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That is right crayons!!! They are a tool I personally use combined with quilting, last Thursday I showed you a photo montage of quilts completed with an abundance of crayon work and yes I use crayola crayons exclusively because the colour is vivid, gives off very little residue and is colour fast after washing (all with heat setting, this is a must, please keep reading for how to do this). I do not recommend other brands as I have tried others and they do not have the same quality results.
See photo montage of my quilts below: 
Hot Summer Fun featured on the Front Cover of Quilters Connection Magazine Summer 2016 Technique -Crayon Applique and Machine Piecing
My most recent crayon appliqué mini project is shown below:
Turning to the Sun - technique Using Fabric Transfer Pens, Crayon Appliqué and thread painted outlining
The above mini project was made for a recent demo I was asked to do for a local quilt shop.
How to do Crayon Appliqué? That is the Question
1. Find an image and transfer the design onto 100% cotton fabric (light coloured cotton background is recommended). See blog post here about pens for transfer design purposes. Colouring books with designs and web designs are everywhere but please be aware of copyright. Crayola also has some free colouring pages here
2. Tape your fabric with the transferred design to a hard surface (use masking tape) 3. Colour with crayola crayons, press as hard as you like and go over your colouring until you get the intensity of colour you want. 4. Once you are satisfied with the completed colouring, remove your design from the surface and place it on your ironing board. 5. Place 2 layers of paper towel on top of your design, coloured side facing upwards. 6. Press with an iron on cotton setting (no steam) hold for about 20 seconds. lift up the paper towel to see if there is residue from the crayons, if there is, get another 2 fresh layers of paper towel and press again for 20 seconds until there is no residue showing. (CAUTION: DO NOT MOVE YOUR IRON, PRESS ONLY). If you have used a lot of crayon, you may need to repeat this process, I usually only have to do it twice. 7. Sandwich your quilt or apply your design to whatever project you wish, the colour is now imbedded into the cotton fabric, crayola crayons are colour fast as long as you do not expose them to strong sun light and don't use harsh chemicals to clean with. You can also sew through the coloured area with no wax residue on sewing machine needles. 8. There you have it, enjoy working with this wonder tool! Who knew a child's colouring tool invented in 1903 could work for quilting? Get the Crayola Ultimate Crayon Collection with 152 Colours in a durable Caddy Case with a Sharpener below:
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
If you try this technique, please send us a photo of your work we would be happy to share and post! Have a Happy Thursday!?
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I know I have blabbed on about these transfer pens in the past however, if you want to make a quilt or project with a specific appliqué or design motif and you need help transferring a design they work perfectly and you can easily transfer any design to cotton with these pens. Images are everywhere on the internet and in colouring books, magazines etc. A recent graphic I used recently is shown below:
Once the design is transferred to cotton, you can then stitch on to your hearts desire!
See my previous tutorial about how I have used these pens in the past here These pens have become my go to design transferring pens. You can find these pens below in a 4 pack for $19.00 CDN not bad works out to less than $5.00 each.
Another type of pen you can use as well are fabric markers to transfer designs
You will need:
How to do this:
The fabric markers I use are shown below and they are also very effective, they are approximately $24.99 for a package of 10 ($2.50 per pen). " Money Well Spent" as they say.  
If you have either of these two types of pens at your disposal, you can transfer any design and the design possibilities for custom projects are limitless!
A gallery of projects I have done and used either the Sulky Iron-on Transfer Pens or the Fabric Fun Fabric Markers are shown below. These pens were used to transfer the designs only!
The Crayon work on these quilts is a whole other blog post and stay tuned for a tutorial on that in the near future!!
Happy Thursday! Keep your Sun Glasses on! ☀️
I demonstrated this Archie Ruler recently as my journey to working with and teaching domestic ruler work continues. I am really excited about this ruler. The reasons I am excited about this ruler are as follows:
Below is the packaging it comes in:
Look at the background designs on the package, You can do this background on your project with this ruler!
See the back of the package for more design ideas: 
Check out the video about this awesome ruler below form the designer herself!
Have a look at what I did with the ruler below, just playing but so much fun to have control over quilting designs with a tool that is easy to handle.
I can imagine all the projects that could be designed with this ruler in mind....bags, table runners, quilts and more!! One little tool, endless possibilities
 
I hope you have a happy Thursday
The above mini quilt/mug rug was part of a demo on Saturday at Hummingbird Sewing in Barrie, where I talked about the how to and the tools to make easy modern circles. I really love modern quilts with circles and consider the above mini quilt a precursor to circle quilts that I hope to make in the future.
Check here for an article in the Craftsy blog "5 Circle Patterns to Try" for even more inspiration 
Photo courtesy of Craftsy Blog post 5 Circle Patterns to Try
 Go! Retro Circles Quilt Pattern from AccuQuilt
Also have a look at this Free Pattern Download for GO! Retro Circles Quilt Pattern at AccuQuilt. Also another easy way to cut out circles. Click on the image to visit this site and download it for free! 
Tutorial
Modern circles for an adorable mug rug or mini quilt
1. Draw circles with June Tailor Circle templates. See below:
Draw these circles out on the non fusible side of light weight fusible web with a pen or pencil.
I use Pellon Fusible, the sheer weight fusible one that can also be used for shirt collars below:
See a close up of my "Swiss Cheese" drawing of circles below:
2. Use the circle templates again to trace and cut out fabric circles.
3. Lay your fabric circle right side together with the fusible side of your Pellon Interfacing (it will have a shiny, fusible side). See below (matte side is facing out):
4. Sew 1/4" from the edge all the way around (do not leave a gap for turning)
5. Pull the interfacing away from the fabric as shown below (it will look somewhat like a fortune cookie).
6. Cut a slit with scissors in the top centre of the interfacing only about 1.5", be careful not to cut fabric.
7. Turn your circle to the right side gently through the hole you just created.
8. Use a turning tool or Purple Thang (recommended) to smooth out seams, be gentle so that you don't rip through the interfacing. Once you have a nice looking smooth and flat circle set it aside and make more, DO NOT PRESS!
See where to get this awesome tool, that I use all the time below:
It's also a 1/4" measuring tool, bodkin, stiletto and turning tool! So handy in my sewing studio!!
9. Lay out your many circles and audition them on your background, press them down to the background once you are satisfied with the arrangement. Do not use steam but use a hot cotton setting. Press also on the wrong side of the background to insure the fuse is working.
10. Applique your circles to your background using monofilament thread and a zigzag, matching coloured thread and a blanket stitch or appliqué method of your choice. You will also want to stabilize your background while appliquéing. I used white freezer paper ironed shiny side down to the back of my project and tore it away after my appliquéing was completed. See my blanket stitch (very close together) and coloured thread below:
11. Mark circles for quilting on your background with your circle templates and a wash out marker and sandwich your quilt.
12. Quilt (free motion) your marked circles ( I used many thread colours) and meander around the circles, Quilt the circle appliqués as desired. See below for inspiration only! Try your hand at your own method and imagination!! 
I hope you try your hand at this method and send us photos of your quilt project to share with our readers!
Happy Thursday! ? |
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Welcome!Hi I'm Robin and I am a professional long arm quilter, pattern designer and teacher. I am passionate about all things quilty!  
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