Making "Candles" thread art piece. Experiments with Artist Transfer Paper on fabric

 

As the seasons shift to autumn and long days of summer become shortened by shadows, the trees take up the mantle of infusing the landscape with their own internal light source. Every year I look forward to seeing them glowing like candles on the hillside in the evening sun. 

Using some photos that Bob and I took from a drive along Hwy 2 a couple years ago, 

I wanted to see if I could create a thread piece celebrating the glow 

of my favorite season. 

I love the texture in this batik fabric, but the color is too bright to showcase my glowing trees....so time to get out the soft body acrylic! (I love this for fabric as it doesn't change the hand of the fabric like normal acrylic paint does.)

While my background fabric was drying I printed my chosen photo on ATP (artist transfer paper) and placed it face down on a piece of muslin. Using a hot dry iron I heated the ATP until the transfer moved from the paper to the fabric, pealing up slowly to make sure that as much of the print was releasing as possible. 

Now it's time for thread!

My background fabric was finally dry, so I gave it a press and did a little audition to see if I was happy with it's new color.

I got out my oil pastels next to add some wispy clouds on the background where I planned to place the treeline. I softened the color of  by rubbing the pastel into the fabric and then before it was fully dry, putting a pressing cloth over the top of the piece and pressing my hot iron on the top to pull up a little of the extra color. 

After cutting out the tree line I wanted to focus on,  it's now time to stitch it in place on the background. 

Trimmed, bound and ready!

"Candles"