Category Archives: Giveaway

First Responders and a Winner

Visions Art Museum had a Call for Entries with the theme First Responders. This exhibit will be online only and I haven’t heard yet if my piece has been selected, I’m sharing it here.

I had many ideas but I got a late start so I went with the simplest one. It’s only about 15″ square, which was doable for me even though I’m rusty. The first image I shared on my previous post, it is fused without the vessel. If you follow me on Instagram you may already know what the surprise vessel is.

The quilt sandwiched and the vessel being auditioned in this quick shot with poor lighting.

I had the idea of using a mask for the vase/vessel long before the main design. In making the vessel I discovered that a (too) hot iron would melt the mask more than I had anticipated. Thankfully, I had it sandwiched between parchment paper. I actually like the “aged” look it gave the mask. I removed one ear strap and used the other as the bottom edge and feet. I used embroidery floss with a close blanket stitch around it for a bit more interest.

I free motion quilted/thread played, echoing the flowers and greens, and wrote “Thank you First Responders.” The writing is subtle, I didn’t want it to be the first thing the viewer noticed. I quilted green in the center of the yellow flowers later.

I make tiny double layered binding with butted corners, it’s not fast but it is still my favorite way to finish any quilt. Knowing that my hand is not 100% yet I didn’t want to try to stitch through my usual painted fabric so I used a softer, thinner fabric (white muslin, I think) and painted two pieces.

Another favorite thing is to “break” the binding where the quilt design has an obvious break – in this quilt it is between the table top and the main design. I got the fabric wet and used an old vinyl shower curtain under it. I laid and smoothed the fabric out and then painted it; one to contrast with the main area piece and the other to mostly match the wood-look table top. Then I crunched the wet fabrics lengthwise to give some added interest.

I rush dried this pieces, which means I let them be for a short time and then heat set before rinsing them out with water to remove any paint, then squeezed as much moisture out and ironed them completely dry. They really lightened up.

The vessel was stitched on after the binding was finished.

I always add side binding first then leave a one inch hang over on the top and bottom binding edges, which gets trimmed down. The already cut fabric pieces I painted were almost too short, so in this photo I was just checking by laying them in place… Machine stitched the side bindings first. I love those clips, they hold the binding for the hand stitching with no more pin stabs!

I’m please with the finished piece which I’ve titled – Mask for Them. The exhibit should be online beginning May 3, 2021, with or without my piece I’m sure it will be a great exhibit. VAM has wonderful online shows, events, and activities.

Thanks to those of you who entered for a chance to win the Painted Tree fabric… Congratulations to Karen G, you are the winner! Please email your mailing information.

I hope you’ll stop by again for more fiber/mixed media art and a May giveaway.

Painted Tree Fabric Giveaway

I’m learning to use my hand and arm again but I had no idea it would be such a challenge. I’ve always said making art is my therapy but now it is literally my physical therapy!

I enjoyed painting this tree fabric but I wasn’t sure what I would do with it so I decided to give it away. The fabric is 100% cotton and measures approximately 17 3/4″ x 16 3/4″ and it’s been washed (no soap) and pressed dry.

If you are interested in a chance to win this painted tree fabric follow the rules below. If you know anyone you think may be interested in a chance to win this fabric, feel free to share this post and video.

Sweepstakes/giveaway begins April 14, 2021 and ends at 9pm (Pacific Time) April 26, 2021.

To enter: You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person. Leave a comment that you would like to win the Painted Tree fabric and include your first and last name (or last initial).

On April 27, 2021 I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner/s on my next blog post. Winner will email me their mailing information and I will mail the Painted Tree fabric ASAP. PLEASE NOTE – If I don’t hear from the winner within five days of drawing date, I will run another random draw. Good luck!

Painted Fabric & Giveaway Winner

One reason my giveaways came about was because I discovered many things I made that had been stashed way. This fabric is a piece I discovered in the dig.

I have no idea what I was thinking! The blue and the yellow look like one of my painted sky fabrics and I think I must have set the dry fabric down on a piece of plastic tarp that had small brown puddles on it. Then for some reason I did a rubbing with a black Neocolor ll wax pastel. Looking at it here it looks like a swarm of bees, LOL.

I hot iron, pressed it to remove as much pastel as possible and scrubbed it in hot water with a little laundry detergent, figuring I had nothing to lose. Then pressed it dry, the above photo is that result. Then I flipped it over to see the softer side.

The spots made me think of bananas, giraffes, and spotted orchids. We have an orchid blooming on our front porch right now so that became my inspiration.

I drew a very rough (aka not at all accurate) drawing and traced it onto the back/soft side of the fabric. I’m going to use a simple embroidery stitch and probably black floss as soon as I’m able.

I had to use carbon paper, I couldn’t see the line drawing through the fabric on my light-box.

This is, of course, the not yet able part. I get more x-rays later this week and trade this black one in for a new model.

Thanks to all who entered the hexagon patches giveaway, there were eleven entrants.

