ARTchix Studio: CREATE: Free Class: Fabric Collage

1.Cut or rip a fabric base for your collage that’s a little bit larger than the size you think you’d like to end up with. I knew I wanted my collage to be about 9” x 12” so I ripped out a piece of fabric a few inches bigger than that all around. By doing this you can decide later to either cut/rip your base to the size you want, or you can fold the edges under and sew or glue the edges down for a neater, more finished looking collage. Your choice!

2.Gather up the image that you have already transferred to fabric (or use an ARTchix Studio transparency image) plus your scrap pieces of layering fabric, any vintage cloth you’d like to use, as well as any charms, tags, or other art bits, trims or ribbons you might like to add to your fabric collage. (See image above)

3.Lay your image transfer down on top of one piece of contrasting fabric that is a bit larger than your image. I used a textured, striped upholstery fabric that I felt complimented, yet contrasted with my image transfer.

Note: if you are using an ARTchix Studio Transparency image, this will show up best in your collage with white fabric underneath; as it’s easier to see the image this way. You can always layer the transparency/white fabric sandwich on top of another contrasting fabric.

4.Attach your image to the contrasting fabric with your sewing machine, by hand sewing, or by using Tacky Glue. I used a variety of decorative machine stitches to sew my image transfer to the contrasting fabric I used. Take the image which is now attached to the contrasting fabric and lay it on top of another piece of fabric or a vintage cloth. At this point I hand sewed all three fabrics to my fabric base so that the stitches would not be so visible.
(See image above)

5.Cut or rip your fabric base down to the size you want; I did this by making a small slit and ripping the edges of the fabric. I liked the thin, ripped, curly pieces that were leftover, and so I used Tacky Glue to glue these strips down in a few spots to the left side of the image.
(See image above)

6.To finish this simple collage, add rubber stamped words with VersaCraft ink. This is a wonderful ink for stamping on fabric and can be heat set. Test on scrap fabric first before stamping on your fabric collage. This will let you know if you have enough ink and if you are pressing firmly enough.

7.Add any charms, tags, ribbons etc that you like by gluing or sewing on. I used a small piece of coral picked up on the beach. I glued this coral on to the bottom left corner of my image transfer.
(See image above)

8.If you would like to sew or glue under the edges of your fabric collage, now is the time to do that. I left my edges raw and in fact, I pulled on the threads to make the edges more raggedy!

9.When any glue you’ve used on your collage is dry, mount your fabric collage on 140lb watercolor paper. This will ensure it will be easy to frame. I used Yes Glue for this job, spreading a thin coat over the back of my fabric collage with an old credit card. Then I pressed my fabric collage onto the watercolor paper and rubbed on the back of the paper to make sure it was secure.
(See image above)

Enjoy! You can see a larger photo of my fabric collage here:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2041/2397786557_3c624ef79e_o.jpg