This blog post is dedicated to one of Country Sampler’s very popular classes taught by Linda. The class is Fabric Collage! We have scheduled one or two classes a month since September of last year and it remains quite popular. I actually took it twice, I love our classroom environment and having Linda around to assist was a huge help. If you would like to check out the new class schedule and dates and times for a collage class, Check out our new Fall 2019 class schedule here. For those of you who do not know, fabric collage is a technique recently made popular by Laura Heine of Fiberworks, however Collage Art and Fabric Collage itself has been around for quite some time.
Below is my version of Laura Heine's Mini Pin Cushion Pattern. This picture was taken mid design, but it gives you an idea of all the things you can do with fabric collage. It is currently in the process of being quilted! Laura has lots of different patterns to choose from and Country Sampler carries them, if by some chance she has a pattern you are interested in but it is not in our store, we would be happy to order it for you!
What is Collage Art? Coined by cubist artists Braque and Picasso, the term “collage” comes from the French word coller, or “to glue.” Collages can be created from a range of materials, though most are made of paper or wood and often feature cut-and-pasted photographs, painted forms, or even 3-dimensional objects.
In our case the medium is Fabric! In every class each quilter uses fusible and all sorts of different styles/prints of fabric to create their own unique collage. Every student becomes an artist in this enjoyable and entertaining one day class.
Designs range from very realistic to extremely abstract depending on the artist! Laura Heine has created many collage patterns to choose from! The collage world is yours to explore! However, if you would like a little bit of guidance, Linda is here to help.
Here are my two cents and Linda’s important tips and tidbits she would like to share, especially with those interested in taking this very interesting, fun, and addictive class.
Take it away Linda!
Vocabulary. Vocabulary is tricky, many of Laura Heine’s patterns have directions that vary from one to another. For example: underlay is a term introduced in the Emerson Puppy Collage pattern. An underlay is a background fabric that you cover a section of your collage with as a base before designing fussy cut items on top of it. Make sure to read your pattern entirely before you begin, and pay close attention to the terminology used to avoid confusion.
Fusible:
The best fusible to use for collage projects is Steam-A-Seam II. Not lite, just regular Steam-A-Seam II. The fusible is your most expensive part of the project, so conserve on your Steam-A-Seam II whenever possible.
Fabrics:
Fabric selection should include a variety of print sizes and an assortment of fabric color designs. You will need large prints, medium size designs, as well as small. The fabric you collect should have a theme that fits your pattern. For example the Pincushion or Mini Pincushion collages have sewing themed fabrics. If your collage is a bird perhaps you would like to collect feather fabrics. Laura Heine likes to use flower motifs, however you are not limited to any style of fabric in your collage.
How much of each fabric do you need? A good guideline is a 6” x 12” piece, a fat eighth at the most. You will find you use lots of different fabrics in this project, so having a little bit of a lot of things gives you options. Having rectangular or square pieces also makes your fusing process easier, however any size or scrap of fabric can be useful, so don’t rule out pieces just because they are small.
Preparing your unfused fabric:
Cut your fabric pieces to the size you’re most likely to use and adding about ¼” to ½” more all around the piece. This is the best way to save on fabric and fusible.
Peel back the solid layer of paper on the roll of Steam-A-Seam and place your fabric right side up on this tacky side. One side of the steam a seam has a grid, one side is solid. Place several fabric pieces on the width of the Steam-A-Seam II at a time. Your fabric should not overlap, but be placed as close as possible to one another. If the Steam-A-Seam II shows at all between fabrics it will stick to your pressing mat and your iron. If this is the case cut out the larger pieces of fusible prior to fusing them so you don’t have to worry about fusible sticking to your iron or pressing cloth. Now you are ready to fuse!
Fusing the fabric:
First and foremost, this project requires a pressing mat. Often when working with fusible you can get away with an old bed sheet or just the backing on the fusible. With fabric collage that is not the case. A good pressing mat is an essential tool to this project. Our favorite is the Bear Thread Applique Pressing Mat. The size of the pressing cloth does not matter because the bottom of your iron determines how much you can press at a time.
I also use an old sheet over my ironing cover to protect it. If you are not paying close attention you can accidentally transfer some of sticky residue to your iron or ironing board, so covering your board up keeps it safe.
Temperature is important, use a very hot iron and no steam when fusing fabrics onto Steam-A-Seam II. Iron your fabric onto the steam-A-Seam II for 6 to 10 seconds every press to ensure that the fabric is fused. This process must be repeated for all of your collage fabric. If the iron you are using is not quite hot enough you will need 10 seconds for fabric to adhere to the Steam-A-Seam II before moving iron to another area of the fabric.
Clean pressing mat after each pressing to prevent transfer of Steam-A-Seam glue to right side of your fabric. To do this, allow the pressing mat to cool off, then rub sticky residue off with fingers or an eraser. The residue adheres to itself and can be thrown away or it can be picked up and discarded with a sticky lint roller.
Fussy Cutting:
Now that all of your fabric is fused, you are ready to fussy cut. When it comes to collage there seem to be two types of people: Those who fuse and fussy cut everything before they begin, and those who fuse and fussy cut during the design process.