And the winner is – Jodi Chrisman. Please email your mailing information to me at fiberdesignsbyann@gmail and I’ll send the box ASAP.

I’m hoping to have some sort of a painted fabric giveaway/s next month. Please subscribe to get notifications.

Hexagons and Giveaway

In my continuing quest to find any art I may be able to do during my recovery I have discovered many limitations. While cutting out these small hexagons, first with scissors and then rotary cutter, I was pushing and moving in ways I shouldn’t have been. Oh, boy, did I suffer the following day. Lesson learned.

Anyway, this is what I made. Thanks to my funky embroidery hoop stand (made from a broken lamp, it has been a great stand and the price was right!), I was able to do a bit of embroidery on the (raw edge) hexagons to hold them. I would have liked to embroider around the all the edges but sadly I couldn’t. They’re far from perfect and fraying but I’m fine with that.

I used a glue stick to hold them in place, which didn’t work very well. I didn’t have applique glue and I knew I wouldn’t be able to embroider through fusible at this time.

I’ll be seeing if I can still paint fabric and let you know how that goes.

The giveaway… A box of colorful hexagon patches – at least 200. They are approximately 1.75 inches side to side, 2 inches point to point, and each side is 1 inch.

Entry and rules –

The Hexagon patches sweepstakes/giveaway begins Wednesday, March 10, 2021 and ends at 4pm (Pacific Time) on March 16, 2021.

To enter: You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person. You must leave a comment on this blog post stating you’d like to win the Hexagon patches and include your first and last name (or last initial). Subscribe to my blog to get the notification post with the winner’s name.

On March 16, 2021 I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner on my next blog post. Winner will email me their mailing information and I will mail the hexagon patches ASAP. If I don’t hear from the winner within five days of drawing date, I will run another random draw. Good luck!

News and Winner

Well, I was hoping to be able to share a finished piece but gravity changed my plan. I shared this gel plate printed, resisted background fabric with hearts on it ages ago.

I can’t even remember all that I did to achieve it but it involved freezer paper and a mesh produce bag. I don’t use hearts much in my art and the fabric is questionable. But it did feels good to (start to) do something with a piece of fabric I just couldn’t seem to part with. Here’s my Grungy & Cute piece not quite finished. After adding some hand embroidery and hand quilting (I’m rusty), I’m starting to like it! I would have liked to have finished it but as I said…

Embroidered hearts surrounded by hand quilting.

… gravity changed my plan… While taking a walk I tripped over a raised sidewalk and fell, on my nose and other body parts, fracturing my wrist in two places and my elbow. I’m not done seeing doctors and I’m not sure how it’s going turn out. Thankfully it’s not my dominant hand so we’ll see what I may be able to do (Next month I’ll show you what I attempted one handed and how it turned out).

Thanks to those of you who entered the February giveaway by leaving a comment. If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to get blog posts and giveaway notifications.

I’m happy to announce the winner for the Neocolor II fabric packet giveaway is Cari R. (please email your mailing address to fiberdesignsbyann@gmail.com and I’ll send the fabric ASAP).

Coloring Fabric and Giveaway

Some of you know that I’m a quite a fan of Caran D’ Ache Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels. If you’ve taken my leaf painting class you may already know how fun these wax pastels are to use on fabric. I have used them in some of my videos and lessons.

Recently I played around and made a few pieces of fabric. I have to add that even though we get an average 266 sunny days a year here, I picks a gray day to color these fabrics. I mention that because had I been able to set the pieces in the sun I would have gotten different results; drying faster, maybe lighter finishes, better sunprint type results, and more pieces of fabric. Still, it was a lot of fun and for the most part I’m pleased with the results.

I’ll be giving these pieces away (one fabric packet) in a random sweepstakes drawing – See below for entry information.

I’m working on top of a piece of plexi-glass (acrylic sheet) so I have a hard, slick surface that I can move around as needed. Actually pieces may look slightly different in person and they are approximately 11 inches on the shortest side. Please excuse any light glare.

*I rubbed more pastel under fabric and sprayed water on top* then let it dry.

Found mess packing paper placed under fabric

*Sprayed with water and rubbed more pastel* across.

*Wet fabric on wet plexi and dragged pastel across causing ripple marks in the fabric*

*Get the round brush and pastel very wet then drip and flick the wet pigment off of the pastel* onto the fabric.

This is my favorite result but sadly the finished photo isn’t very good…

Black pastel and wet fabric to make gray wrinkles

*Squish the fabric up for drape type wrinkles*

I can think of many ways to use these little fabric pieces and I’m sure you can too.

Sweepstakes/giveaway begins February 10, 2021 and ends at 9pm (Pacific Time) February 16, 2021.

To enter: You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person. Leave a comment stating that you would like to win the fabric packet and include your first and last name (or last initial).

On February 16, 2021, I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner on my next blog post. Winner will email me their mailing information and I will mail the fabric packet ASAP. If I don’t hear from the winner within five days of drawing date, I will run another random draw.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

Fiber Designs by Ann

Fiber art Design, Instruction, Sales