inTerFacing & sT abilier Free TuTorials Interfacing ... fileinTerFacing & Fabric sTabiliZer: 4 Free...

interfacing & fabric stabilizer: 4 free tutorials for supporting fabric, thread, & embellishments in quilt art

1 Q u i lt i n g D A i lY. c o m

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interFAcing & stAbilizer 4 Free tutoriAlsQuilting Daily

Interfacing & Fabric Stabilizer Guide

4 Free TuTorials For supporTing Fabric, Thread, & embellishmenTs in QuilT arT

1 Invisible Strength: Working with Water-Soluble Stabilizers

patrIcIa bolton

2 Simpply Blown Away: Working with Vanishing Muslin (Thermogauze)

patrIcIa bolton

3 Terrific Texture with Water-Soluble Stabilizers

Wendy butler bernS

4 Star Maker: Heavenly Results from a Space Age Material

VIckIe Hallmark

1 2

43



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interFAcing & stAbilizer 4 Free tutoriAlsQuilting Dailya fabric stabilizer doesn’t look like

much in the package or on the bolt. But it can literally become the

supporting role in your most complex or ethereal fiber art adventures. You can use stabilizer for embroidery, for shoring up delicate fabrics for stitching, and even

use fabric interfacing as part of your quilt design.

In our new eBook, Interfacing & Fabric Stabilizer Guide: 4 Free Tutorials for Supporting Fabric, Thread, & Embellishments in Quilt Art, you will learn the most common types of stabilizers and how to use them.

In “Invisible Strength: Working with Water-Soluble Stabilizers,” Pokey Bolton explains the characteristics and uses for different kinds of water-soluble or wash-away stabilizer.

InterFacInG & FabrIc

StabIlIzer GuIde4 F ree T uTorials For supporTing Fa bri c, Threa d,

& embellishm enTs in QuilT arT

ediTor Vivika hansen denegre online ediTor cate coulacos prato

creative services diVision arT direcTor larissa davis phoTographers larry stein Korday studiosProjects and information are for inspiration and personal use only. F+W Media is not re-sponsible for any liability arising from errors, omissions, or mistakes contained in this eBook, and readers should proceed cautiously, espe-cially with respect to technical information. F+W Media grants permission to pho-tocopy any patterns published in this issue for personal use only.

There are heat-activated stabilizers, too. In “Simply Blown Away: Working with Vanishing Muslin,” Pokey describes the advantages and applications of using this material with a heat gun.

Wendy Butler Berns explains how to use water-soluble stabilizer with thread and fabric in “Terrific Texture with Water-Soluble Stabilizers.

Finally, in “Star Maker: Heavenly Results from a Space Age Material,” Vickie Hallmark shows you how to take advantage of the properties of fabric interfacing by pairing it with surface design techniques, creating an art quilt where the interfacing takes center stage.

There are so many creative ways to use stabilizers in quilt art. All you need is a project and our expert advice.

Warmly,

ViVika Hansen Denegre

Editor

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invisible strength

working with water-soluble stabilizers

by Patricia bolton

AdApted from Quilting Arts mAgAzine Winter 2006



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a matter of choice

A stabilizer is traditionally meant to

be used for the sewing portion of your

project, and just like sewing pins,

taken out when you’re done. Here

again, there are choices. Stabilizers can

be categorized into four types:

• those that wash away in either hot

or cold water;

• those that dissolve with heat;

• those that can be torn away;

• those that can be cut away.

expert advice

Since art quilters are famous for

conjuring up inventive uses for

materials and tools, I thought it

would be fun to ask three artists to

put stabilizers into action. These three

artists said they use water-soluble

stabilizers more often than any other

type. This is not to say they don’t use

other stabilizers; it’s just that many of

these artists free-motion stitch their

own designs and want no trace of

the stabilizer in their artwork when

it’s finished. With cut- or tear-away

stabilizers, there’s often a smidgeon of

the stabilizer remaining after “removal.”

