DIGITAL QUILTING DESIGNS Quilting Daily TECHNIQUES FOR COLLAGE & QUILT Digital Quilting Designs FREE DIGITAL ART TECHNIQUES FOR COLLAGE AND QUILT

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From Flat to Fabulous: Textured Fiber Photographs 1 Creating with Digital 3 WEN REDMOND Monoprints MARGARET APPLIN Using Digital Images 4 in Quilted Collages From Snapshot to Art Quilt MARGARET APPLIN 2 NATALYA AIKENS

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igital technology and the Another digital collage idea from Dubiquitous camera phone have Margaret, "Using Digital Imagery made us all photographers. As fiber in Quilting Collages," focuses on artists, the manipulating your own imagery in DIGITAL QUILTING logical next step Photoshop Elements to create stamps, DESIGNS is to explore Thermofax screens, masks, and FREE DIGITAL digital fabric brushes. Then she shows you how ART TECHNIQUES printing. to combine the resulting digital quilt FOR COLLAGE designs into stitched fiber art. AND QUILT In our eBook Digital Quilting With these artists and their digital art EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Vivika Hansen Designs: Free techniques to guide you, there is no DeNegre Digital Art limit to the art you can create. ONLINE EDITOR Cate Prato Techniques for Collage and Quilt, three CREATIVE SERVICES Warmly, fiber artists show you how to use DIVISION ART DIRECTOR Larissa Davis photo-editing software, a printer, and PHOTOGRAPHER Larry Stein Projects and information are for inspira­ surface design to create digital photo Vivika Hansen DeNegre tion and personal use only. F+W Media, art. Editorial Director Inc. is not responsible for any liability aris­ ing from errors, omissions, or mistakes Margaret Applin is full of Photoshop® contained in this eBook, and readers project ideas. One of her most popular should proceed cautiously, especially with respect to technical information. techniques is creating digital collages F+W Media grants permission to photo­ copy any patterns published in this using journal pages, paintings, issue for personal use only. textured fabric scraps-anything with an interesting design. She walks you step-by-step through the process in "From Flat to Fabulous with Digital Monoprints." Take Quilting Daily In "From Snapshot to Art Quilt," Natalya Aikens shows how to use on the go digital art techniques to manipulate with the FREE Mobile app for your iPhone or iPod Touch. photos and print them onto fabric. By layering them with vintage textiles A swipe of your fi nger and adding machine and hand gives you access to: stitching, you can add a personal, handmade touch to your digital photo e latest posts, free art. patterns, and eBooks Over 100 how-to videos Wen Redmond shows you how to lend the texture of an oil painting to digital Tips and techniques from printing on fabric in "Textured Fiber industry leading experts Photographs." Her process involves Get your FREE spreading a thin layer of molding Quilting Daily app at paste onto stabilizer before running it www.QuiltingDaily.com/app through the printer. *Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Non-US residents: if the above link does not work for you, feel free to browse our selection of Apps from within the Apple App Store itself by searching for “Interweave”.

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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine October/November 2011

