New today is MistyFuse Ultraviolet - it fuses like regular MistyFuse and also protects lighter fabrics from the yellowing and tanning effects of ultraviolet light on your fabulous pieces fabric art.


We have restocked our popular Sari Ribbon, Sari Strips and Sari Yarn,
The difference between them? They all start with Sari Strips. The Sari Ribbon (1/2"-1" wide) is made by taking the strips and sewing them together, end to end, to make a length of about 5 yards. It's a bright mix of colors with sometimes a little pattern mixed in. The Sari Yarn is what happens if you take the ribbon along with bright silk thread waste and twist it into a yarn of about 5 yards long. The beginning product, Sari Strips (shown above), are individual pieces (usually 2 or 3 in a pack) that are about 2 1/2"-9" wide, for a total of about 2-3 yards of sari fabric. They are a very popular item!

More restocks:

Creative Silk Pack
Throwsters Waste
Degummed Throwsters Waste
Silk Fiber Fun Kit
Funky Fibres Box

Last but not least we updated the BIG CLEARANCE with a few new items and some new (lower) prices - have fun!

Tags: Big Clearance, MistyFuse

Just a quickie note to say that thr3fold Journal has arrived. We have several issues available in our Magazines, etc section. They are absolutely fabulous!

Tags: Thr3Fold Journal

We're happy to announce we will be stocking Thr3Fold Journal very soon! Be on the lookout!

Also new is Down Under Textiles, an exciting new Australian magazine dedicated to textile arts. The latest techniques, tools and products; color, design and composition theory; galleries, profiles and much more.

Tags: Thr3Fold, Journal, Down Under, Textiles

Have Photoshop Elements (or Photoshop/CS)? Not sure what to do with the layers, filters, textures, etc? Me too! Susan Tuttle's new book, Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements helps to solve that problem. I'm so excited to dive into this one! It takes you step by step through the techniques used to use many of the wonderful tools available in the software. It comes with a bonus CD that includes assorted brushes, photos and textures. In addition to using existing photos, brushes and textures, she shows how to create your own. The results can then be used in mixed media pieces, textiles, etc.

Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements

Tags: Digital Expressions, Susan Tuttle, Photoshop Elements

We recently received a nice shipment of new and restock items from Oliver Twists:


Thick Rayon Ribbon
This is a thicker rayon chainette. It's fabulous for tassels, hand stitching, couching, fringe making... and it's so easy to work with!


Dyed Silk Tops
High quality long fiber mulberry silk dyed in classic Oliver Twists style.


Dyed Felt Squares
Hand dyed wool (70% wool 30% rayon) for use in surface decoration, textile art, mixed media, etc. Squares are 42cm x 42cm.


Dyed Abaca Tissue (in two weights)
Dyed sheets of abaca tissue (Tissutex) dyed by Oliver Twists. 76 cm x 48 cm, two thicknesses: 9gsm and 21gsm. We're having trouble keeping this one in stock!


Dyed Scrim Twist


Experimental Pack #1
Hand dyed, color coordinated pack of materials used in embroidery, surface decoration, textile art, mixed media, cardmaking and scrapbooking. Contents: 1 sheet (380mm x 240mm) Abaca Tissue, Silk Throwsters Waste, Silk Carrier Rods (2), a selection of cotton and rayon threads (10 threads x 1 meter of each), 1 coil of colored wire.


Degummed Cocoons
Soft degummed silk cocoons - no worm inside! Great texture, and they dyed up beautifully.

And, we received a fabulous new book:

The Art of Stitching on Metal by Ann Parr

Tags: Oliver Twists, metal

You read it right - we now have Brusho!!!!

Brusho sets
We're stocking it in sets of 5, 12 and 24 colors. The 5 color set also includes a packet of thickener and and instruction leaflet. In addition to having a really cool name, Brusho is a watercolor powder with fabulously concentrated, vibrant colors. It can be used as a dry sprinkle, regular watercolor, stain...a multitude of techniques. Used extensively in England's City & Guilds program and is very popular with many fabric and mixed media artists. A color chart for the various sets can be found HERE

Also new this week is Lesley Riley's wonderful Transfer Artist Paper

It transfers to almost any surface, works with crayons, colored pencils, markers and bubble jet printers. The transfer has no hand - you can't feel it. I am just itching to try it with some of my photographs.

Tags: Brusho, TaP, Transfer, Lesley Riley

Probably not the Bark Cloth you may be thinking of - this one is made from pieces of actual bark from the African fig tree. It's soaked and beaten to a thin(ish) sheet. It's a renewable product!

It may have small holes, or even patches sewn over larger holes, it all adds to the character of the cloth. It can be used by textile and mixed media artists in many ways. We're offering it in sheets of A4 size and small sampler packs.

Tags: Bark Cloth, Mixed Media

Once again we have TissuTex back in stock! It's available in two weights, 9 gsm (grams per square meter) and 21 gsm.

9 gsm is the sheer one pictured above, and the 21 gsm is layered over it with a single thickness corner showing. The great thing about TissuTex is its wet strength - it acts more like a fabric than paper so it is very easy to dye and manipulate. Both weights are stocked in large sheets of 20" x 29.5".

Tags: TissuTex, Abaca Tisue

Yes! Chiffon scarves are back in stock! Right now we have them in nine colors plus black, white and silver grey. The white scarves take dye beautifully.