For your first collage project I suggest that before you start to design, you take time to fussy cut flowers, vines, and other small items you would like to incorporate. Trying to complete this job during the designing process can create frustrations and uses up valuable class time. It will seem like you are getting nowhere fast. If you are new to this technique it is difficult to know what you want to use where, without it being cut and ready to go. Having all your pieces cut prior to class will allow you to audition different fabric pieces, get opinions from other classmates, and utilize the teacher’s knowledge. I sit in front of the TV and fussy cut all my fabric prior to beginning to design. I am in no hurry and I like to fussy cut with great detail. It adds dimension and character to my designs.
When it comes to scissors I recommend micro serrated blade scissors with comfortable handles. I have used both of Karen Kay Buckley’s 4” and 6” Perfect Scissors. I like the 4” scissors for fussy cutting lots of detail in small areas and the 6” scissors for cutting in larger areas. Elan is another brand used by some of the ladies who have attended the class. There are other brands out there, however If you buy another brand, just make sure it has a micro serrated blade. The micro serrated blade gives a nice clean cut and helps to keep the fabric from fraying around the outside of your fabric pieces.
When cutting out shapes allow for an extra ¼” to ½” for overlap or use underlays. Certain pieces will show in their entirely and some will be partially covered. Once you have decided what pieces will be on the top or outside of the collage, cut those sides exactly. Pieces to be used on the bottom or inside of the collage that will be overlapped should be larger. Your pieces may have one side trimmed exactly and another with extra room for overlapping.
Clean up:
Fusible material may build up on your cutting tool, clean scissors with alcohol swabs when they get sticky.
Clean a hot iron by ironing over a dryer sheet. Another option is to use an SOS pad or steel wool to clean off fusible while the iron is a somewhat hot (only if your iron does not have a non-stick coated bottom, using a scrubbing tool on this type of iron will damage the non-stick surface).
Background:
There are several different approaches to background fabric depending on the pattern you choose. In some patterns the background is several cuts of fabric pieced together. An example is Cora, the Common Owl.
In other patterns the entire background made up of several fused fabrics that blend together to add interest.
Since you are the designer, you can also use one fabric as your background. I have used this method with Emmerson, the Dog and some of the mini collage patterns.
An ombre fabric would be interesting to use as a background for your project as well. Nevertheless, saying that, I like lots of textured fabric to use as a solid background.
As the designer, you can decide which technique you would like regardless of the pattern recommendation.
In all of Laura’s patterns there is a base on which you create the primary collage design. I use Pattern Ease, however some of her earlier patterns call for voile as the base of the collage. I think the Pattern Ease is light weight and is easier to use. It will not stretch on you during use which is not always the case with voile. All Laura’s more recent patterns are designed on Pattern Ease, even those that will be transferred to a background.
Design:
One of the more difficult decisions is where to begin your collage. Underlays provide a jumping off point. It is an advantage to use underlays because, it helps to cover all parts of your collage and give you a base to build on. Without an underlay it is easy to unintentionally create holes or to stack too many layers of fabric. As a general guide you do not want more than three layers on your collage. More than three layers makes the collage stiff and difficult to quilt causing broken needles and skipped stitches. Your favorite long arm quilter will not be happy with you.
When you start the designing process, remove the graph paper side of your fused fabric so the Steam-A-Seam II can stick to your background or Pattern Ease. The design pieces adhere to your collage surface and make it easier to continue the design process and make decision on what you do or do not like. Most beginners leave the paper on and lay their pieces out. In the beginning it can be a little scary to remove the backing and start placing pieces. The problem with this approach is that it will be necessary to move all of the pieces to get to the inside/bottom layer. Once the paper on the bottom layer is removed and it is placed on your collage it is pretty difficult to get the pieces back in the exact place you originally wanted them. The good news is the Steam-A-Seam II will continue to adhere to your work surface after moving them around many, many times. Moving pieces around and trying new motifs is part of the process and allows you to be more creative. Don’t be afraid to remove the backing paper from the start!
Transferring recommendations:
Once you have competed the main portion of your collage on the pattern ease it is time to transfer it to your background of choice. This step is only necessary for the pieced background or the use of one fabric for your background. I recommend peeling the edge of the collaged pieces away from the Pattern Ease and trimming the Pattern Ease away about ¼” to ½” from around the outside edge. Do not cut your fabric in the process.
After the collage is transferred, you can continue to add more embellishments such as fabric, buttons, crystals, etc. You are only limited by your imagination. An example would be adding flowers, vines, leaves to the tree and to the ground space under the tree branches under Cora, the Common Owl. I also added a butterfly. Add these before the collage is quilted.
Another example is the mini dress pattern. I want to add crystals or rhinestone buttons to the vest of her dress. I can only add those after she is quilted.
So far, I have had my collages projects quilted on a long arm using a micro meander stitch or a small meander/flower motif. I have had some of the collages custom quilted to show examples of different quilting techniques. Someday I might even try to quilt one using my sewing machine, but at the present it is too time intensive a commitment to do it correctly. Here are a couple of examples of how Laurie Heine quilts her projects. The small close proximity lines allow her to stitch down all the individual pieces of fused fabric.
This is a very addictive hobby and oh so fun!! I have completed several different collages as I continue to teach classes. I always like to have one to demonstrate on and samples to show in class using different techniques. Country Sampler has just updated their Fall and Winter Classes so if you are interested be sure to check out our new class schedule! Join us for a fun filled experience.
Linda and Molly
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