FROM flat TO fabulous WITH DIGITAL MONOPRINTS by Margaret Applin

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hen I monoprint, I use a variety of organic forms, stencils, Wand texture tools. However, as much as I enjoy the tech­ items to use for nique, my monoprinting results sometimes leave me feeling flat digital collage and I find myself reaching for more: more depth, more mystery, Select a variety of these items from more layers. But with digital monoprinting, the textures and your own artwork: • Journal pages (finished or patterns that I love working with on paper or fabric can be trans­ unfinished) formed and maximized to create the basis for dimensional imagery • Existing textured or patterned for my fiber art. My digital monoprints are a blend of marks I have backgrounds made on paper and fabric (in color and black and white), fused to­ • Existing monoprints gether within a digital design environment. Best of all, I don’t spill • Fabric scraps with lots of texture any paint in the process! • Simple hand-drawn shapes or silhouettes 300 dpi with a white background. • Watercolor paintings or other Directions (I prefer to work in a square- paintings Creating a digital shaped layout, but any shape or • Copyright-free photographs monoprint orientation will work.) 3. Save and name your file. I always 1. Select a variety of items to add “recipe” onto the end of NOTE: This process is highly addictive incorporate into your digital the file name so I know it is the and equally frustrating until you get collage, and scan or upload them version with all the layers. the hang of the effects of the blending into your computer. modes. Your image layout can change 4. One-by-one, open up each image 2. Open your photo-editing software. dramatically with the smallest and drag it onto the new file in any (I use Adobe® Photoshop® adjustment, or it may not change at all order. When a layer is selected, Elements 7, so these instructions when you expect it to. You can always you can resize, rotate, flip, or shift are specific to that software; adjust “undo,” so there is no need to panic, but your image to place it exactly as necessary for the program you’re always remember to save your work. where you want it. using.) Create a new file set at 6. When you have completed your 5. Experiment by moving the layers monoprint design, duplicate the MATERIALS around and manipulating the look file, rename it so you do not write and feel with blending modes and over the original “recipe” file, • Photo-editing software filters until you are happy with and then flatten the image before the design. Read “Creating ‘Indian • A selection of items to use as layers in you print it. (You always have the your digital collage (see “Items to use Summer’ Digital Monoprint” to option of starting all over again for Digital Collage”) learn the specific steps I used to using the flattened image!) • Ink-jet printer fabric sheets create that particular digital image. • Printer • Fabric, batting, paints, and embellishments as desired (to complete the quilt)

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Process images by Margaret Applin

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Within Photoshop Elements, these 3. The gelatin monoprint became my that I used within this design. images were added as layers and then bottom layer. (Figure 3) (Figure 6) further manipulated with adjustments 4. Next, I created a fill layer using a 7. When I applied the first leaf layer, and blending modes to create the final solid color selected from the color I shifted it all the way over to the image that was printed to fabric and picker tool. On this layer, I selected left, hanging off the edge. On this incorporated into the quilted wall the “Multiply” blending mode layer, I selected the “Color Burn” hanging. (Additional manipulations from the drop-down selection. This blending mode. (Figure 7) were created prior to the completion step allowed the color to penetrate of the final design that are not 8. I duplicated the leaf texture layer everything below it. (Figure 4) outlined here.) Through the following and dragged it over to the right steps, you can see how the layers were 5. At this point, I duplicated a side and left it hanging off the applied and manipulated to get to the copy of my background image to edge. I also flipped this image look and feel of the final print. incorporate into the layers. (To horizontally so the direction of the turn the layer on, click on the vein was opposite the other layer. 1. I started this design using the image box immediately to the left of the On this layer, I selected the “Soft of the collage as the background. image. You will see the eye image Light” blending mode. You can (Figure 1) (I recommend that letting you know that it is visible.) see how the background of each you not use an image as the On this layer, I selected the “Soft leaf layer is white. I used this to background, as I did here, but Light” blending mode and then I my advantage to split the shading instead create a new file set at 300 rotated the image 180˚. (Figure 5) on the two sides of my design. dpi with a white background per (Figure 8) the instructions for “Creating a 6. Prior to adding the tropical leaf Digital Monoprint.”) brush to my file, I had created a 9. For the purposes of this separate file using my brush as a demonstration, I shut off the 2. Because I started my file with an mask on a different background. I bottom layer to illustrate how the image as the background, I had grouped the layers and then when “Color Burn” on the left and the to turn off the background layer. I flattened the file and saved it, the “Soft Light” on the right appear. (Figure 2) color remained. This is the image The main edge that you see in the middle was positioned to fall right along the stem of the 7 8 bottom layered image. Using the eraser tool set at 15% opacity and selecting the leaf texture duplicate layer, I touched up the edge that had formed due to the overlap of the two leaf texture layers to make it fade out. I applied the eraser at

