Stamping Monday

Over the next few Stamping Monday topics, I'll be discussing texture: how to make textured stamps, where to use them and some additional tips to make your textured stamps more interesting and useful.

Today I've carved some Speedy Cut stamps, one 2" square and one 1" square. I've made different designs on each side to get the most out of them. You could make them all different sizes and certainly I've found rectangles to be another very useful shape, especially if you make them different widths.

I've used the smallest V gouge in my cutting set and made small scratches at an angle to the sides. Rotate 180 degrees and make more scratches. The material will cut very easily and so needs just the lightest pressure with the cutter.

I've also cut into the edges of each stamp to make the designs appear just a bit irregular.

I've used black paper for stamping with metallic and bright Fluid Acrylics. Metallic Jacquard paints on black fabrics would be stunning.

Remember to rotate the stamps so the designs will turn and create more visual interest.

See you next Monday!

Stamping Monday

I thought this week I would offer something a little different for Stamping Monday. I've made a PDF of some images that you creative types can download to make their own stamps. You can download it here: http://tinyurl.com/yfelsb9
or if you want, you can have it as a Word document and can resize it for any size stamp.
Here's a couple of the images:

What are your favourite products for making stamps? Personally, I really like the Staedler MasterCarve. I find it sturdier than the Speedy Cut and have found the Dick Blick one is too grainy and crumbly. any other favourites?

Association of Pacific West Quilters

If you live or love the Pacific Northwest you'll want to take part in the 2010 Summer Symposium sponsored by APWQ. The symposium workshops will expose you to new ideas and new techniques from an outstanding roster of instructors. The natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest is at its best in this wonderful venue. Surrounded by over 1,000 wooded acres, the spacious Evergreen campus will offer attendees single-occupancy dorm rooms and all meals in the cafeteria. The event will begin with a get-together on Thursday evening and conclude with closing festivities on Sunday afternoon. Plan now to join us for a weekend of fiber, friends and fun! To learn about the instructors and workshops, go to the http://apwq.org/symp-summer2010

I'll be teaching three classes and I'm looking forward to meeting old friends and making new friends. Check out the workshops being offered and I hope to see you there!

Funky Floribunda

Be a master of machine appliqué with simple floral designs on a pieced background. In this class, students will learn to use paperless fusible web and the companion transfer paper for trouble free fused shapes. There will be a choice of three appliqué patterns and layout combinations that students can mix and match to make their own unique style while practicing a variety of machine stitches.




 
 
 

Stamp It Up!
 
The creator of “Stamping Monday” uses unique and distinctive images to apply design on fabric. Students will learn some of Susan’s easy techniques of carving and creating personalized stamps with carving blocks, foam, elastic bands, corks, lace and more unusual tools. Students will be introduced to the different paints and inks available. Lots of fun and absolutely no experience necessary!

Give and Take Applique - Ti Leaves


Learn appliqué design with a surprising “two for one” twist, there’s no waste in this technique with fusible web and students choice of fabrics. Find out how to create positive and negative blocks with one design and a range of layout options for exciting design possibilities. Give and Take Appliqué will become an important design concept for future exploration.

Stamping Monday

I found some felt coasters in the $1 bin at Michaels and thought they would make good stamps. There were five coasters in the package so I took my small sharp scissors and begain cutting parts away from each one. You can see how they evolved into quite attractive yet distinct designs.

I brayered paint onto my palette and then pressed the stamp into the paint. This worked better than brayering onto the stamp. I'd like to mount the stamps onto plastic acrylic (maybe I can ask DH).

I used a variety of colours that went well with my fabric and managed to get a fat quarter of fabric stamped up and ready for inspiration.

Stamping Monday

As Bob Cratchit said "we were making rather merry" and I found we had a couple of lovely corks left from the New Year's celebration. I thought they were quite the perfect shape with an almost built-in handle, they just had to be made into stamps!

I carved some simple designs into the base of the cork, I found a sharp art knife worked far better than my lino cutter. But the uneven surface of the cork gave the designs a more interesting texture.

I think the designs would be great as a border, especially if I alternate the designs. Remember to keep the designs simple, the cork just won't take complex motifs.

Perhaps I could use it on a T shirt or cushions? Any other thoughts.......

I could develop champagne tastes but I only have a beer budget!


PS. Can you name the source of the quote at the top of my post?

Stamping Monday

I saw these foam brushes in the Dick Blick catalogue http://www.dickblick.com/products/funny-floppy-foam-brush/ and bought several, I thought they'd be perfect gifts for my arty friends. Perhaps they could be made from sheets of squishy packing foam.

You can roll them into spirals, coils or around a stick. There are several brushes in the package in two different sizes. I think they'll be a great addition to my brush and stamp collection. Terrific for textures and patterns.

Stamping Monday

I found some small cuts of textured wallpaper at the local Home Depot a while back. Its the kind that has an embossed or raised surface to create a pattern, not the flocked kind (that's too 80's!). I think they are meant to be applied to the wall and then painted over.


