Friday, July 19, 2013

Stitch and Inktense Pencils

Have you picked up the current Quilting Arts Magazine? This issue contains an article by Terri Stegmiller that just looked like so much fun, I HAD to give it a go.

If you like the little piece that I am working on, then believe me, you will WANT to check out this article and see exactly what Terri reveals about making her whimsical "story" quilts. She talks about her article in a blog post here.........I don't want to give too much away....plus, I was just so incredibly eager to get playing that I have to admit I did skip a few steps.
I created a drawing that I thought would work....(in hindsight, maybe something simpler for my first effort would have been a wiser choice)
I basically grabbed an interesting batik, taped my drawing onto the light table and began transferring the image onto the fabric using a black Micron permanent pen.

Next I batted and backed this piece and got it ready for stitching.


This is a tremendous exercise for working on your free motion stitching control.  You see, Those lines drawn with black pen are now being stitched over with black thread.


Once I had all my lines covered with thread, I couldn't wait to begin adding colour.


While Terri's demonstration used transparent paints in her article, my Inktense pencils have been languishing in a drawer so I decided to see what sort of result I could achieve using them.


This is as far as I got last night.....it is work "in progress"   :-)



This is just a tiny start to the possibilities that Terri shares in her article.....I am looking forward to exploring this more.....much, MUCH more! Thanks for the inspiration Terri!!!!


Linking up to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays 



26 comments:

Norma Schlager said...

This is really fabulous! It makes me want to go try it, too.

Regina B Dunn said...

Beautiful.

Gwyned Trefethen said...

Wow! I have Inktense pencils languishing in my drawer. If only I could get them to dance like yours. Glorious.

Terri Stegmiller said...

Oooo! I'm loving your progress. Can't wait to see more.

Nancy said...

WOW! Good for you to jump in. This is looking great, and thanks for the info on the article.

Shannon said...

your shading and coloring look great! Like beautiful illustrations from a fairy tale book!

Gill said...

Wow! This looks fantastic!
I have a subscription to QA but my copy takes ages to get to me in the UK!!

Jane said...

I love this so much! How I envy your artistic abilities!

Vicki W said...

That is fabulous!

Quilter Beth said...

I love this piece. I'll be anxious to see more of it. I, too, have some Intense pencils. I haven't used them for much, but you have inspired me to take a second look at them. I definitely will be checking out the Quilting Arts article.

B J Elder said...

Your piece is looking great. I have some Inktense pencils (need a larger set) and a large set of the Inktense blocks. What fun they are. I use them to do my backgrounds for thread painting. Am anxious to get my copy of QA and read that article! Sounds like it is right up my alley.

Linda A. Miller said...

Wonderful drawing... looking forward to more!

Quiltbug said...

I read that article yesterday but now with the idea of the Inktense pencils, I am wondering if I could do this. I just might try. As an aside, I own a Terri Stegmiller tote bag (Hi Terri). Now I just need a Jill ?? anything.

LOL, Audrey

Renate said...

Wow! This is going to be a wonderful piece when finished. Hmmm will just have to go and read Terri's article now that you've added to the inspiration.

Mary-Kay said...

Very nice! Just a quick question about the pencils. Did you use just the pencils or did you use a little water with them to blend the colour? Every time I try them and use a little water on a brush to blend, it bleeds past the lines. What am I doing wrong? Thanks so much and you blog still inspires me.

Quilt Rat said...

Good question Mary-Kay.....yes if you use water they will tend to travel and bleed out into areas you may not want colour.
I apply the pencil dry and when I want to "wet" them I use a small paint brush dipped into clear Aloe Vera gel ( stuff you buy at the drug store to soothe sunburns). You could also use a floating medium or textile medium but I find that even these can cause a bit of "bleed" The Aloe Vera gel works great and is quite inexpensive! :-)

What Comes Next? said...

I read the article last night and can't wait to get a chance to give it a try. Your piece is looking fabulous. Great tip about the aloe vera gel!

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful and thanks for the extra info you provided about using the inktense in the comments section.

cottonreel said...

I'll look out for the magazine

Sherri said...

It's already loverly. :) You never cease to amaze me with your artistic talents!

Valerie the Pumpkin Patch Quilter said...

Beautiful!!

quilthexle said...

Oh yes - my copy arrived in my mailbox this Saturday, and this technique really intrigues me ... Your first steps look great !

Kim said...

So these pencils are colorfast and permanent? This looks just beautiful, you are so talented. I have to say it really is fun to see a technique that you just can't wait to try and then it turns out beautifully!

Happy Sewing

Royce said...

Oh how wonderful. I 'll have to check this out and I guess I need some of the inktense pencils too. Looks like something that would be right up my ally.

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

Oh how cool is that!

Createology said...

This is quite an intricate drawing however in your talented hands it is perfect for your thread stitching. The colors are muted and lovely. I am intrigued how you began with such a lovely Batik fabric that adds dimension to the overall piece. So amazing dear...

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