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both the top and bottom of the bind, and embellish as desired. Or edge. (By using a lower opacity to Create you can combine the monoprint erase, you can apply it more with the quilt with additional fabrics and very subtle changes at each mouse make a larger piece. For “Indian 1. Print your digital monoprint onto click. This allows for much better Summer,” I layered the printed an ink-jet printer fabric sheet. blending of the edge.) I did not fabric on pieces of coffee-stained Once the image is dry, heat set it do any touch-up erasing along the cotton batting and then quilted with an iron. (Another option is to very middle of the edge. (Figure 9) the piece. Next, I painted it using print your digital monoprint onto acrylic paint and a brayer. I added 10. The last step of this design was paper and then transfer it onto the some Lumiere® metallic paint the addition of a photo filter fabric of your choice using to highlight certain areas. The adjustment. I selected Sepia at a iron-on transfer paper.) For embellishments are copper-colored 30% density. “Indian Summer” I printed my beads and heavy-duty copper wire (Figure 10) digital monoprint onto a piece of attached with thread to the edges silk habotai ink-jet printer fabric. 11. Next, I duplicated my file, renamed of the wall hanging. it so I would not write over the 2. Incorporate your digital monoprint margaretapplindesigns.com original “recipe” file, and then into a quilt. You can simply flattened the image.(Figure 11) sandwich the printed fabric, quilt, Then I started all over again using the flattened image. After this second level of manipulations and h e l p f u l g u i d e l i n e s f o r adjustments, I printed the final image to a silk habotai ink-jet digital collage printer fabric sheet. • Pay attention to what layer you are different color schemes or additional on while making adjustments. You textures.) may think you are making a specific • Blending modes are like chemistry. adjustment and you don’t see the Learn to anticipate the results of results you want because you have a certain modes by experimenting and different layer selected. playing. • Use the “Undo” and “Redo” buttons • When you start to build your digital as you make adjustments to see if design files, it helps to be very you really like the changes you made organized. Create a file-naming before continuing. convention or different folders for • During the design process, if you your backgrounds, brushes, etc. love a particular result you have Before you realize it, you will have created, duplicate it and save it as collected a number of images that its own file; then continue working you will be searching through for a on your main file. That way, if you design. are unhappy with the results after • If you are sure of a design that further manipulation you can go you want to print out, save it as back to the part you especially a duplicate with a new file name liked. (I do this so frequently that (“xxxx-final”) and use that smaller I have numerous versions of that file for printing. Save your original one design layout. I find that I design with all of the layers as your will go back to one of my saved “recipe” file. files to begin a new design using

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FROM SNAPSHOT

TO art quilt by Natalya Aikens

“St. Pete Lace 2” • 12" × 12" (left), “St. Pete Lace 4” • 12" × 12" (right)

Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine December 2011/January 2012

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MATERIALS

• Adobe® Photoshop® Elements or photo-editing software of your choice • Photos • Fabric • Sewing machine with free-motion capabilities • Thread • Needle and thread for hand sewing Optional • Transfer Artist Paper™ (TAP) • Organza • Sheers • Vintage fabric, lace, or recycled fibers (I use dryer sheets.) • Tear-away stabilizer • Freezer paper • Wooden frame or stretched c anvas

“St. Pete Lace 4” • 12" × 12"

enjoy photographing architecture during my travels and often photo. Make sure the rulers are Iuse my photos to make artwork. My process involves manipu­ visible on the sides of your photo. Go to “View” and make sure there lating photos in Photoshop so I can print the images on various is a check mark next to the word materials. I then layer the images with vintage textiles and recy­ “Rulers.” Use the “Crop” tool and clables in my stash, thread sketch with my trusty Bernina® sewing crop your image. machine, and add lots of hand stitching. 4. Next, size your photo. It is best to keep the file large from the 2. Open Photoshop and then open beginning, as you can always make irections your photo. Select “Save As” and D it smaller later. But if you know save the image in its own folder Select and save you’d like to work small, then size and name it. You can name the it close to what your final project your photo image file anything. For example, will be. 1. Select a photo to use in Photoshop “fence original.jpg” will do. Save or the photo-editing software the photo in the format that it is 5. Save your correctly sized photo of your choice. Some points to in, whether it is a jpeg, a tiff, or a by clicking “Save As” and adding consider when selecting a photo raw file. something like “sized” to the title are the crispness of the shot, visual of the photo. 3. Once you have your image saved, interest, and resolution. decide if you need to crop the

