Sunday, April 10, 2011

Fabric ideas

I attended the Orlando Friday evening regional. Oh what fun! This was my third regional. But this one was a bit different. There weren't very many people to sign up for the Friday evening event. I guess they were afraid they wouldn't be getting as much since it was fewer hours. I have to say that the schedule was packed. We didn't have time to do much with our make and takes but that was okay with me. There were just over 50 people in attendance on Friday night. So I got to meet Shelli and other people from SU! headquarters. Woohoo! Carrie Cudney demonstrated some great ideas for using Stampin' Up! fabric on cards and projects. And she had been given permission to say the Candy Cane Christmas fabric from the Holiday mini would be in the new Idea Book and Catalog in July. So, I ordered some of it to play with. I used some of her ideas and found some more on Stampin' Connection. In this first card: the striped background is the fabric, cut to size, fray the edges a bit and adhere using SU! glue stick. Quick and easy. Carrie added zig zag stitching with sewing machine to top of card pocket before stitching the sides. Really cute. I just used sticky strip to make the pocket. The stamp set used is Apple Blossoms (Level 2 hostess set). Rhinestones add a little sparkle. This cute little gift bag is made using the Fancy Favor die for the Big Shot. Carrie demonstrated how to use the Big Shot Fabric Adhesive to "cover"the die cut. Actually you iron the adhesive to a rectangle of fabric cut the size of the die, then remove the paper backing and iron it to the cardstock. (Keep fabric side on top for ironing). You will have fabric attached to cardstock and then run this layered piece through the Big Shot to cut and score. Place the card stock side next to the die, so the crease lines will be most pronounced on it. Then put it together using Tombow glue or sticky strip. I used glue on the side and sticky strip on the bottom flaps. Then I cut some fabric flowers using the Fun Flowers die. There is a layer of each fabric for each size of flower. (I didn't use the small circle and scallop that was also cut... saved those for another project.) I found this flower design on SU! (Dee Slater's Springtime Fabric Flowers video.)
This folded flower was another example that Carrie showed at regional. Quick and easy to make. You cut 4 fabric circles with your Big Shot and fold them into quarters. Adhere each folded circle onto a smaller circle of cs. I used Tom Bow glue. Love that stuff because it sets so quickly! On this card I used a white 5/16" brad for the flower center. You could use a button or small cs circle as the center of the flower, too. The expression is from the Apple Blossoms set. The leaves are made by cutting an oval (I free formed it, but you could use an oval punch.) and folding it in half and then using crimper on it. Unfold it after crimping and you have the "veined" leaf.
These three flowers are cut using the Fun Flowers die and adhere using the Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets. Basically you can use these sheets to make stickers. I found the glue stick to be much easier with the fabric. But I know I'll be using these adhesive sheets for a lot of other fun projects. The scallop along the bottom was made using the Tasteful Trim die and the expression is from the Fabulous Florets stamp set in the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog. I won this set at the regional!
Another flower design found on Stampin' Connection. (Dawn Pritchard's Easy Flower Tutorial) It's easier to make than it appears. You tear 3- 6 inch by 1/2 inch strips from your fabric and then arrange the strips to make the "star" pattern. Then fold the ends of each strip up to the center and secure with brad. Tearing the fabric causes it to fray a bit and adds a nice touch. The stamp set is the Flight of the Butterfly and the stem and base are cut using the Tasteful Trim die. I used my paper piercer to make holes for the "flight" of the butterfly.

The next two cards are the swaps I made to take to the regional. Since there weren't as many people as I suspected I had some left over. On some of my "leftovers" I added a sentiment in the "bare" white area. I used Sincere Salutations on those cards. I think the elegant simplicity of that stamp set goes nicely with these cards. So glad I invested in that set!
The cards are made using the Big Shot Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder on the lower black rectangle. The Elegant Bouquet embossing folder is used on the white cs. I place it on upside down for a different look. The flower is cut out of daffodil delight or tangerine tango with the Fun Flowers die. The scallop center from the die is then embossed using the Square Lattice embossing folder.

I love my Big Shot! There are so many things you can do with it.