Ink-tensity

I know that I promised earlier to post about this...so...spurred on by the reminder in this blog post...

I took a class earlier this month at Central Sewing, in the use of InkTense (R) pencils.  Edmonton artist Ginette Guevremont was the instructor.  I promised to post about it...and at last...

There were about a dozen of us in the class -- just the right size for lots of sharing and feedback, and personal as well as group instruction.  :-)  We ranged in skill and experience from artists who draw on fabric to never-tried-this-before.

I had no preconceived ideas about the class; I registered because I wanted some hands-on instruction in the blending of colours with these pencils.  Hitherto, I'd tried them out and failed rather miserably...the photo here looks better than the 'real life' piece...

So.

Ginette began by introducing us to her work, largely done with pre-printed fabric which she'd found at IKEA...some of which is no longer available (sigh).  Each of us was invited to take a sample, and I went for the piece with fruit and veggies.

Using these, we practiced colouring in the shapes, then sampling with the 'outliner' pencil, and then with a different -- liquid -- resist, both of which are designed to prevent 'bleeding' when the pencil-coloured areas are gone over with a wet brush:

Samples 1 & 2: 1) InkTense pencil with outline pencil
resist; 2) leaves done with Tsukineko inks

Sample with Jacquard liquid resist on the edges

Then we moved into playing with Crayola and/or Sharpie fabric markers, and learned how to handle 'bleeds' to create shadows to good effect:

It's worth noting that a "marker" creates a very distinct line/shape and doesn't allow the blending that can be created by these soft-tipped pencils.

A key point: unlike colouring or drawing with pencils on paper, where one might want a sharp tip, InkTense (R) pencils are meant to be used with a softer, more rounded tip for best "colouration" results.

As for colouring in pre-printed shapes...this was all well and good, but I left colouring books behind many years ago.  I wanted to play differently.  And we did!

We moved into "rubbing" on plates (also used with Shiva (R) Paintstiks).  Here, I used a couple of different pencils to rub a design on batik fabric.

I then surrounded the floral with a stencilled design, which you can see in blue (swirls) above.  I also played with the stencil and a marker...very sharp and clear against that background...

But I valued more this idea of creating a 'controlled wash' -- that is, a 'wash' of colour on a background done in this fashion:

1. Select the desired background fabric;
2. Secure it to a firm surface (such as foam core);
3. Colour it using the side(s) of an InkTense (R) pencil;
4. Using a wide brush, wash water over the coloured area to create colour on colour:

Et voila...the beginnings of a sunset sky...or an early dawn...without dyeing wads of fabric!

Thanks to Ginette and Central Sewing for providing this class.  It was fun, interesting and  useful.

And there you have it!  Give it a go, eh?

Travelling with Pie

This weekend marks Thanksgiving in Canada, and I'm going up to Edmonton to spend it with my kids, my soon-to-be daughter-in-law and her family.  She and her mom are doing the turkey etc.; I'm bringing pie.

Therein lies the rub: logistics.  I was hoping to assemble two pies in my DD's kitchen, but she's in the midst of a Serious Kitchen Make-over and has no counters!

So.  I made one pie here -- Saskatoon (think 'wild blueberries' if you're not on the Canadian Prairies, Alaska, or the Western/North Central U.S.) -- and froze it.  All well and good.
BUT...the second pie has to be pumpkin (grin) because it's Thanksgiving!  Well.  I've never had experience freezing a pumpkin pie.  Indeed, it's not recommended.

So.  This morning I made the pastry.  I'll freeze it too, and thaw in time to make the pie on Sunday after church.  Bless C's mom, she has a turkey roaster, so The Bird will have its own personal roasting space and I can use the oven for the pie.

In preparation, I've assembled this Travelling Pie Kit:

Ingredients:
Trusty Old Cookbook
Packet of sugar and spices
Can of evaporated milk
Can of unseasoned pumpkin
Bottle of faux vanilla extract
Ball of (frozen) pastry

Tomorrow I'll pack up the Kit and the frozen Saskatoon pie in a box lined with paper and nestled with ice packs...and head out! (I don't own a cooler.  Tried to buy one at the hardware in town yesterday -- they don't make 'em wide enough front-to-back to accommodate a pie plate.)