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4. Continue to experiment with a variety of tools to achieve the look and feel you want for your image. For more information on some of the tools I use in my work, see “Photoshop Tools.” Layer images The next step is to experiment with layering images to add depth to your work.

1. If you want to layer two images exactly one over the other, first make sure they are the same resolution and size.

2. Using the “Move” tool, click and drag one image on top of the other (from one photo to the other photo). You need to have both photos open on your screen in order to do this.

3. Once the images are in one document, adjust the opacity of “Piter’s Rooftops 1” • 20" × 20" each image and decide how much you want to see of the image underneath. In the little side panel where you see your layers is a Alter your photo like “hue.” Save several variations of your photo if you can’t make up window that says “Opacity 100%.” Now that you have sized and saved your mind, or if you decide you Click on the arrow next to the 100 your image, playtime can begin. want to do a whole series. and adjust down. 1. Get started by playing with 3. Next, play with the filters. You TIP: If you prefer to skip the layering the “Enhance” feature and can do just a bit of transformation in Photoshop, you can still achieve a select Enhance>Adjust by using filters such as “Colored layered effect by printing two different Lighting>Brightness/Contrast, Pencil,” “Smudge Stick,” and images on sheer fabric (or one on a or Shadows/Highlights and “Poster Edges.” Or you can go sheer and one on a solid) and layering Enhance>Adjust Color>Adjust radical by using filters like “Palette them when stitching. Hue/Saturation. Sometimes just a Knife,” “Sumi-e,” “Chalk & few adjustments are all you need to Charcoal,” and “Stamp.” Explore add a fun, new look to your photo. and try to find a filter you like 2. Once you have adjusted the photo and make sure that you save each to the look you like, save your individual variation as you work. photo with a new name. Add something descriptive to the title,

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“St. Pete Lace 13” • 15" × 15"

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2. There are two options when adding sketch with your sewing machine control and create a whole lot of machine stitching. You can add without stabilizer in order to texture in the process. A plain machine stitching using tear-away purposefully pucker the material. straight stitch will add a subtle stabilizer underneath the sheers effect to your quilt when using 3. Once the machine stitching has to prevent a puckered effect. Or, variegated thread. been added, use hand stitching if you prefer a puckered, textured to emphasize areas of the image. 4. Finish, bind, or mount your quilt look, you can piece sheer panels If you didn’t use stabilizer while as desired. together using a French seam for stitching, hand stitching can help a lovely, clean finish. Then thread bring those puckers back under Photoshop tools

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3 4 1. Eraser; 2. Magic Wand; 3. Rectangular Marquee; 4. Paint Bucket

There are many tools available in Eraser increase or decrease the size of your Photoshop to alter your photo. Here eraser by selecting brush size. are some of my favorites. When layering multiple images you can use the “Eraser” tool to erase Magic Wand portions of the top image so the one If you’d like to remove a portion of underneath can peek through. Simply your image, the “Magic Wand” can