Sari stuff:

Sari Ribbon

Sari Strips

Sari Yarn

It's all so very lovely and beautiful and luscious, I don't know what my favorite is... but I know there are sari tassels in my future.

We are also in the process of restocking our Treenway silk fibers: Creative Silk Pack, Dyed Silk Rods, Dyed Silk Cocoons, Dyed Hankie Packets, Dyed Degummed Throwsters Silk, and Dyed Cocoon Strippings. The products are listed but not all photos are done yet.

Tags: Chiffon scarves, sari, silk fibers

I'm very excited to say we now stock the line of books & DVDs published by Committed to Cloth! All are on special introductory pricing for a limited time.

Screen Printing: Layering textiles with colour, texture & imagery, book & DVD by Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan


Paper & Metal Leaf Lamination: A mixed media approach with cloth, book & DVD by Claire Benn, Jane Dunnewold & Leslie Morgan


Finding Your Own Visual Language: A practical guide to design & composition by Jane Dunnewold, Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan


Breakdown Printing: New dimensions for texture & colour by Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan


Tray Dyeing: Exploring colour, texture & special effects, book & DVD by Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan

Tags: Committed to Cloth, Claire Benn, Leslie Morgan, Jane Dunnewold, printing, Dyeing, screen, metal leaf, Lamination

Today's spotlight is on the two new books by the Double Trouble team of Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn.

Fragile Fabrics

This is very much a continuation of where Vanishing Act left off, in that it works with soluble film. But it also brings in other materials, such as sheers and even felt to make the fragile, etherial fabrics. Materials referenced include Lutradur, chiffon scarves, scrim, soluble stabilizers and fusible web. There's a nice question and answer section, too.

Constructions

Constructions is about structure, pattern, detail, texture...About how to see a composition in a photo or through a cardboard frame or a window, or.... I'm really liking this one! Materials and techniques include foils, Lutradur, embellisher machine, fusible web, chiffon scarves, scrim, soluble film, pintucks, heat distressing, discharge.

Tags: Fragile Fabrics, constructions, Jan Beaney, Jean Littlejohn, Double Trouble

As I promised last week, here are the juicy details on our new books:

Stitches, Straps & Layers by Maggie Grey

Maggie uses metallic foils, fusible web, burning, printing, Lutradur, paper, paint, XpandaPrint, stitching, straws, scrim, silk rods, pintucks, spines, pipe cleaners, embossing powder, felt, metal, toilet paper, patches, paper clips, chiffon and organza, sari ribbon & scraps, couching, embellisher machine, match sticks, and even past failed experiments and more to construct straps. From there, the straps can be used for various applications, including 3D objects such as vessels. She encourages recycling. I truly love this book.

*Bonus - as in her last book (Textile Translations Mixed Media), this book comes with FREE online classes at the publisher's web site. Instructions for accessing the classes are at d4daisy.com.

Contrasting Elements by Jae Maries

This book is like an art class in a book - a terrific, dynamic class. Contrasts in color, design, materials, techniques and imagery are taught through exercises using a wide variety of easy to find materials like paper, scissors, fabric, paint, thread, glue, and sticks. I could see working through an exercise a week, a month for even more development, or for a short refresher even a day. It's completely versatile and very confidence boosting.

Stitching the Textured Surface by Lynda Monk & Carol McFee

This book focuses on making surface texture, and of course, stitching into it. An emphasis is placed on mixed media materials like Tyvek, Lutradur, felt, gesso, molding paste, scrim, foils, and lace. The textured pieces are used in flat and 3D applications. Lovely, lovely texture!

*Bonus - This book comes with FREE online classes at the publisher's web site. Instructions for accessing the classes are at d4daisy.com.




Next post will cover the two new treats from Double Trouble: Fragile Fabrics and Constructions.

Tags: Maggie Grey, Books, classes, Beaney, Littlejohn, Double Trouble, Jan Maries, lynda Monk, Carol McFee, Stitching the Textured Surface, Contrasting Elements, Stitches, Straps & Layers, Fragile Fabrics, constructions

Today we have five new books!
Two from Jan Beaney and jean Littlejohn: Fragile Fabrics and Constructions
One from Maggie Grey: Stitches, Straps & Layers
Contrasting Elements by Jae Maries, and Stitching the Textured Surface Lynda Monk & Carol McFee

I'll have an upcoming post with photos soon, but wanted to get the word out as I know there are a few of you waiting for these titles.

Also, most of the Stef Francis fibers and threads have been restocked - yay!

Tags: Stef Francis, Double Trouble, Beaney, Littlejohn, Maggie Grey, Jae Maries, Lynda Monk, Carol McFee, Straps, contrasting, Fragile, constructions

Yes - a shipment of Texture Magic arrived today! Also restocked are Freeform: Serendipitous Designs by Prudence Mapstone, and (the out of print and hard to find) Tassel Making by Anna Crutchley.

On the horizon is a restocking of Stef Francis threads, fibers and assorted goodies, it should arrive in the next week or so.

In the meantime - Happy New Year! Each year I think time can't possibly go by any quicker, but somehow it does. Sigh. Welcome to 2010, and lets hope it's better than 2009

Tags: Stef Francis, Texture Magic, Tassel Making