This is fine if it can be hidden on

the back side of the fabric, but as

many fiber artists work with novelty

fabrics and sheers, cut- and tear-away

stabilizers aren’t usually an option

because they can make their presence

known like a pesky bra strap through

a silk blouse. Furthermore, heat-away

stabilizers aren’t often suitable for

synthetic fabrics such as organzas or

synthetic chiffons, because these fabrics

are sensitive to heat and will possibly

warp, melt, and/or vanish entirely when

exposed to a hot iron or heat gun.

the benefits of water

With water-soluble stabilizers you can:

• create thread motifs such as three-

dimensional flowers or leaves;

• make new fabrics from scratch with

threads and scraps;

• make three-dimensional objects

such as thread bowls and vessels.

Also, as most water-soluble stabilizers

look like clear plastic or are opaque,

you can trace, stamp, paint, transfer,

or sketch a motif on the stabilizer to

use as a guide for stitching.

note: It’s always a good idea to keep

a sketchbook to insert samples and jot

down notes when working with anything

new to you. Create small samples with

water-soluble stabilizers and tape them

in a notebook for future reference.

heidi LundFiber artist Heidi Lund of Washington

state is known for her award-winning

art quilts and Bernina Fashion

Show garments. Many of her quilts

(including the cover quilt for the 2007

Quilting Arts Calendar) incorporate

delicate thread designs that she

appliqués onto her art quilts.

Previous page: “Captured” • 161⁄2" × 161⁄2" by Heidi Lund

Below: Heidi Lund makes sheer leaves with stabilized organza.

There are as many stabilizers on the market as there are types of coffee

drinks at Starbucks®, and choosing which stabilizer to use can be just

as overwhelming as ordering a latte for the first time. The fundamental purpose

of a stabilizer is quite simple —to support fabric, thread, or embellishments

for sewing—but there are so many types and so many uses. Its most basic

application is to stabilize lightweight fabrics for sewing. For example, say you

have a beautiful fat quarter of hand-dyed silk chiffon you bought at a quilt show

and you’d like to free-motion stitch it. If you simply place that delicate hand-

dyed silk under your sewing needle and start sewing, your silk could end up

looking like you sent it through a wood chipper. (Ask me how I know.) Since the

silk is so fragile, it can’t withstand the punching of the top needle, and the silk

will sink into the feed dogs, tangle the threads, and subsequently tear your silk

to shreds. To avoid such horror, a lightweight fabric can be backed with a piece

of stabilizer, making it meaty enough to pass through the machine just fine.



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interFAcing & stAbilizer 4 Free tutoriAlsQuilting Daily“I like the Solvy® products from Sulky

of America® above all else,” says Heidi.

“They’re readily available online and

at my local fabric store, and I love

that I can just run out and get more if

I don’t have any on hand. I put water-

soluble stabilizers to the test and

found for stability, ease of rinsing out,

performance, and softness, the Sulky

products work best for me.”

Although there are a number of Solvy

products available, there are three

types of water-soluble stabilizers that

look like clear

plastic film:

• Regular Solvy®

• Super Solvy® (Twice as thick as

Regular Solvy.)

• Ultra Solvy® (Four times as thick as

regular Solvy.)

Sulky of America® also makes Water-

soluble Paper Solvy®, sheets of 81⁄2”

× 11” paper that can be run through

your printer, stitched, and then

dissolved with water.

projects

Here are Heidi’s projects for getting

started with water-soluble stabilizers.

Free-motion stitching a

design onto a quilt sandwich

1. Draw a design onto a water-soluble

stabilizer (such as Solvy), and then

lay that design on a quilt sandwich

(i.e. top fabric, batting, and

backing fabric).

2. Drop the feed dogs on your

machine and stitch around the

design.

3. Take your stitched design to the

sink and rinse out the stabilizer.

Free-motion stitching dimensional shapes onto tulle or organza fabrics

1. Draw your design onto the Solvy.

2. Place the Solvy on top of your

organza piece and put it in the hoop.

3. Free-motion stitch around the

outline of the shape and continue

sewing in a grid-like fashion across

the shape. (This grid provides a

base for the threads to lock after

the water-soluble stabilizer has

been rinsed out.)

4. When the grid is completed, use

either a straight or satin stitch to

fill in the shape(s).

5. Cut away as much of the stabilizer

as you can, then rinse out the rest

with water. Allow your piece to dry

overnight.