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live up to its name. When you click the “Rectangle” to the “Elliptical you would like to transform. Select on an area with the Magic Wand, it Marquee” by holding your cursor over that element first with the Magic selects all pixels that have the same the little triangle in the corner of the Wand, switch back to the Move tool, color as the pixel you clicked on. For “Marquee” tool. then go to Image>Transform>Free example, if there is a large single color Transform. A square or a rectangle area that you want to remove, click on Paint Bucket will appear around your element. Tug the middle of it and it will select most The “Paint Bucket” tool is handy at its corners, or sides, or turn it to of the area. Hold down the shift key as when you want to replace a color with transform your photo. Click “Enter” you select more areas. When you have another color. Use the “Eyedropper” on your keyboard to complete the a section you are ready to remove, go tool first to select a color from the transformation. to Edit>Delete. If you have selected an palette panel or from another area of TIP: Remember that you can always area by mistake, click Edit>Undo. If your photo, then click on the Paint switch the order of your layers by you want to stop and deselect all that Bucket tool. Bring the paint bucket dragging a layer up or down in the the Magic Wand has selected, go to over the area where you want to panel to switch around. By using the Select>Deselect. replace color and click. All the similar “Move” tool you can also move your color pixels will fill with the new images around and align different Rectangular Marquee color. Alternatively, you can select an portions of the photos. Whatever you do, If you have a large multicolored area area with the Rectangular Marquee just remember to “Save As” while you that you want to get rid of, or if you tool, switch to the bucket, and fill that are working. want to get rid of small rectangles perfect rectangle or circle. or ovals in your photo, use the artbynatalya.com “Rectangular Marquee” tool. Click Free Transform on your photo and drag the rectangle “Free Transform” is also fun to to the size you want. Then choose play with, especially if you have a Edit>Delete. You can switch from single element in your photo that

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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine TEXTURED FIBER February/March 2012 photographs

by Wen Redmond

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rinting a photo on a textured background lends an unusual want a lot of texture for some Pdimension to fiber art. My process involves spreading light­ photographic images, such as an old wall or landscape, or you may weight molding paste onto a stabilizer base. The molding-paste want just a touch of texture to add base, or substrate, can then be painted and fed into a printer to interest to the background of a create a painterly photo thin enough to be sewn and manipulated. portrait. Allow it to dry until tacky. This technique works with most photographs and is inspired by 5. Apply a thin wash of acrylic paint the textured brushstrokes of an oil painting. on top of the dry molding paste to accent the texture. (Molding paste accepts paint well.) Adding a MATERIALS Directions wash of paint will create additional color accents and highlights in • Stabilizer, medium to firm (I use a Prepare the base your finished printed photograph, rayon/polyester cut-away stabilizer.) 1. Begin by covering your work especially if the image is black and • Plastic drop cloth surface with a plastic drop cloth. white or light in tone. To create an • Lightweight molding paste 2. Cut your stabilizer base to your acrylic wash, dilute your acrylic • Spreader (old credit cards or palette desired size and place it on your paint with water, in a 1-to-1 ratio. knife) work surface. (To become familiar Be sure your wash is light in hue • Glue stick or double-stick tape with this technique, you may want so that your photograph will • Acrylic paint of your choice, 1 or 2 to start with a small sample.) show up when you print it on the colors molding paste. Allow the paint to • Paintbrush 3. Use an old credit card or a palette dry completely. (Figure 2) • Rotary cutter and mat knife and spread a thin layer of • Scissors molding paste onto the stabilizer. You may simulate brushstrokes • Photo or texture the molding paste with • Photo-editing software of your choice stamps or sticks. For my sample, • Printer with pigment ink (I use an I pressed cheesecloth into a small Epson® printer with DURABrite Ultra™ inks or UltraChrome™ inks (These inks area. (Figure 1) are both fade- and water-resistant.) TIP: The texture of the molding paste • Printer paper shouldn’t be higher than the thickness • Varnish of a penny or it will jam in the printer • Foam brush later. However, if your molding paste Optional dries too thick you can use sandpaper to reduce the thickness. • Stamps, sticks, or cheesecloth for additional texture 4. Continue to texture the paste so • Sandpaper that it suits the texture in your photograph. Consider the effect Figure 1 Previous page: “Pause” • 32" × 25" you want to achieve. Think about Process photos by Wen Redmond oil paintings and the look of their textured brushstokes. You may

