Snack paper bags lend themselves to make easy “junk” journals. In this video I explain how I go about decorating and making this fun little journal.
Thank you for watching.
Talk later, Geesje
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Coffee dyeing papers
A few months ago I dyed some papers in a coffee solution. I add instant coffee to hot tap water, no measuring whatsoever, I look at the colour to see if it is dark enough. I then pour the coffee solution in a baking dish with sides that are at least one inch high. I drag the papers through the coffee and place them on plastic boards to dry. If the weather is nice I can place the papers in the bay window in the sun, they dry very quickly in an hour or two. Otherwise I would place the boards on the ground in front of the dehumidifier, which will blow its air from the fan over it, also drying the papers in a reasonable time. The fun part is ironing the papers after they have been completely dried. I will use most of these papers in the journals I make.
Thank you for watching,
Talk later, Geesje
Paper bag Junk Journal
I made this paper bag junk journal for a friend of mine. The base is made using 2 paper bags, one is cut shorter so it creates a pocket. I decorated the journal with pieces cut from one piece of paper from a paper pack by Tim Holtz. I used a variety of embellishments to decorate this journal’s cover, pieces of lace and jute, a paint chip, a feather found in my backyard, a vintage button, decorative cut-outs from wall paper, and some odd and ends… The journal’s itself is a collection of papers found in my paper collection, coffee dyed, ledger, parchment paper, and a piece of a road map of the southern part of Manitoba.
Here is the link to You Tube:
Thank you for watching.
Talk later, Geesje
Dyeing wool in crock pot
When I dye my wool, from a local sheep’s fleece, i use my fabric dye, Procion MX dyes. I select about 50 grams of wool and soak this in warm water with a bit of vinegar added to it, to act as a binder. After 30 minutes or so, I pour about 2 litres of water, 2 tablespoons of vinegar and a drop of syntrapol in my (for craft purposes only) crock pot. I then turn the pot on high and let everything come to heat and simmer, this will take about 1 1/2 hours. I will let it then cool and dry.
Here is the You Tube video where you can watch the process. Thanks for watching.
Talk later, Geesje
Thread sketching
I’m trying my hand at thread sketching. A few years ago we went to a bird sanctuary in Alberta where I took some pictures of owls and falcons and other big birds.
First I printed a black and white image on copy paper. Using a light-box I traced only the main lines that I wanted to stitch onto thin paper eliminating any unwanted areas. Again tracing the image, this time on fabric. I used a linen fabric with a bit of texture to the weave. It did make drawing on it a bit more difficult as I encountered the bumps in the fabric. I used a dark grey colour thread for the stitching as I thought black might be too stark, I did use black thread for the bobbin and I do like the grey thread stitched side better.
This was fun I and will do some more.
Talk later, Geesje
Purse using Thread Play 1
HI, it’s been a few years since the last post, I keep forgetting to post pictures of projects I’m working on.
My latest project was made because of the wedding of one of our sons and the outfit I bought for it. I like making my own purses to fit the items I would like to take with me. Which means a lot of pockets and compartments, this purse has a front pocket for the phone, a zippered back pocket for whatnot’s, two inside zippered pockets and 2 compartments for wallet and more whatnot’s. The whole purse closes with another zipper, this way I can’t lose anything….I think, hm?
The flap is a bit big, better next time….
Update, I changed the flap, it looks much better now.
Talk later, Geesje
Fabric Painting with the Fibre Art Divas
Last Saturday we planned to paint some fabric, but the rain kept us inside most of the day. Of course the weather was nice by the time I got home, When I emptied my bag I found that some of my paint containers had spilled their contents into the zip bags they were in. I used three fabric pieces to clean up the mess it had made, placed some plastic stencils on top of the fabric and added some salt as well, as I find that always gives it an extra something something….
It looks pretty bright, but after rinsing it faded a bit, next time, iron first, rinse later