6. Once dry your piece is ready to

be appliquéd and embellished.

color CODIng

Sulky of America has color-coded their stabilizer products to distinguish the types:

•Blue: Water-soluble

• Green: Tear-away

• Purple: Cut-away

• Red: Heat-away

different types OF stabilizers CAn HeLP yOU:

•Back lightweight fabrics for sewing;

• Create motifs completely out of thread, such as computer embroidery designs that can later be appliquéd;

• Make your very own, one-of-a-kind lacy fabrics out of threads;

• Fashion your own exotic, textured fabric out of threads, fabric snippets, yarns, and embellishments by sandwiching them between two pieces of water-soluble stabilizer;

• Add stiffness to pieces (for example, fabric postcards, artist trading cards, fabric books, fabric bowls, and fabric vases), much like interfacing but permanent.

M A T e R I A L S

• (2) 8" × 8" pieces of cotton fabric

• Batting

• 8" × 8" piece of Solvy

• Pen

• Sewing machine with free-motion capabilities

• Thread

•Fabric scissors

A D D I T I O n A L M A T e R I A L S

•8" × 8" piece of Solvy

•8" × 8" piece of organza

• Hoop (Heidi suggests a spring hoop)

Heidi Lund creates seaweed by free-motion stitching tulle sandwiched between two layers of stabilizer.



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California fiber artist Patti Medaris

Culea likes a more fabric-like, water-

soluble stabilizer called Aqua Mesh

Wash-Away by OeSD.

“I like this brand of water-soluble

stabilizer because it dissolves quickly

and doesn’t leave a gummy mess in my

sink or on my fabric. If I don’t want to

use a hoop I can double the product by

folding it in half,” says Patti. “It allows

you to sew beautifully and dissolves

quickly and cleanly with no mess or

fuss.”

patti medaris cuLea



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interFAcing & stAbilizer 4 Free tutoriAlsQuilting Daily“The downside is that it’s a bit filmy,

making it hard to see through for

tracing,” says Patti. Hence, she uses a

light table if she’s tracing an intricate

design.

For her fairy example Patti drew her

wings and border on paper. Using a

light box, she traced the pattern onto

Aqua Mesh Wash-Away. She then

sandwiched four layers of synthetic

organza between the top and bottom

layers of the water-soluble stabilizer

(the top stabilizer having the drawn

image on it). With the feed dogs

down, she free-motion stitched the

design. The piece was roughly cut

around the edges, and then the water-

soluble stabilizer was dissolved. When

dry, Patti used a soldering iron with a

very fine tip and burned out sections

of the organza to expose the design.

daLe roLLersonAustralian artist Dale Rollerson is

known to mix embellishments, silk

or wool roving, stamping, and velvet

to create one-of-a-kind colorful

creations. Owner of The Thread

Studio, Dale sells many mixed-media,

embroidery, and fiber art supplies,

including a range of stabilizers.

“I love Romeo cold-water stabilizer

best,” says Dale. “Romeo is a clear,

stiff, plastic-like stabilizer that slowly

vanishes in cold water. There are certain

characteristics of Romeo that make it

wonderful for mixed-media stitching. It’s

tough enough that you don’t need to use

a hoop and it can be used for either hand

or machine embroidery.”

pokeysponderings.com

SOMe OF THe

benefits OF

Romeo:

•Doesn’t require a hoop

• Suitable for both hand and machine embroidery

• Dissolves slowly in water, making it easier to mold it into shapes for dimensional work

• Can be drawn, painted, or stamped on for motifs that will later be stitched

• Is strong enough that it can be fed through an inkjet printer without requiring a backing, so any designs created on your computer can be printed onto the Romeo for stitching later

Left: To make this dress, Dale loosely laid wool fibers on a single layer of Romeo, teasing the fibers out finely. She then free-motion stitched, leaving plenty of gaps to create a lacy appearance. When finished, she soaked the piece in cold water overnight to dissolve the stabilizer.

There is such a deluge of stabilizers on the market

today, the choice can be a little overwhelming

for someone wanting to take a stab at creating their own

machine-embroidered designs. And although there are a

number of manufacturers and makes, essentially it boils

down to four types of stabilizers, each designed for a

specific use and with a different removal method.