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NOTE: Metallic washes work well 3. In order to get a full-bleed effect or either double-click on the picture because they settle into the nooks and a print that covers the edges (as in and select “Format Picture” or go crannies of the molding paste and will my image), print your photo using to the main toolbar, find “Format,” highlight your final image. the Microsoft® Word program. and then select “Format Picture.” Setting it up in Word will allow (Figure 3) In the resulting pop-up Print the image your printer to output the image window, select Layout>Advanced 1. While you wait for the paint on exactly where you have placed the Layout>In Line With Text. your molding paste to dry, prepare molding paste substrate. (Figure 4) These steps will provide your digital photograph. you with toggle squares on each 4. Insert your picture into your Word corner, allowing you to grab the 2. Size your photograph in the file. In order to move the picture corners and change the size and photo-editing software of your around in your Word document, orientation of the picture. choice. You can divide the image you need to navigate to the into a triptych, as I did in the piece “Format Picture” option. To do so, shown on the next page, or use the image as is. There are many effects you can achieve with the techniques and tools available through photo-editing software. Let your creativity flourish.

Figure 3

Figure 2

Figure 4

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“The Road of the Imagination” • 12" × 18"

5. Make sure the area that the picture NOTE: The molding paste substrate can will hold the holes that the needle takes up in your Word file is also print without a carrier sheet, just as makes, so ripping out stitches is not slightly larger than your molding you would any paper. an option. paste substrate. The printed photo 9. Once the ink is dry, cover your The molding paste substrate can will overprint the substrate onto printed photograph with varnish be sewn onto a fabric background your carrier sheet—a simple piece to protect the image. Apply a light and mounted, like “The Road of of printer paper. coat of varnish with a foam brush. the Imagination” or sewn together 6. Use a glue stick or double-sided Do not iron. with others to create an even larger tape to attach the dry molding photograph, like “Pause.” It can also paste substrate to the carrier paper Finish be added to mixed-media work, or in exactly the same position shown Once the molding paste substrate is simply framed. The ways in which you in the Word document. printed with your photograph you present this unusual fiber photograph can add it to your project. Molding are numerous; let your imagination be 7. Insert the paper and print your paste substrates are thick, so adjust your guide. image. your sewing machine accordingly. fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com 8. Remove the substrate from the Also, once sewn, the molding paste carrier paper and let it dry.

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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine April/May 2011 USING DIGITAL IMAGERY IN quilted collages

1 1 “Late Spring” • 11 ⁄2" × 11 ⁄2" by Margaret Applin

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love summer—the colors, varieties, and textures of blooming MATERIALS Iflowers; the early-morning chatter of birds; and the warm days and nights. It’s the time of year when everything is so alive and • Journal or watercolor paper filled with energy and my senses are on overload. This was the • Journaling supplies, including pens, inspiration for my latest series of quilted collages and a journal pencils, paints, and ephemera • Stencils and stencil brushes cover. What started out as a few journal pages using butterfly and • Computer, scanner, and digital flower imagery quickly transformed into art quilts full of color and camera texture. • Photo-editing software (I use Adobe® Photoshop® Elements.) Over the past year, I have learned 2. Using your preferred method, • Printer how to work with digital layers in transfer your finished pages to • Iron-on transfer paper Adobe Photoshop Elements. And your computer. I use both my • Fabric (I recommend bright white silk now I find that every piece of art scanner and my digital camera. To or cotton.) I create incorporates some digital capture the truest colors with your • Adirondack® Color Wash element. Doodles become masks digital camera, use natural light. • Large paintbrush and brushes. Flower photos become 3. Open up your artwork in your • Tracing paper stamps and backgrounds. My images photo-editing software and • Floral images take on a new life, manipulated experiment digitally. (See “Tips for • Scissors through layers, and burned through Working with Adobe Photoshop • Batting blending modes and filters. Through Elements.”) this experimentation and play, I also • Stabilizer generate a number of images I turn 4. Transfer your image to fabric • Sewing machine with free-motion capability into Thermofax screens for use in using your preferred method. For surface design on fabric. Photo-editing my images I use iron-on transfer • Fabric scraps and lace software is a great tool; it allows me paper. When using any kind of • Sheer fabric to reuse my photographs to create transfer product, remember to flip • Embroidery scissors unlimited personal imagery. the images in the computer prior • Heavy-body white paint to printing. Use pieces of fabric Optional large enough to accommodate an • Thermofax® screens Directions expanding design. My original • Embroidery floss Preparing your image foundation pieces were cut to approximately 14" square. • Embroidery needle and thread 1. Pull out your journal or some • Beads, beading needle, and thread clean pieces of watercolor paper TIP: Unless you specifically want the and freely create using your background fabric to show through your favorite tools, images, paints, image, I suggest using a bright white stencils, and collage elements silk or cotton as your foundation fabric without planning or trying to so your image stays as bright as possible control the finished page. The and does not get muddied by different power of play is an important part colored background fabrics. of the collage process—just have fun with it!

