Create a Newsprint Transfer for Fabric Art

One of the best classes I’ve ever taken was my one-day soy wax fabric art session with Jeannie Palmer Moore last summer.

latte mixed media fabric art quilt by jeannie palmer moore
Detail of ‘Latte’ quilt by Jeannie Palmer Moore. She used a
colored newsprint transfer for the “image” under the saucer.

Jeannie is a fiber artist who uses all kinds of surface design techniques in her work like screen printing, and materials like textile paint, ink, and fusible web. I’m always intrigued by the way she mixes her media with fabric and paper.

A good example of Jeannie’s innovative way with mixed-media fabric art is a project that will be featured in the April/May 2013 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. She combines Tsukineko inks used like watercolors with colored newsprint transfers, stitch, and Thermofax® screens to create painterly and richly textured mixed-media fiber art. Using a Thermofax screen in combination with the newspaper creates a deconstructed effect that adds texture.

I really love her technique for creating the colored newspaper transfer, so I’m giving you a sneak peek today. Materials and tools used include organza, gel medium, colored newsprint, a Thermofax screen and a squeegee, plus protective coverings and clean-up supplies.

Colored Newspaper Transfer Technique by Jeannie Palmer Moore

1. Create or use an existing Thermofax screen. My favorite screens are a thick brush mark and a grid-like design. Graphic marks work best.

2. Cover your work surface with a layer of plastic sheeting or newspaper. Place colored newsprint on top of the protective layer.  (I use the printed words from newspaper but also hunt for large areas of solid color like those found in advertisements.)

3. Cut a piece of organza the same size as the colored newsprint you want to transfer. Place the organza on top of the colored newsprint.

4. Place the Thermofax screen on top of the organza and squeegee soft gel medium through the screen 1-2 times so the colored newsprint sticks to areas of the organza. Repeat for a larger transfer. Wash the screen promptly to remove the gel medium.

fabric paper transfers
The fabric-paper newsprint transfer.

5. After the gel medium is dry, rinse the organza in a tray or bucket of warm water. Scrub off the newsprint with your hands or a soft brush. The resulting fabric will retain the bits of newsprint and be semi-transparent.

Note: Discard the water and wet newspaper carefully. This mixture will clog your drain!

Jeannie fuses the resulting fabric-paper to the areas of the quilt where she thinks it will enhance the design. I could see it also used in fabric collage and other fiber arts applications.

Quilting Arts frequently features mixed-media techniques combined with fiber art. With a subscription to Quilting Arts, you can keep the mixed-media fiber art projects and techniques coming all year long.

P.S. Do you mix fabric and paper? Tell me about your adventures below.

Categories

Blog, Fabric Art, Mixed-Media Techniques

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