When I first posted blog entries in July and August of 2011 about what I call "ghost quilting," Iris Frank, a freelance writer from California, contacted me about collaborating with her on an article for
American Quilter, the magazine of
American Quilter's Society. Of course I was excited and thrilled at the opportunity to appear in this prestigious publication and we began working on the article. I made a similar project to the one she had seen, taking step photos along the way and writing cutlines for each. We tweaked and edited over several months and I sent work to Paducah for photography. What a happy trip I made to my mailbox this week when the January 2013 issue arrived at the end of November! Imagine my surprise when I saw the top line on the magazine cover: "Ghost Quilting--A Scare-Free Technique."
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| American Quilter January 2013 |
When I first began doing these, I referred to them as "expanded flowers" or "extended pictures" or a similar uninteresting-sounding name. In that earlier blog, I said: "I call it Ghost Quilting. I start with a square or rectangle of printed
fabric as the focus, then I add borders all around and imagine what is
out off the edge of the focus fabric and complete the motifs with only
stitching or with Neocolor II water soluble wax pastels (by Caran d'Ache, available at art supply stores) plus stitching. The
focus fabric can be fused onto the center of a larger piece or borders
can be sewn onto the center."
To purchase a copy of the magazine from
AQS,
call 800-626-5420 now, or watch for it in mid-December at quilt, book, craft, and fabric stores.
It is really an easy and fascinating technique. I have shown this to friends and many of us now look at each piece of fabric in the light of "I wonder how this would work with ghost quilting."
13 comments:
This is a great article. It's well written and easy to understand. Fun, fun, fun project!
Congratulations Martha! It looks great, and I bet there will be lots of interest in the technique.
Thanks, Jeanne; I hope you will enjoy trying this. And thanks, Julia--you know you are my star pupil, don't you?
Hi Martha!
Moni here: I saw your article in the latest AQS magazine - hey I know here! Very well done. Definitely going to try this. Have you tried any other types of crayons? The ones you recommend are pretty spendy.
Hi, Moni, watch for special sales at Cheap Joe's for the crayons, and you can blend them, so you don't need the largest set. I have the 40 and could get by on fewer. As for others, I have used watercolor pencils some; I imagine anything you can heat-set will work. Not to be washed, though. It's good to hear from you. Happy climbing and skiing!
Martha
Have you used these crayons on dark material? I ended up buying some Portfolio crayons, which seems to work well EXCEPT on dark fabric. When I iron that to heat set - the color soaks through the fabric and dulls or disappears. It soaks through on the light colored fabric too, but seems to stay adequately bright.
Moni, I've used the Neocolor II crayons a bit on dark and the color seems stable after heat setting. It really lays on top of the fabric. But to dampen with a paint brush (like I do on light fabric) seems to dilute and lighten the color to the point of it disappearing. Hope this helps.
Martha
So, Martha, here's what I came up with. I am quite pleased.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60431021@N04/8494242274/in/photostream
I will blog about this soon.
Moni, you should definitely be pleased! Your Iris piece is lovely, and you have taken the technique one step further with the addition of applique. Great work! I'll watch for it on your blog.
Here it is February 2021 and I just went through my 'American Quilter' of Jan 2013!!
getting ready to toss. But a DOUBLE WOW! for your Ghost Quilting article. I LOVE it and wonder how I never fully read when I got the magazine. The Fall Harvest and Poppy are my favourites. Such a fun idea. So now you have me searching for a great piece of fabric. Tried to see Moni's on flickr but it is no longer there. Also like your hair colouring, way too much fun. Thank you so much for your article, though we tad late. Sorry about that. Anne in Colorado
Sewanne,
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment when you ran across the Ghost Quilting article in AQ Jan 2013 during your 2021 clean-out! I wonder how many other treasures we have set aside to read later . . . and finally pass on. I'm so glad you enjoyed the article and do hope you will try and enjoy the technique. My favorite fabrics are dark backgrounds with very large objects (flowers, leaves, etc.) and I rarely use the crayons any more--just colored thread for stitching. The best examples are in this blog post: http://marthaginn.blogspot.com/2019/10/fall-is-just-word.html.
OH! Now a Triple WOW, WOW, WOW. A thousand thanks for the extra look see of your Ghost Quilting. Just amazing. Is it okay to share your blog with my friend in OZ? She is a whizz at thread painting and will love this so much. Believe that was why I adored the Fall Harvest so much, you used thread stitching on that one as well. This is such a great way to make a super nice small wall hanging rather than a framed piece. Much more personal, with feeling, also with great love in the project. At least that is what I see in your gift of quilting art. Thank you for very much for sharing your gift. Anne in Colorado
Anne,
You have made my day.....of course I would love for you to share this with your friend. I always want more people to see what I write on my blog. I intend to write more often than I do, but if you will subscribe you will receive an email saying I have a new post. Saves checking in to see if there's anything new. Talking about this makes me want to stitch some more of those prepared pieces I have waiting! They make great gifts and often lead to sales later. I'm a good artist but lousy at marketing.
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