washi tape pencil pouch

I love washi tape (just like everyone else) and I am always looking for new ways to use it!  Since I've been known to sew with just about anything (I wrote a book on it!) I decided to try a sewing project with washi tape!

I treated this just like any of my sewing projects that involve sewing with bits and pieces of fabric or paper- lots of layers of color and shapes with messy stitching over the top.

1. I started by cutting a piece of quilt batting to my desired size (I made a pencil pouch but you could make just about anything).

2. Next, using washi tape, I covered my batting with the tape. There are all kinds of ways to do this- create a pattern, make stripes, go wild with pieces of tape, etc.

The best part is that the washi tape sticks to the surface of the batting (obviously) so there is no pinning things into place!

3. Next, I stitched all over the surface of the tape. There are a couple of ways that you could tackle this step- clean straight lines or messy free motion stitching (my preference).

I went WILD with stitching all over the tape and even added more layers of tape!

4. Last, I sewed my quilted "washi tape" surface into a pencil pouch.

free motion fish mobile and book tour!

Today kicks off a blog book tour for my my new book Sew Wild- YIPEEE!!! And first stop is over at Sew Mama Sew today where I am sharing a creative and SUPER easy tutorial inspired by my book- for this free motion fish mobile that I made for the baby's room.

The mobile was actually inspired by a large whimsical ocean painting I have been working on for the last few months- I keep changing and tweaking it to get the colors right for the room (blues, greens and turquoise- no pink for our little girl!)

And I knew I just had to create a mobile made to compliment the painting.

Made from scraps of fabric and paper this project so easy to put your own twist on!

Head over to Sew Mama Sew for the complete tutorial and a chance to win a copy of Sew Wild!

And stay tuned for updates on the blog book tour :)

BIG scrappy painting

I have been in the midst of organizing and cleaning my studio (its been a while and desperately needs to be done!) and after lots of work I ended up with a GIGANTIC pile of fabric scraps. While I am pretty organized with all of my scraps- I tend to keep just about everything that is fabric and it was time to scale it down a little. I had the idea to use all those scraps to create wall art inspired by the vibe of my new book- Sew Wild so I made a BIG painting full of all my leftover scraps that had the look of a quilt but without the sewing.

I painted over an old painting that I had created a while ago on a huge piece of wood. Side note- I love painting on wood almost as much as I love painting on canvas.

Instead of using glue or gel medium (which definitely could be used) I actually used paint as my binder. This is something that I have been doing since college when I wanted to add collage elements to my paintings.

I covered my surface with a nice generous layer of white house paint and then stuck my fabric to it.

If you don't sew or don't have the time to sew this is a great way to create quilt inspired art without pulling the sewing machine out.

I used all kinds of scraps in different colors and patterns, scraps of my handmade fabric, leftover scraps from my latest book project, scraps of painted canvas, scraps of recycled fabric...scraps, scraps, lots and lots of fabric scraps (at least they are not taking up space in my studio).

Once the surface was completely covered I add swipes of white paint and some drizzles and drips here and there.

Why? Just because I love to add a little element of messy and because it felt like the right thing to do :)

The end result is a huge piece of art that looks like fiber.

Of course, once again this guy just couldn't stay out of a photo!

new online class- beneath the surface

I am excited to announce that I have more online classes coming very soon and the next couple are inspired by my new book- Sew Wild!

The first is called Beneath the Surface and it is a class dedicated to designing and creating your own unique and one of a kind fabric- from the design process to screen printing to dyeing to painting and LOTS more, this class is all about surface design. And not to worry if you are wondering what to do with all your fabric- I've got another class coming in the not so distant future all about sewing.

Registration will open Monday (Aug 8th) and I will be spilling all the class details and also giving away a few free spots in the class. So if you are interested in creating your own fabric check back on Monday for all the details.

Important note about all my online classes-

All of my classes have unlimited access- once you register you can create and access at any time and work at your own pace. Whenever I "release" a new class- I always structure it in a five week format. Many people who want to work in this format, as the lessons are posted each week, enjoy working at this pace but once the five weeks are up there is unlimited time to access everything.

I have found that some people prefer to work along with the five week format when I release the class while others will wait months until they have the time, money and the schedule to register for the class. Either way works- just know that once you are- there is no deadline or pressure to create.