Ta Dah!

Finished (sort of) journal.

The pages have not been stitched in yet because I am still working on them.

Tied up with the strip made earlier here.
(There are still scraps in that bag, so stay tuned!)

the hitch...and the solution!

I left you with a hitch...
The nature of the background means that the stitching on this needs to be quite intensive.
So now I have to stich in and out of those shapes!

First some big pebbling

I normally stitch my backgrounds before adding other elements, but got carried away with the freezer paper idea that I just ploughed on ahead without thinking things through.

Then some smaller ones (now you see it)

It is fiddly getting in and out of these motifs and inevitably some stray stitches will show up on the black.
 

(Now you don't) With the help of some black felt pen!

Of course all this could have been avoided if I had done the background stitching FIRST!!!

I will leave you with a view of the back/inside (sorry this is a non scrap bag piece.)

Stay tuned to see the finished article.

Trying something new.

I have had these doodles hanging about for quite a while. Time to put them to use.

I use freezer paper templates with paint and wondered about applying the same priciple for adding a stitched motif.

I could have stitched the motif I choose by eye, but would not have been able to keep any uniformity.
Seems to work!

I am feeling quite pleased with myself at this point....but I have spotted a hitch...

scrap bag book cover

I need a book cover and time is of the essence, so I have used the needle felter/embellisher on this.

I am not going to lie to you, I had to go into my stash to complete this one. The first quarter of the strips were from the bag, but I needed to make a cover and I didn't have enough to complete it.
Next step is to add the stitching. No idea what to do at this point.
As I have mentioned before, my "go to" is usually floral but I shall try to go in a different direction.
Until next time!

Scrappy Journal Part 2

Yesterdays post showed you how I use the paper cloths/towels that I clean up with to create pages from which I made this Scrappy Journal.

The quick and easy cover was made with a mop up cloth folded over some batting, that was stitched around the open edges and then decorated with stamps.

I made six mini books (signatures) and stitched them into the cover.

Each section had been stamped and stitched.....

                                      ....with added pockets and inserts, using up any bits that I had to hand.

I finished off by adding torn strips of fabric to the spine. My daughter thinks I over did it this, but once I had started I couldn't leave any bald spots!

This was very easy and a lot of fun to do.

Lots more photos here.

Scrappy Journal Part 1

NOTHING gets wasted when I do fabric painting. I even save the paper cloths that I mop up with.

I just can't throw away anything that colourful!

I think I first saw this technique in this book by Traci Bautista.

It is so simple and a great way to re-cycle paper cloths that would otherwise end up in the rubbish bin.

It's like creating your own art supplies for free.

This is a quick over view of what I do.

Separate the two layers of tissue that you usually get, and lay them onto a non stick surface. I am using an old plastic tray here.

Using an old wide brush and a mixture of approx. 3 parts water to 1 part PVA glue, flatten the tissue down onto the surface.

I iron the tissue flat first because it is easier to work with. (I avoid ironing my family's clothes if possible, but I am happy to iron used paper towels!!) 

Keep adding layer upon layer of  tissue until you are happy. You can put down blocks of colour or tear up strips to add more interest. You can also cut out shapes or trap things between the layers.

Three to four layers are usually enough, maybe less if you buy the posh stuff!!

Wait for it all to dry thoroughly and then it can be folded and cut up to make pages like these.

They can also be cut into shapes to make a paper quilt.

  These pages have gone into a Scrappy Journal that I will share with you next time.