This is something I posted about five or six years ago, but it is well worth bringing forward.
I am not a person who sews or works well with fabric. The sewing part is my real NON-talent. That and using power tools or anything with fire.
But, I love fabric and over the years, I have found ways to work it into some art pieces without getting out my never-used sewing machine (which I have had for over 40 years!) My favorite fabric, for its soft, luxurious feel, and the fact that it does not need hemming, does not unravel, is Ultrasuede.
I tried painting on it, but that never worked out too well.
But some projects needed imagery, so I decided to try Sheer Heaven transfers.
My painting above is called “And Then Some” and was sold many years ago in my gallery. It was a self-portrait of sorts – expressing the fact that I always keep reaching and never seem to be satisfied with what I’ve got – sound familiar?
I always keep scans of my originals that I can work from if I ever want to do reproductions.
So, I printed a copy in reverse onto Sheer Heaven at an 8″ x 10″ size.
Note: 8″ x 10″ is the largest Sheer Heaven Transfer I have had success with. The problem is that the alcohol evaporates too quickly to keep a large surface evenly wet long enough. And, even at the 8″ x 10″ size, you have to work quickly.
This photo shows an original print on white paper and the transfer on Ultrasuede. I was pretty amazed by the image quality. The transfer is shown at the top of this post.
Here’s a detail . . .
It was interesting that the transfer took better on the back side of the Ultrasuede. I assume it is because there is less sizing on the back, but I did not wash the Ultrasuede first to find out if that is the case. I will one of these days. Meanwhile, the back is fine for me.
Transfers on Ultrasuede are useful for art quilts or for anything you might make with soft suede or leather like small pillows or purses or dolls. It glues well.
My favorite color of Ultrasuede is “Bone”, but you can use White or Cream or Tan, or any color over which your image will show. This is Ultrasuede “Soft” that I am using.
Ultrasuede is not that easy to find in small lots and is expensive, but I found a great source for Ultrasuede quarters (18″ x 22″) here for $17 . . .
I am going to be posting a lot about Sheer Heaven this month (and this year) because 2015 marks the 15th year of its “birth”. . .
Happy 15th Birthday, Sheer Heaven!
To celebrate, I am having a SALE, offering 15% off Sheer Heaven packages through January 15, 2015.
This is a RARE event because, since my costs went up so much two years ago, I can’t have sales anymore. So, take advantage of this one.
This Sale is for my blog readers only, and is NOT reflected on my website or in my Shopping Cart. So you must use this link to find it:
Sheer Heaven Birthday Sale
jessica, you have sparked my imagination with this idea. Yet another thing we have in common—I do not sew either. I even hem my pants with Stitch Witchery. And go without replacing missing buttons. But I like working with fabric and love the colors and patterns, so I will have to try this. And now I know why you FUSE glass rather than BLOW glass. It’s the fire thing…. 😀