I have a pit-stop on the way to my DD's home, where I'll be staying.  The stop: a 4-hour class in using InkTense (R) pencils, offered by Central Sewing (South store).  I've muddled along long enough with these -- and with my watercolour pencils -- to know I need some hands-on instruction, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Today?  The forecast is for a high of 20+ C, so it's the perfect day to do the Fall Cleaning of the Car Interior; to check the vents on my roof and 'goop' them if needed; and to maybe do a wee bit of fabric painting -- some skies for my new minis.  

As the 14-day trend is for reasonable temps and mainly sunshine, I'll leave clearing the garden for now.  I hate to put away the Outdoor Studio...especially when I can still stitch there in the sunshine, or use it for photos of finished objects, like this one, which went off in the mail Wednesday...

M's Comfort Shawl
Pattern: "Zilver" by Lisa Mutch
Yarn: Peruvian Pure Alpaca from elann.com (discontinued)

M's Comfort Shawl - close-up

Now...I'm linking this up to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday...and will join you there in a break in the action later today!

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers; I'm thankful to have you all (both Canadians and those who want to be) in my life!

I'm So Excited

I can hardly stand m'self!  It's been quite a weekend -- and it's not over yet.  :-)

I don't have many photos from the Edmonton Festival of Quilts and those I have...I can't share online.  :-(  However, it was a grand show -- 300 pieces, not counting the special exhibits such as the Primrose Quilt Challenge (miniatures with the theme, "I've Been Everywhere") and the charity quilts and the "Bees".  Yes...the Edmonton Guild has a number of small groups (bees) within its purview, catering to quilters who want to meet in small groups and explore various techniques, such as applique, surface design, making bags from scraps, etc.  Great fun!

The venue was, in reality, far too small for the ambitious displays and vendors.  Parking was a nightmare because the women (quilters) were vying for space with the men (ball tournament players)...and there was also a wedding at a church nearby, so that parking lot was unavailable.  Whoa!!

Blessedly, everyone took it in stride (we are, after all, Canadian) and lined up and parked nicely and walked whatever distance necessary... It was good for us, after all, and it was a nice day! (Forecast showers held off, thank goodness!)

I made two passes through the exhibit halls...including vendors...with a break for a bite to eat in between.  Ran into some art quilt friends, saw the work of many others, and more.  Found my favourite vendor -- Copperfields Books -- which had been missing in Red Deer in April (the dear fellow made it to RD and came down with the flu and spent his weekend in the hotel room!!).  Made a purchase and solicited him to look for the latest Double Trouble DVD for his inventory.  Yeah!  I await news...

Eventually, mind overflowing, I made my way back to my car...and south to...Central Sewing.  This is where the excitement builds -- trust me!

It's their anniversary, and they've been having BIG sales for several months now.

And I've been pondering an 'embellisher' for 3 years now.

Today...their sale prices caught up with my dream.

I am now the proud owner of a Baby Lock Embellisher -- 12 needles, thread port, stand for thread/balls of yarn...

Be still, my heart!  I have landscapes forming pictures in my head.  Miniatures.  Felted backgrounds.  Uses for the merino fleece and wool felt batt and on and on and on.  I'm tempted to take "Summer School" into a fall semester...and hope that I come out in January with the start of an inventory enough for the next Lacombe Art Show and Sale!

This is what happens when you're a knitter (age 8) who learned to embroider (age 10) and later to quilt (forties) and spin (fifties)...

Eventually the fibre and floss catch up with each other and become...fabric!

Oh...and then a pit-stop (for over an hour) at River City Yarns (South), in order to spend some of the gift cards my kids gave me for Mother's Day.  Again -- WHOA!  I really wanted a Namaste bag, but their inventory had small ones...and large ones...but nothing that was 'just right' (with apologies to Goldilocks).

So...I went for a book featuring free-form knitting that I've been wanting to play with (Freeform: Serendipitous Design Techniques for Knitting & Crochet -- 2nd Edition -- by Prudence Mapstone)...and a roll of Sulky 'Sticky Fabri-Solvy' to add to my fabric-creating play inventory.  Believe it or not, these two items took 3/4 of the gift card funds...so just a wee bit left over for another visit...but LOTS of play time in between!

Thanks to my kids and my friends for a wonder-filled weekend!

Stay tuned...