The Best Quilting Notions for Fun Projects #4 Crayons??

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?
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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!?