Crayons and Quilt question
 

HI

Within the past month someone posted a thread on using crayons on quilts, and I didn't bookmark it (duh), and now I found the perfect design to embroider, and then color with crayons.

Here are my questions now:

1) I will probably use cream color material but what is the best "type" of material (kona cotton, heavier type of decorator fabric, etc?) to use in this process ?

2) I am assuming that you use the old fashion "regular" Crayola crayons ?

3) And I think after you colored the material, you were suppose to put something (freezer paper, shiny side up or down?) over it to heat set it - is this correcct ? And which temperature ?

Thanks for any advice.

KarenSue

any fabric you want (100% cotton) will work- pre-wash it with detergent- do not add fabric softener- or sheets when drying (you are removing additives- don't want to add them back in) color your designs---DO NOT IRON THE SHINY SIDE OF FREEZER PAPER-YOU WILL HAVE PLASTIC MELTED TO YOUR IRON---
use a brown paper sack and press (heat set) the designs- the brown paper (or newsprint) will soak up the melted wax- leaving the color behind. you can re-color, in layers to deepen the color...and if after time it starts to fade you can re-color, re- heat set....the local pre-school i volunteer at has been doing these for almost 11 years now. (the freezer paper is used (press the shiny side to the back of the fabric-ironing on the paper side) to give the fabric stability so it can be colored- after coloring-before heat-setting the freezer paper is peeled off and can be re-used a number of times.

oh forgot to add the question about the crayons---there are (fairly expensive) fabric crayons---which you can purchase---but we have been using the dollar store crayons for years with great success. ... the most inexpensive crayons seem to have the deepest colors & when heat set hold the color the best...and of course- crayola has the biggest color assortment- any crayon will work- as long as they are not the washable (removable) crayons...those will wash away as they are intended to do

I have just taken the class from Terry Linn Kygar which is a melt-n-blend method. It is so much fun and super simple once you learn the technique. I suggest you get her book or one of her patterns. You just use regular crayons!!! She uses mainly white fabric that has not been washed.

Hope someone can answer this, do I do the coloring before I do the embroidery?

I am watching this topic, too. I asked the same question yesterday, do not want to add a whole lot of color just a bit of highlighting. After all of the time this has taken, do not want to mess it up.

There is a you-tube video by Terrie Kygar that shows a way of melting the crayon and blending on the fabric I have her book but haven't tried it yet! I would think you'd want to color first so you don't get the color on the thread.

I had posted a crayola quilt I started where I used my own bird photos on the quilt. I used regular crayons and used a higher quality muslin, white fabric is so hard to find around me. I pre-washed the fabric.

Years ago I purchased some Crayola that were specifically marked as Fabric Crayons and were packaged by Dritz. I haven't opened the package to use them yet so not sure if there is a difference between regular Crayolas and these. Has anyone else ever used these? Not sure if the colors would last longer than regular crayons.

Carole

Here they are

http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Crayola-.../dp/B00178JUS2

I used the crayola brand with the quilt I made with students at school and then used an iron and ironed on to a brown paper bag to set the crayon into the fabric. I don't believe I washed the fabric first , but did iron it on freezer paper ( each square) so it was easier for the kids to draw and color his/her picture on to the fabric.

The special 'fabric crayons' are not permanent on cotton fabric. They are made for synthetics (for t-shirt quilts), not cotton. Regular Crayola crayons and Prang crayons have the most pigment and are the most recommended for use with fabric coloring. The fabric should be prewashed so the color adheres to the fibers better; prewashing removes all the finishes that block that adhesion. The freezer paper is used as a stabilizer on the back of the fabric to make it easier to color. Also, short strokes in one direction works best. Have fun.

Thank you Ghostrider for the clarification. I hadn't noticed that they were only meant for synthetic and poly-cotton blends. I would have used them on cotton so you saved me a lot of frustration, ehen I eventually get to this project :o)

Carole

Check out my friend, Katie's blog. She is getting ready to teach a class at the LQS. Look at this beautiful wall hanging or an iris she is working on. http://katiesquiltingcorner.com/

I have a quilt that my mother made in the early 1930's for a child's bed. It has several nursery rhymes on it illustrated in crayon and outlined in a running stitch. The fabric has worn out but the crayon colored illustrations are still in excellent shape! The colors are still bright. She did it with Crayola crayons on muslin. That makes the colors lasting 80 plus years.