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There are wash-away stabilizers that rinse out in either hot

or cold water, cut-away stabilizers, tear-away stabilizers,

and stabilizers that vanish completely when heat is

applied. I often use vanishing muslin (otherwise known

Above: “Three Little Dandelions” • 6” × 8” Three small flower embroideries were thread-painted using Thermogauze as the stabilizer. Once the Thermogauze was burned away, the flowers were then appliquéd to a piece of hand-dyed fabric.

simply blown awayWorKing WiTh Vanishing muslin (Thermogauze)

by Patricia bolton

AdApted from Quilting Arts mAgAzine summer 2006

M A T e R I A L S

•Indian printing block (shown) or a rubber stamp with a deeply etched and fairly simply design

•8" × 8" piece of Thermogauze

•Rubber stamp ink (I prefer Sta–zOn® as it dries instantly.)

•Sewing machine with free-motion capabilities

•Machine threads

•Heat gun or iron (If using an iron, have two sheets of parchment paper or backing paper from WonderUnder® handy.)

•Soft-bristled paintbrush or old toothbrush

•Embroidery scissors



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as Thermogauze) that disintegrates

with heat. Thermogauze is a cloth––

stiffer than organza, yet gauzy and

loosely woven like cheesecloth.

With Thermogauze, you can create

an embroidery that maintains its

soft feel––a plus since embroideries

created with water-soluble stabilizers

can distort and feel rather stiff at

times. And with Thermogauze

your thread-painted design will not

disintegrate or burn when heat is

applied (a common concern)—only

the Thermogauze will. Lastly, if you

are planning to work with threads and

question whether they are colorfast in

water, you don’t have to worry with

Thermogauze, because the threads

will never get wet.

To familiarize yourself with

Thermogauze, try the following

exercise to create a small, thread-

painted embroidery that you can

appliqué onto a fabric background. As

with anything you try, it’s a good idea

to have a notebook handy to record

your techniques and results, and save

any samples.

directions1. Using your rubber stamp ink

and either a rubber stamp or

Indian printing block, stamp the

image onto the center of your

Thermogauze piece.

2. Secure the Thermogauze into your

embroidery hoop. Make sure the

Thermogauze is nice and taut

inside the hoop, otherwise your

design will bunch up and pucker

as you stitch.

3. Thread your sewing machine and

prepare your machine for free-

motion embroidery.

4. Center the hoop underneath

the sewing needle and begin to

thread-paint over the stamped

design. Make sure you stitch over

the entire design several times

and grab the threads along the

perimeter so they don’t become

loose once you burn away the

Thermogauze. I generally stitch

a grid-like base on any design so

that the threads interlock after the

stabilizer has disintegrated.

5. Once you’ve completely covered

your design with thread painting,

it’s time to get rid of the excess

Thermogauze. First, take your

embroidery scissors and roughly

cut the Thermogauze around the

perimeter of your design. Then

either take your heat gun to the

Thermogauze, or iron it.

Above: Sta–zOn ink and an Indian printing block rest on top of a piece of Thermogauze.

Above: Free-motion stitching the stamped design.



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• If you are going to use a heat

gun, be sure to work in a well-

ventilated area and keep the

heat gun at least 6” away from

the Thermogauze. Constantly

move the heat gun over your

piece so that no one area gets

singed. With a heat gun it

should only take about 6-8

seconds for the Thermogauze to

begin to brown and disintegrate.

• If you are going to use an iron,

sandwich the Thermogauze

between 2 sheets of parchment

paper or backing paper from

WonderUnder®. Set your iron

to the cotton setting and press

for 4-5 seconds. Lift the top

paper to see if the Thermogauze

has turned brown or black. If

so, you are done heating. If

not, heat again, for a couple of

seconds, until it browns. (See

sample top right.)

6. Once the Thermogauze has turned

brown or blackened, take your

design and gently shake off the

excess brown flakes over a trash

can. For any remaining stubborn

bits that won’t fall off, gently brush

them away with a soft bristled

paintbrush or an old toothbrush.