DIGITAL QUILTING DESIGNS: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES FOR COLLAGE & QUILT QUILTINGDAILY.COM 19 ©F+W a Content and eCommerce Company DIGITAL QUILTING DESIGNS Quilting Daily TECHNIQUES FOR COLLAGE & QUILT Adding color outline (Option A), or by simply stitching along the traced outline f o r 5. Add color around your transferred (Option B). Try a combination of image. I use diluted Adirondack tipsw o r k i n g w i t h both techniques to create depth in Color Washes with a large brush your collage. Adobe Photoshop to obtain a watercolor look, intentionally leaving white space Option A: Use fabric to create an Elements to create additional interest. With image that appears as if it is in the Here are a few techniques I use this product you can go back into forefront of the collage. Layer a with my photo-editing software. your design with the washes at piece of fabric between the tracing Remember to start by creating a full strength using your brush to paper and your base fabric (with the copy of your image to use for further add darker, more intense values transferred image). Stitch through manipulation. if desired. I usually paint on dry all of the layers, gently peel off the • Layer your new images with other fabric, but you can always dampen tracing paper, and trim around the images containing text; or type the fabric for a different painting stitched lines as close as possible directly on top of your images. result. with embroidery scissors. I tend to • Layer more than one of your new use sheer fabrics for this step. In one images together; or create a larger TIP: The closer to the edge of your of my collages, using a sheer fabric, digital collage using a variety of transferred image you paint, the more I extended a butterfly image that new or old images. likely the paint might bleed underneath was cut off in my transferred image. • Change the hue and saturation your image. This can add interest The sheer overlay on the wings of your images and move them to your design or possibly cause subtly pulled the complete image up around to see how their position unwelcome changes to your image. Don’t and out of the original transferred changes the effect. abandon your collage if this happens. image on the collage, reducing the • Adjust the opacity of one or more You can continue to add layers to it later obvious line between the image of the layers to see how the effect through stenciling. transfer and the background. changes. 6. Trace a simple floral motif or Continue with this technique until • Use brushes or text to layer other another motif onto tracing paper. you are satisfied with your design. elements over your images. You may need to resize the motif Option B: Stitch the design • Use masks to create distressed depending on how large or small directly to your base fabric without edges. Masks are great because you want it relative to your design. an additional piece of fabric they reduce the sharp edges of Decide where you would like to the image against the foundation sandwiched in between. Remove place the motif on your layout. I fabric, which helps the image the tracing paper template and use this technique to capture the blend into the background. use heavy-body white paint and lines from my flower photographs. • Build photos with a lot of texture a paintbrush to lightly define the into your layers and play with Making the collage stitch-drawn image. The white paint the blending modes to create creates a ghostly feel, allowing the 7. Cut a piece of batting and stabilizer a distressed look. Try filters to image to be defined, yet recede into further transform the look and the same size as your design’s the background. feel. foundation fabric. Layer your quilt sandwich to get ready for machine TIP: Applying screen prints at this • Select a few images that stand point is an alternative to tracing and out and crop them into smaller stitching. transferring motifs. You can still free- sections to transfer to fabric. 8. There are two ways to add motion stitch through the paints or dyes your traced motif: by adding a used. sheer (or other fabric) layer and then stitching along the traced