I have some small wooden boards that DH cut and sanded for me and I covered one side with double sided carpet tape. If you don't have that kind of tape, run to your nearest hardware store and pick some up, its great for all kinds of uses and it really stays stuck.


I then stuck the wall paper on and trimmed around the edges. Two coats of matte varnish/medium to seal the paper means that I can wash the stamps afterwards and use them over and over again.



By having the stamp as a rectangle I can create multiple brick style patterns but the stamp could be any shape at all. I could also cut the wallpaper into shapes and stick it to a wooden board for more design possibilities. HMMMM.....
Maybe you can come up with some ideas too?

Stamping Monday

In this post I'll show how one image can be used in three different ways to create a useful design. I found this design on the refuse containers in Honolulu, remember its important to look everywhere for interesting ideas!


I carved two different sized stamps of the "negative" image from Speedy Cut, one about twice as big as the other. I roughed up the edges a bit so it wasn't so even.
I also cut another "positive" image from some Flexi-cut. this product comes in think sheets that can be cut with scissors or an art knife. I cut one image and then another slightly larger and mount the smaller one on top of the larger before sticking to my wood block.


Here are some of the designs I stamped. The fabric is a coarse linen so the images are a little rough.



One more idea I'd like to pass along....mount your stamps on the back of a paint stir stick. They're generally free and you can cut them to any length!

Stamping Monday

Have you thought about your stamping as a design element? Rather than just placing the stamping randomly across the fabric or paper, do you have a plan or a design that you would like to achieve? To make your stamps work in the very best way for you, try thinking like a quilter! (interesting concept, eh?) Think about blocks, rotation, borders and sashing, then try a variety of stamps with a common theme.



You will have stronger impact and more interesting results. Try different colours on the printing plate or stamp, vary the colours for interest but always consider the colour of the fabric or paper as that can really impact the final result, especially if you are using transparent paints.

Stamping Monday

Sometimes you will find that the stamping material you buy will deteriorate over time and start to break down and crumble. This was happening to one of my favourite stamps and I wanted to make another copy before the original one fell apart completely.
I thought it would be fun to make a second, mirror image of the stamp and have an opportunity to create more interesting designs.



I stamping the image on some new material that will last longer. The one I prefer is Mastercarve by Staedler, its a little thicker and seems more dense. I think I'll be using it more in the future.



So with my two images, it was easy to carve the opposites by carving into the blank,background areas in one and into the black, stamped areas in the other.



I stamped images onto some dyed fabric and then used discharge paste and stamped onto black linen and steamed it for some interesting designs. The black linen design will be used as the border on a jacket cuff.

Stamping Monday

I found a page of corrugated paper in my studio that I had bought at a scrapbooking store. I thought the surface of ridges might work for stamping.

I also had a curvy blade to fit my rotary cutter, so I made some free form shapes and applied some paint with a brayer.

I think they look interesting enough for further exploration, especially other shpes that I could cut out and lots of overlapping images.

I might paint on some acrylic medium to help the paper stand up to a little more abuse!

Stamping Monday

I've had this idea for some time and had just a few minutes to make the stamp. I've been using the top or backside of some of my existing stamps since I like to use any available space I can (my studio is getting a little cramped)!

I put two strips of double sided carpet tape on the back of one of my favourite leaf stamps. I had a bunch of bamboo skewers that I had broken in half for some reason. I think I'll be making lots of these because there's endless possibilities for placing the skewers.

Have fun with all the different design ideas this stamp can create!

Stamping Monday

Last Month, at Quilt Market, I found a vendor with stacks and stacks of colourful rick rack. Thinking I was very clever I bought two spools of white with the intention of dyeing all 48 yards of it! Sadly, after a few dye pots....I admitted that the rick rack wasn't cotton.
I figure that I can paint it with textile paints at some point.
But I thought it had interesting shapes so I put it on the back of some stamps with double sided carpet tape.

I stamped onto dyed fabric and made an interesting design by rotating the block.

I used a number of colours stamped onto white fabric several times.

I then made a second stamp with the rick rack in straight lines. I stamped discharge paste onto some stretchy black with an interesting texture in the weave.

I think I'll make a couple more stamps with the rick rack....after all I have 48 yards to use up!

Stamping Monday is Back!!

Stamping Monday is back on the air! I had to take a little break due to a lot of travelling and other commitments, but now I'm charged and ready to go.
A couple weeks ago we had a large Douglas Fir tree removed from our back yard, it was interferring with the power lines and BC Hydro offered to take it down and cut it into fireplace lengths. We now have about 6 cords of wood that will last us a very long time!

I noticed that the ends of the wood were fairly even and some had interesting texture.

So I prepared some painted papers and had fun stamping!
I picked a piece of wood that wasn't too heavy and at first I tried brayering on some paint but couldn't get enough of a print. So I resorted to brushing it onto the end of the log.

If I wanted to keep the stamp I would cut it a bit smaller!

I'd love to post more ideas from viewers so feel free to send me pictures and brief descriptions to info@susanpm.com