"Ink-A-Dink-A-Do"

"Ink-A-Dink-A-Do"   Diane Evans ©2012

If you love coloring inside the lines, you’re really going to enjoy Sherry Rogers-Harrison’s technique for creating art quilts with intricate color.  In her book, “Ink-liqué,” Sherry explains how to quilt the design first and then add the color; I couldn’t wait to try this – turns out it’s both artistic and meditative.

I drew an original design onto paper and traced it to a piece of Hoffman PFD fabric that had been starched to within an inch of its life – the fabric felt crisp, like paper.  The piece was then layered with cotton batting and backing, and the free-motion quilting began; every motif was outlined using So Fine 50-weight thread and a size 65/9 needle.  The idea is to create the smallest holes possible in the sandwich so that no ink will migrate through to the back.

Then the next stage of the fun began.  Color was added using Sakura Gelly Roll pens for the outlines, along with Identi-Pens and Tsukineko Fabrico Ink Pens to fill in the shapes.  

Sulky rayon thread was used in the machine quilting, and the postcard was inserted into a raised white mat.  It's now available for sale in my Etsy shop.

And if you found yourself humming the title's

 tune by the late Jimmy Durante, you're probably as old as I am . . .

Diane