7. If you have a few wayward threads

along the perimeter that didn’t

interlock with the rest of the

design, carefully snip them away

with your embroidery scissors.

Voila! you have a unique, thread-

painted design that you can now

appliqué onto a fabric base. In our

next issue, we’ll take an in-depth look

at several different stabilizers on the

market and how some of our favorite

fabric artists are using them in creative

ways.

See more interesting and experi mental

uses for Thermo gauze in Maggie grey

and Jane Wild’s book PaPer, Metal,

stitcH published by Batsford.

pokeysponderings.com

Above: Heat applied with a heat gun to the Thermogauze.

Left: Design completed and the Thermogauze is ready to be burned away.

Below: Design after the Thermogauze has been burned away. Any wayward threads are ready to be snipped off at this point.



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terrific texturewith water-soluble stabilizers

by WenDy butler berns

AdApted from Quilting Arts mAgAzine fAll 2004



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How do water-soluble stabilizers

work? essentially they are transparent

sheets of glue that dissolve when

water is applied. After free-motion

stitching a motif (such as strands

of hair), the glue keeps the thread

design intact and the rest of the sheet

dissolves when water is applied,

resulting in a lacy piece of “fabric.”

coLLaging embeLLishments directLy onto your quiLt top

1. gather your collage objects.

2. Stabilize the base fabric, in this

case the quilt top, with a tear-away

stabilizer or an iron-on stabilizer

on the back of the fabric. (I prefer

an iron-on stabilizer so that it will

stay in place while I am stitching.)

3. Place the collage items in a

pleasing design on your stabilized

base fabric.

4. Lay a piece of water-soluble

stabilizer over your design and pin

it securely with straight pins. your

piece of water-soluble stabilizer

should be larger than your base

fabric by a few inches on all sides.

5. Using various colored and metallic

threads in your sewing machine,

randomly free-motion stitch over

the whole design.

6. When done, remove the water-

soluble stabilizer by first spraying

your collage with water until it is

saturated. Then sandwich your

piece between two muslin press

cloths, placing one cloth under

your quilt and the other on top of

the water-soluble stabilizer. Using

a hot iron, begin dissolving the

water-soluble stabilizer. Move the

press cloth around as needed, and

do not use any spot on the press

cloth twice.

7. After the stabilizer is completely

dissolved, press as necessary to

remove excess moisture. Then

allow your piece to dry.

Maybe you’ve dreamt of creating an underwater scene with

fish peeping out of wispy strands of seaweed. Or perhaps

you want to quilt a princess with long, flowing locks that simply fly

off the quilt. Don’t know how you’ll accomplish replicating wispy

seaweed or hair that is incredibly life-like? Look no further. By

using water-soluble stabilizers such as Sulky Solvy, you can create

dimensional texture with thread, and later appliqué it onto your

quilt. you can even collage items onto a quilt surface or create a free-

standing collage with embellishments, bits of thread, fabric scraps,

and free-motion stitching.

M A T e R I A L S

•Water-soluble stabilizer (I prefer Sulky Solvy)

•Iron-on stabilizer for base fabric

•A variety of collage items

•Specialty threads and embellishments

•Water sprayer

•Iron

•Muslin press cloths

•Straight pins

•Sewing machine with the ability to free-motion stitch



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creating a stand-aLone coLLage

1. gather your collage objects of

choice.

2. Using a base of water-soluble

stabilizer a few inches larger than

your finished collage will be, place

your collage objects onto the

stabilizer. your finished piece will

have a lacy effect if the objects are

sparsely spaced; if placed close

together, you will create a more

densely textured fabric.

3. Place a second piece of stabilizer

over the collage items and

thoroughly pin all layers together.

4. As before, use free-motion

stitching and a variety of specialty

threads to stitch through all layers.

Be sure to intersect your stitching

lines throughout the collage

surface so that everything will

hold securely when the stabilizer

is removed. As you work on your

collage, be aware that the piece will

pucker and shrink as you continue

stitching.

5. Once you have completed

stitching, you can dissolve the

stabilizer by spraying and pressing

it as in step 6 of the first process.

If you prefer, you can dip the piece

into a sink of water and gently

manipulate it to help dissolve the

stabilizer.

