Special fibers for new and exciting art

It's a new year and it's time to spread your creative wings and try some new materials, products, and techniques.

Have you used any spunbonded textiles in your artwork lately? What are they, you ask… 
We recently got a sneak peek at Wendy Cotterill’s new book, Lutradur and the New Fibers: Creating Mixed-Media Art with Spunbonded Materials,  and we asked Wendy. Here’s a little bit of what we learned.

What are they?
Spunbonded textiles are the new generation of fibers and fabrics, with Lutradur®  being the most popular of the group. These synthetic fibers are spun into the air and as they settle, fabric is formed by pressing the fibers together. Spunbonded fabrics are durable, absorbent, and breathable. In addition, they can be heat distressed, and they take transfer dyes easily, making them very attractive to embroiderers, mixed-media artists, and quilters. Spunbonded fibers will add texture and dimension to your mixed-media projects.

Some of you may be familiar with Lutradur and some of the other spunbonded fibers, like Tyvek®. You may have already experimented with them. Wendy's book will not only have you trying new things with these fibers, it will also will help you figure out some of the problems you may have encountered with these fibers in the past. Wendy’s book takes a fresh look at how to use these fabrics to create dynamic, colorful surfaces. She also revisits “older” manmade fibers such as Kunin Felt and nappy (diaper) liners..

Take a look!
Below are some examples of Wendy’s artwork made with two varieties of spunbounded fibers, along with a project to get you hooked.

DSCN1553   Lutradur painted with dyes, hot foil applied to Bondaweb added.
DSCN1662  

Lutradur painted with acrylic paint, with folded and stitched squares applied and overstamped with a  rubber stamp and archival inkpad.

     
DSCN1702  

Tyvek  fabric colored by printing through an inkjet printer, cut into squares and appliqued to kunin felt. The surface  was created with a soldering iron to create faux stitching.

 

DSCN0049 Padded journal cover

Note: For this project a floral image was used, but any bold image will work well.

Materials

• Laser toner black-and-white photocopy of a bold image

• Navy blue transfer dye

• Lutradur, large enough to cover the front of your journal

• Iron

• Embroidery hoop

• Soldering iron

• Heat gun

• Chipboard, same size as journal cover

• Fabric, in a contrasting color

• Glue or a needle and thread

Directions

1. Paint the transfer dye over the laser photocopied image and allow to dry.

2. Place the painted copy face down onto the Lutradur and, with a hot iron, transfer the image onto the Lutradur, keeping the iron moving all the time (approximately 25 seconds).

3. Place the dyed Lutradur into an embroidery hoop and partially cut around some of the leaves/petals with a soldering iron.

4. With the Lutradur still in the hoop, apply gentle heat from the heat gun to make the cut sections curl slightly.

5. Cover the chipboard with the contrasting fabric, either gluing or stitching it in place. Then cover the fabric with the dyed and cut Lutradur and affix the Lutradur in the same manner.

6. Attach the the covered board to the front of your journal.

 This is just one of the many techniques to choose from in Lutradur and the New Fibers: Creating Mixed-Media Art with Spunbonded Materials. Make sure to get your copy.  Preorder now.

I hope 2011 is a year of new discoveries and plenty of new inspiration for all.
Happy New Year!
      

 

 

Categories

Blog, Fabric Art

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