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1 1 “Height of Summer” • 11 ⁄2" × 11 ⁄2" Adding more layers will develop and the finished collages overpower your current design; will tell a story you weren’t aware of instead, select fabrics that subtly By working light to dark, and using a while developing your art-quilt pieces. complement your design. variety of surface design techniques, you can easily create depth through 1. Incorporate fabric scraps into 2. At this stage, stencil to blend the layers on your art-quilted collages. your collage to effectively add edges and to help blend the fabric Also, by working on more than one layers and help blend the layers. scraps into your design. Don’t collage at once, a similar look and feel Try to choose fabrics that don’t stray too far from the colors of

DIGITAL QUILTING DESIGNS: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES FOR COLLAGE & QUILT QUILTINGDAILY.COM 21 ©F+W a Content and eCommerce Company DIGITAL QUILTING DESIGNS Quilting Daily TECHNIQUES FOR COLLAGE & QUILT

the background fabric. A couple 4. Add a second blending layer scratch stitches, and tiny flower layers of subtle blending are more of stenciling if you wish, using shoots. I chose darker colors for effective than one layer of a bolder a different shade of one of the the embroidery floss and thread color. Blend the stenciling over colors taken directly from your so this layer would appear closer both the transferred image and transferred image. Again, subtle is than other pieces within the layers. background fabric to pull them better to encourage the blending The final layer should pop off the together and reduce any obvious process. If there is an area of your collage, helping to anchor the straight lines. image where too much color bled depth created. under your image, add stenciling TIP: When stenciling, use a light hand 2. Incorporate beading for added over this area in a color that’s and a small amount of paint on your texture and sparkle. I chose to use lighter than the background. If too stencil brush. You can always add more the smallest beads so they wouldn’t much contrast is created, stencil paint, but it’s hard to remove what’s overwhelm the design but would a little more with a paint color already been applied to the fabric. still create a layer of additional between the one you first used texture. On one collage, I used 3. Take a step back from your collage and the background color you are small metallic beads to frame the for a different perspective. If your trying to blend into. image. Depending on the colors stenciling tends to be heavier in and fabrics you select, you may one place than another, go back Adding embellishment choose to incorporate more beads in to balance the overall design. 1. Add hand embroidery as you wish. of different sizes and colors. Screen printing can be substituted I tend to use it lightly or in small or used in conjunction with sections. For my designs, I added Finishing stencils during this step. French knots in places, chicken 1. Mount your quilted collage on a temporary mount. This allows the collage to be reused without damaging it. I temporarily mount my collages on heavy cardboard with heavy-duty tape and create

Journal a mount on the back side for 12" × 81⁄ " × 2" 2 hanging. This creates the option “The cover of this journal was created of using my collages in a different through the process format later on, such as for a described in this article. There are three pillow or tote bag. signatures sewn into a painted canvas cover. I 2. Once the finished collage is attached my art-quilted mounted, go back into the design collage to the front of the with stenciling once more to add journal with machine stitching. I chose to interest along the edges of the machine baste the pages collage to help pull the design into the journal so that I can easily remove pages together. Again, stenciling should to work on outside the be intentionally subtle so as not to journal and then re- draw the eye away from the central stitch the pages in once finished. The pages of the image and other layered details. journal were all painted using diluted Adirondack Remember to play, experiment freely, Color Washes, with some and enjoy the process! Lumiere® metallic paints mixed in to make the margaretapplindesigns.com pages glimmer.”

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