"Feelin' Groovy" Diane Evans ©2012
The latest “To-Do” project has now become a “Ta-Da!” Many, many moons ago, I used a design from
one of my copyright-free sources, altered it somewhat, and printed it out on
fabric. Thanks to the experimentation of
fellow blogger Jill Buckley at The Quilt Rat, I learned that aloe vera gel
makes a wonderful medium for fixing fabric ink; it’s easily available and very
inexpensive. Since “available” and
“inexpensive” are two of my favorite words, I bought the All-Purpose Giant Economy-Sized
tube and went to work.
I ironed the fabric to a piece of freezer paper to give it
stability. The gel was spread over the
entire drawing with a paintbrush and left to dry. I then applied the color using Tsukineko
Fabrico ink pens and used an iron to heat set it.
Sulky rayon thread was used in the machine
quilting, and French knots were added for texture.
The postcard was inserted into a raised, white mat and is available for sale in my Etsy shop.
Jill has also had great results using the aloe vera as a
medium for blending watercolor pencils, and the next project is already
percolating away. I think this gel could
be the next baking soda of our time – one simple product, so many uses.
Thanks, Jill!
Diane
