Diaries
2 Fun New Jewelry Projects, Glue, and You - Tammy has two new jewelry projects that involve a little glue and a lot of fun.