6. To remove any remaining moisture,

press your collage between muslin

press cloths or lay it flat to air dry.

7. When your collage is sufficiently

dried, you can stitch it to your

As you prepare your collage, be inventive. Use your leftover threads, thin strips or snippets of fabrics—anything that can get wet and that you can stitch through. Your design can be stitched directly onto the quilt top or made as a stand-alone collage that can be added later to the surface of your quilt.



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MOVe OVeR VidalAccomplished art quilter Christine Fries has used water-soluble stabilizers

to create the effect of wind-swept hair. In “Miranda: The Tempest,”

Christine created the long red hair by making a sandwich with two layers

of tulle net between two pieces of water-soluble stabilizer. She then

mounted the sandwich in an embroidery hoop and free-motion stitched

using many shades of thread colors. When done, she took the sandwich

out of the hoop, dissolved the stabilizer in running water, dried the hair

between two towels, and ironed it while still damp. She then appliquéd

it onto Miranda’s head form. The resulting image of a forlorn Miranda on

the windy, rocky shores is incredibly life-like.

quilt top with free-motion

stitching. Do enough stitching to

assure that no part of the collage

can snag on anything. To prevent

puckering when attaching your

collage to the quilt top, you will

want to place a piece of stabilizer

behind the area where the collage

piece will be stitched. My choice

of stabilizer is Décor Craft Pellon

fusible stabilizer.

wendybutlerberns.com



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every dressmaker knows the utility of interfacing for

stabilizing fabrics, and many embroiderers apply non-

woven interfacing as a permanent stabilizer behind

heavy stitching. Recently, I constructed several quilts

using interfacing instead of conventional fabric for the

surface layer and even for the backing and batting

as well. experimenting with the interfacing surface,

I have found that this product offers an interesting

compromise between fabric and paper.

The advantages of interfacing are easy to enumerate.

Readily available from local sources, it comes in a variety

of thicknesses, from tissue thin to thick and semi-rigid.

Its pristine white surface can be colored with everything

from watercolor methods to conventional handwriting

or even computer printing. Because this non-woven

polyester and rayon fabric does not fray, raw edges

formed with detailed cutting and burning can be used

for direct or reverse appliqué and intriguing edge finishes.

The soft, matte surface is especially effective when

embellished with hard, shiny glass and metal. Soft but

firm, the fabric stitches like butter and resists distortion.

The synthetic fibers also release my inhibitions about

which products I can use on the surface—I no longer

confine myself to fabric paints and markers, and feel

free to experiment with the extensive paper art supplies

available.

star makerheavenly results from a space-age material

by Vickie HallMark

M A T e R I A L S

• Heavy-weight interfacing (I prefer Pellon®.)

• Plastic drop cloth or sheeting to protect your work surface

• Fabric paints of choice (fluid acrylics and acrylic inks work well)

• Foam paintbrushes

• Coarse salt

• Commercial rubber and/or hand-carved eraser stamps

• Fabric markers: Zig™ or Fabrico™ (or other archival, acid-free, pigment or dye markers)

• Gel pens, 3-D pens, or metallic pens for accents

• Tsukineko® Fantastix™ for blending

• Freezer paper

• Metallic foil and adhesive

• Shiva® Paintstiks®, Prismacolor®, or Lyra colored pencils

• Rubbing plates or any textured item

• Wood-burning tool with a fine point (or stencil cutter or soldering iron)

• Small, damp sponge

• Glass from an old photo frame for a burning surface (an 8" × 10" or 11" × 14" piece works well)

• Water-soluble stabilizer, such as Romeo

• Sewing machine

• Embroidery threads, yarns, and beads

Previous page: Detail of “Aphrodite”

neil Armstrong walked on the moon when I

was in sixth grade, and from that point on I

was hooked on the heavens. Although my career path

remained firmly earthbound, decades later the celestial

song still calls to me. For “Kamea,” a book of stitched

pages, the seven planets of the ancient heavens offered

a plethora of mystical design inspiration, as well as the

perfect application for a novel material that I’ve been

exploring: interfacing.

Above: The back side of “Aphrodite,” depicting the attributes of this planet. Details include hand stitching, hand lettering, and stamping.



