This week we’re giving away a copy of C&T’s new book, Fabulous Fabric Art with Lutradur®, to one lucky blog reader. All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell us of a different, unique, or unusual item you have used in your work. On Monday, February 9, we’ll choose one comment at random and let you know the winner on Tuesday.
This new release was a big hit at last month’s Craft & Hobby Association trade show. Crafters and quilters alike were excited about the possibilities of working with Lutradur, a versatile cross between fabric and paper that is great for use in quilts, papercrafts, and mixed media art.
Author Lesley Riley presents 14 projects and 27 fun techniques for working with this unique product, and as an added bonus, 2 sheets of Lutradur are included in the book to make it easy to get started and try these great ideas in your own creations.
For those of you on flickr, we’ve created an “I Love Lutradur” group for those wanting to share what they’ve created with it.
*Note: Comments will be closed on Monday, February 9, at 9am PST.
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31 Comments
I use paper places when quilting. It helps me keep track of numbered pieces or different size pieces. You just write on the paper plate what number the piece is or the size of the piece, stack them up, and quilt. I also use them to keep my chain piecing in order.
When my son was small he loved to take things apart (well, I guess he still does). One day he took apart some resistors and unwound all the cooper wire from the resistor and make little balls of wire with them. I attached these things to one of my quilts along with other beads and establishments.
I use alot of unusual things as I LOVE going to the thrift stores and find all kinds of goodies to use on my art pieces. Sometimes its a kitchen gadget that can be used to make marks on my fabric using stamping methods or soy wax batiking method, or a FABULOUS silk tie that is cut apart & used.
Everything is fair game!!!
I can’t wait to read this book! I have fabric from my Mom who used to be an avid sewer, and I’d love to use some of it in crafting!
I keep one chopstick in my sewing kit. I use it for all kinds of things, poking out corners when I’m turning somethinginside out that I’ve sewn, popping a “quilt pati” out of an English paper pieced block, scratching the itch I can’t reach on my back …. Joanna
I have used old cake icing combs to comb through my paint to add texture to my painted surface.
beach glass, my mother seems to collect it by the pound, so I try and find a use to it in some of my creative work. it’s harder than it seems most times though as the colours don’t range very far.
My husband is a computer “geek” (as I lovingly call him) and often he will breakdown a computer COMPLETELY and he supplies me with the magnets that are in the computer. Now these puppies are the mother of all magnets with the strongest “force” I’ve ever seen in a magnet. I decorate the outside of these and use them on the refrigerator…except that you have to have some real “pull” to get them off!
I love to use office supplies in my sewing room. I’ve stapled projects rather than pinned them, used paper clips, and I adore those large size spring loaded clips, they really hold a quilt sandwich in place around the edges. And of course duct tape makes quick work for hems in regular sewing. I’ve also glued my iron to the ironing board when I tried to press that stitch witchery stuff on the wrong side — but ummm I don’t suppose that would count and it really wasn’t helpful in finishing the project…. :)
Dawn
I use one of my Grandma’s knitting needles……you can hold down any small item that your trying to sew/paint/glue. Stir paint with it. Mix molding paste, tar gel and the list goes on….
what a great book! Amazing cover!
I wish I had seen this book at CHA when I was in your booth! I would love to see just what this lutradur is! thanks!
I used a crochet butterfly, and a hankerchief of my husbands Grandmothers on layouts of my Daughter when she was a little girl.
Right now I’m playing with the discarded demo lenses from my optometrist’s office!
edie
Thanks for a chance at this fab book!
Don’t know that I’ve done anything ‘unique’; I’m sure others have done this too, but I once did a show and tell at guild of a mini wallhanging (more the size of an ornament) with 3D leaves and petals…the other ladies thought it was very cool and asked for a demo.
I like to use “used” paper towels from cleaning my paint brushes as background texture. I can crumble it up and glue it to the project, then paint over it. Sometimes, I don’t paint over the paper towels, though, because the colors on the paper towels are so captivating or the designs so unique that I don’t want to take away from it, so I’ll paint around it.
