Tag Archives: Neocolor ll wax pastels

Sharing and Giveaway

I’m part of a (primarily) local quilter’s email newsletter started and run by a friend (done out of the goodness of her heart and to keep up her typing/computer skills). There are over 800 people on her list and she allows us to advertise our used quilt/sewing related items, as well as, list newsletters from guilds and individuals, news of our classes, art sales, blog posts, and videos. She hasn’t been able to send out the newsletter for some time. Many of the people who would get my blog post through her aren’t getting them now, so… I’m telling you this because if you are interested in winning a giveaway item/s your odds are a lot better right now, it’s also a good reason to subscribe to my blog, and not miss a notification!

There are five items in the giveaway. Please read and follow all of the instructions below. Note that actual item colors may be different than they appear here and none of these items are washable.

First up (1.) Balance and the Brass Ring (8″ x 10″) is made using hand dyed fabric (fused), painted and burnt lutradur, some free-motion stitching (no-binding edge), rings (which may or may not actually be brass), and a few embroidery stitches.

2. Stamped and Lutradur Leaves (14″ x 14″) started as a painted piece of fabric, then pressed a real leaf in gold paint and then in black, which didn’t work very well, next I stitched and free-motion quilted it. I made the leaves long ago and I kept pulling them out, looking at them, and putting them away again (know how that goes?). They’re made from painted and melted lutradur and are just hand stitched on (knots show on back – what was I thinking!), they could easily be removed if you wanted to bind the piece or add it to another project.

3. Reflections (7.25″ x 10″) Painted pole wrapped and hand painted (copper metallic) wholecloth. This piece was made for a challenge and the company mounted it onto black mat board for display, using a single piece of tape across the top edge, it could be removed from the mat board but it doesn’t have a hanging sleeve so I’m leaving it on the board, (it is labeled).

4. Torrey Pines postcard/mini art quilt. Made on Timtex, it is hand painted sky fabric with free-motion quilting and satin stitch edge. It has a white fabric back.

5. Flower Sampler (approximately 9″ x 10.25″) is just a little piece of painted fabric with flowers made using Neocolor II wax pastels. A few years ago I shared the how-to video, here it is again.

Here is another way I have used Lutradur…

Giveaway Instruction/Rules –

Sweepstakes/giveaway begins August 25, 2021 and ends at 9pm (Pacific Time) September 4, 2021.

To enter: You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person. *NOTE: (If applicable) If your name is drawn as the first winner it will be removed for the second drawing.  *If there are more prizes than entrants your name may be drawn more than once.

Leave a comment stating which item/s (1 – 5) you would like to win and include your first and last name (or last initial).

On September 4, 2021 I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner/s on my next blog post. Winner/s will email me (fiberdesignsbyann@gmail.com) their mailing information and I will mail the ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­item/s 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.

Grungy fabric

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).

Valentine’s Day Splint

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).

Neocolor II coloring fabric packet

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.

  • Pastel rubbed on dry plexi-glass.
  • Pastel sprayed with water then fabric set on top of it.
I rubbed more pastel under fabric and sprayed water on top then let it dry.
  • Found mess packing paper placed under fabric
  • Dry fabric rubbed with two different green pastels for a textured look.
  • Sprayed with water and rubbed more pastel across.
  • Pulled paper out, stretched it and placed on top, set the paper covered fabric under a lamp for a “sun print”.
Finished piece
  • Wet fabric on wet plexi and dragged pastel across causing ripple marks in the fabric
  • This is the rippled fabric, next add splatters
  • Get the round brush and pastel very wet then drip and flick the wet pigment off of the pastel onto the fabric.
  • Finished pieces with ripples and splatters

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

  • Black pastel and wet fabric to make gray wrinkles
  • Scribble on the plexi and use the wet fabric to mop it up. Cover fabric completely with pastel.
  • Squish the fabric up for drape type wrinkles
  • This is the fabric dried and pressed completely flat. It is actually a nice gray color, photo doesn’t do it justice.

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!

Heart Art: A Tutorial

I thought I would take a little break from my deadline work and play a bit. I’m not usually a heart art kind of person but this was fast and fun. I’ll leave it to you to think up ideas of where the finished heart could be used… maybe a tiny art quilt, on a fabric purse or tote, or simply framed? If you try it, I hope you’ll let me know what you did with the finished heart. (I apologize for the blurry photos but I’m sure you will be able to get the just of the process).  I love Neocolor ll wax pastels and that is what I used.

heart 1
Start with four pieces of freezer paper the exact same size.
heart 2
Iron three of the pieces together so that the paper side is out (like a freezer paper sandwich), then iron the fourth piece of freezer paper to the other three. Be sure they are lined up well so the freezer paper doesn’t melt onto the iron.
heart draw cut
Next fold regular paper and cut out a heart shape pattern. Then place the pattern on the freezer paper and draw around the heart.
heart draw design
Use a black marker to draw around the heart and then draw a free-style design inside.
bare needle
I removed thread, bobbin and presser foot. You may want to use a free-motion/darning foot but I prefer an open/bare needle. Be very careful if doing it this way.
bare needle stitching
Use a needle that will not be used on fabric ever again. Place the freezer paper heart under the needle and start stitching on the lines. I like to go fast and as you can see I didn’t follow the lines very well and that is just fine. If you go slowly it is easier to stay on the lines but for this project it doesn’t matter.
stitching finished
Cut the freezer paper heart out. This doesn’t need to be perfect unless you would like an even edge.
flip the heart
After all the stitching is done flip the heart over, notice this side is more textured than the other so this is the side to do the rubbing on. Place a piece of cotton fabric over the heart.
heart under fabric
Neocolor ll wax pastels may be used on fabric with water and other liquids and then heat set.
heart rubbing
Hold the fabric while using the wax pastels and rub across the fabric over the heart. I used one color inside and another around the outside edge.
rubbing done
When the rubbing is finished (there will be another rubbing later) removed the heart (this freezer paper heart could be colored and used in another piece of art). Place the fabric on a protected surface.
paint with water
Water and a soft brush used around the outside edge.
paint with water2
Start with only a little water and see how it bleeds before adding more. Notice how bright the pastel becomes.
paint with alcohol 1
Next do the same with rubbing alcohol on the center design. While water really causes the wax to bleed into the fabric, alcohol brightens it without causing it to move as much,
paint with alcohol 2
After the center is done I wadded a piece of foil then opened it out. Placed the foil under the fabric and used another wax pastel color for another rubbing.
heart foil rubbing
Wadded foil
heart foil rub painting
Another color.
heart art
A little more water wash on the blue and then air dry and heat set using an iron. I think it is calling for some quilting!