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interFAcing & stAbilizer 4 Free tutoriAlsQuilting Dailypainting1. Protect your work surface with

plastic and then spread out a

length of interfacing.

2. To get past the blank white canvas

of bare interfacing, paint it with a

watercolor technique. Dilute the

paint with water by at least 3 to 1

and use a foam brush to apply it

randomly.

3. Begin with a range of related colors

and lay down large color blocks

on the surface, adding copious

amounts of extra water with the

foam brush. Squish the brush into

the cloth to push the colors into

one another, forcing the paint to

flow across the cloth.

4. Add highlights in the open areas,

especially contrasting colors, and

lighter or darker values.

5. Once you have a pleasing coverage,

scatter coarse salt over the surface.

The salt absorbs water, which

carries the paint pigment with

it. After an hour or so, check the

patterning to determine if you

need to add even more salt in

some areas. Allow the fabric to

dry completely. The result is a

striated and speckled surface. Don’t

agonize over this painting stage;

trust the salt to make the resultant

fabric exciting and realize that

further surface design will alter the

background even more.

note: Complete drying of the fabric will

take overnight or longer because of the

high water saturation.

6. you need to remove the salt and

cure the paint before proceeding. It

is important to cure the paint first,

to protect it against the washing

process when removing the salt.

Traditionally, heat setting is the

method of choice and it will work

in this situation, if done with care.

First, brush the excess salt from

the surface, cover it with a pressing

cloth, and set it by ironing. Choose

a temperature for synthetic fibers

that will prevent distortion of the

fabric, but this lower temperature

means that a longer time should be

spent applying heat to all areas of

the cloth. even after heat setting, I

find that some pigment will be lost

in the repeated rinsing required to

remove the salt, so I only use this

time-intensive heat-set process

as an emergency tool. A more

efficient curing process is to paint

a selection of fabrics prior to need



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and leave them to cure at room

temperature for several weeks

before rinsing.

note: It is important to use a pressing

cloth to protect your iron from the

corrosive salt.

7. Submerge the interfacing

repeatedly in clear, warm water,

taking care to keep the fabric as

flat as possible. To eliminate excess

water, lay the saturated interfacing

on an old towel, cover it with

another towel, and gently press by

hand to squeeze it dry; then press

it or let it air dry.

note: If you fold interfacing it can be

difficult or even impossible to remove the

creases. Therefore, I store my painted

interfacing flat or rolled.

surface design• I chose imagery that relates to the

mystical attributes of each of the

seven ancient planets, following

guidelines used for constructing

planetary talismans that would

normally be metal amulets.

• I hand carved erasers into zodiac

symbol stamps to pattern the

surface, because each planet rules

one or more houses of the zodiac.

• I used commercial alphabet stamps

to add the greek planetary name

on one side and the Roman name

on the reverse. The mathematical

magic square numbers were also

stamped.

• Bullet-tipped Tsukineko Fantastix

were used for blending paint (or

markers) along the edges of hand-

cut, freezer-paper stencils. The

freezer-paper stencils, used to

delineate mountains and clouds

representing the realms of earth

and air, were ironed to the surface

first. Whenever I desire more

definition or want to shift the

underlying fabric color, I add paint

or ink in this fashion.

• For the personality traits controlled

by each planet, I wrote directly

on the surface with markers or

pens. Mercury’s wings were drawn

freehand with markers and shaded

Above: “Aphrodite” • 15" × 101⁄2" • A decorative, hand-cut leaf edge, beading, and chain stitch embroidery embellish this page.



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with the blending stick. I use fabric

markers, as well as those marked as

archival, acid-free, with pigment or

dye inks to give a broader range of

colors.

note: Interfacing is more forgiving than

either fabric or paper—markers can

be easily blended for a short time after

adding them to the surface, and mistakes

can be removed or at least softened

with a damp cloth. It is important to

be careful in areas where a crisp line

or image is required, as smudging can

occur.

• I like to build up layers of designs

on the surface. experiment with

unusual pens such as gel, 3-D, or

metallic pens to add fine details.

• I also use paint sticks and colored

pencils over rubbing plates.