This sounds so interesting. I am a quilter, sewer, paper piecing etc. I love everything about it. This new product is intriqing to me. I made a collage type quilt as a remembrance for my daughter’s wedding. I used photo transfer fabric, metal charms, rhinestones and metal lettering. I did it in a black and white theme and the couple loved all the different elements that went into it. That was probably the most out of the box I’ve done so far with fabrics.
I used real corn kernels (like feed) on a chicken themed card.
Before I recycle something, I consider if it’s something I can alter or incorporate into my papercrafting. Recently I took the mesh from an apple bag, coated it with stazon and used it on a card to cover a leg silhouette to make “the major award” lamp.
http://www.fiskateers.com/community/photo/35455/
I use silk ribbon on a lot of my quilts.
My elderly mom has been in the hospital a couple of times. She always has to wear support hose while lying in bed. To get the hose on easier they give you special gloves to make the process easier. By the time my mom gets home she has around 6 pair of these gloves. I cut out the finger parts and use them to pull the needle out of the fabric when I hand quilt. I also use the gloves for machine quilting. They grab a hold of the fabric while sewing.
I just saved a glass pickle jar and removed the label and am going to cover the outside in embroidered ribbon that says “buttons” and keep my button stash visible, but dust free! Who says you have to buy usable storage???
Love this! I’ve made fabric picture frames, fabric baby books (which my granddaughter loves!), doll clothes and a quilted doll blanket. I love craft ideas made with fabrics!
I’ve been taking plastic grocery bags, cutting them apart and crocheting them into market bags.
Recycle + Reuse = Reduce and Re-Joyce
I can’t believe what great comments are being left! Some of these ideas are so creative and innovative – Lynn, your idea for using the magnets from inside computers is great and I can’t wait to go through “the remains” of the next computer my boyfriend “works on”.
Chocolate… Can’t get enough. Even organic cough drops have a that great taste of chocolate. I made a small wall hanging that looks like a box of chocolates with the lid off, each small fabric section looks like a hand dipped piece of chocolate, but could not find anythink to look like the gold foil wrapper some chocolates come in. Why not use the real thing? The only way to go.
I’ve recently just started making fabric decoupage items to sell. Recently, I discovered that canvas drop cloths – the ones you can find at the home improvement stores – are inexpensive and are very absorbent. You can decoupage quite a few smaller items – jewelry such as pins and pendants, paperback book covers and also larger items – place mats, coasters, and table runners, with these drop cloths. I think the drop cloths would also be terrific as backing fabric –
I’m looking forward to using Lutradur in decoupage and in quilting. I would love to win this book!
thanks for the tip on using drop cloths Carol (I bet you can paint on them too!). Well I have a couple of unusual things I have used in my altered art..one was gluing down some onion skins for some texture as the challenge was to use something you had just thrown out!. The other was to use the very thin plastic you get on milk bottles which I then put through my cuttlebug to make some flowers. I also use the metal out of tomato puree tubes as it has the most fascinating brass colour. Looks like a great book..my friend Pat got some lutradur when she went on a craft retreat cruise to Alaska…I think its quite hard to get here in the UK .
I purchased Lutrador about a year ago and really need help, as I do not know how to best utilize this amazing product. I have done some painting on it and have embellished with some interesting threads, but there has to be so much more to creat on this product.
Two things I have recently discovered: Gelatin and shaving cream !! I made a gelatin block and printed fabric using fabric paints and that was about the most fun I have had. Because the paint doesn’t sink into the gelatin, you have time to move it around, lift parts off, mask areas, etc. till you like what you have, and then print the fabric. The shaving cream is a different technique that allows you to stencil onto fabric, and after mixing a small amount of shaving cream with dye (or fabric paint), you apply it to the stencil using a foam brush. (Colorhue dye on silk produces wonderful results.) These 2 techniques open up a whole new world, and I cannot wait to try them with Lutrador too.