• Metallic foils can add bright

accents, such as the planet names

that were stamped with foil

adhesive. Fine details such as these

are better added at the final stages,

after cutting and assembly.

heat cutting1. Use a freezer-paper stencil ironed

into place as a guide for cutting

complex shapes. I often cut with

an X-Acto™ knife and cutting

mat first, but then I use a wood-

burning tool (or similar tool) with

a fine tip to heat cut a decorative

edge (see the next step). In the

pieces shown here, I made use of a

mock deckled edge with tears and

holes to evoke aged paper, as well

as a purely decorative freehand

leaf edging. Other cutouts, such as

the zodiac symbols, were burned

freehand with a deliberate intent to

look imperfect and ancient.

2. Place the fabric on a sheet of

picture glass (bind the sharp edges

with masking tape for safety) and

draw the hot tip slowly along the

surface of the fabric, pressing to

burn completely through.

Above: “Mercury” • 103⁄4" × 153⁄4" • Accented with cutouts, needle lace, hand beading, seed stitching, stamping, and a burned edge.

cauTion: burning polymer interfacing releases acrid fumes that are irritating and potentially harmful. Work in a well-ventilated area or outdoors, and wear a respirator.



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interFAcing & stAbilizer 4 Free tutoriAlsQuilting Dailynote: The burned edge slightly sticks

to the glass surface as it melts and this

helps hold the fabric in place as the

cutting proceeds. Plastic that adheres to

the tool can be removed by rubbing the

hot tip on a damp sponge. Holding the

edge of the fabric to the heat tool for an

extended time will result in a blackened

edge that can be interesting in some

applications.

construction, stitching, and embeLLishmenteach page in my “Kamea” series

is constructed of three layers. The

front and back layers are the color

especially associated with that

particular planet, and the center page

is a contrasting color to highlight

the openwork designs. Stitching was

added by hand and machine. The

primary purpose of the stitching is to

hold the three layers together. While

some stitching goes through all three

layers, most goes only between the

surface layer and the interior layer,

allowing for the different designs on

the front and back.

Typically, I execute any machine

stitching in the early stages of

assembly and leave handwork for

fine details. A small needle is best,

to minimize holes in the interfacing

surface. I have successfully utilized

water-soluble stabilizer to support

the interfacing while stitching needle

lace, such as that around the magic

square on Mercury, but it is important

to note that all surface design must

be well-cured before washing out the

stabilizer.

1. For hand stitching, the size of the

thread or yarn and the choice of

pattern determine the impact of

the stitching. For a bold effect,

choose a metallic yarn and heavy

embroidery, such as the chain

stitch that adheres the female

symbol to Aphrodite or the stem

stitch that outlines the flames

of Helios. A more subtle effect

is achieved with variegated silk

embroidery floss as used in the

Above: “Mercury” • 103⁄4" × 153⁄4" • Accented with cutouts, needle lace, hand beading, seed stitching, stamping, and a burned edge.



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interFAcing & stAbilizer 4 Free tutoriAlsQuilting Dailyseed stitching around the wings of

Mercury or the fine running stitch

that outlines the magic squares.

2. Beads are best attached by hand.

Those at the base of each leaf

around the Aphrodite symbol

serve the dual purpose of adding

interest and securing the heat-cut

edge to the center layer. The loose

threadwork with free-sliding beads

at the lower right edge of Helios/

Sol is purely decorative. This

somewhat fragile edging requires

locking the thread in place with

small backstitches between the

loops.

other optionsembellishments can range far beyond

simple threads and beads.

1. Add a charm or bead inside a hole

cut through all layers of the quilt.

Simply trace the desired shape,

heat cut an opening through all

three layers, and then machine or

hand stitch the bauble into place.

2. Add cutouts after assembly has

begun by inserting the glass plate

into an open area to protect the

lower layers.

3. explore the three-dimensional

capabilities of the material, as in

origami, and stitch to the surface.

While experimenting with new

materials is always interesting

for its own rewards, we must

bear in mind the point of

our creations. My personal

goal is to let the design-

in-progress speak to me

of appropriate methods, materials,

and imagery. It seems fitting that

exploring the heavens should lead

to experimenting with a space-age

material.

vickiehallmark.com

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