AMANDA'S BASKETS: FABRIC PAPER

Thursday, August 20, 2020

FABRIC PAPER

So what exactly is fabric paper or paper fabric? Well, it's simply paper that has been glued to fabric. There is no one right way to make this...some folks put one layer of paper on a piece of fabric, others put several layers. Some folks use watered down glue, other straight from the bottle (Note: Paper stays straighter with glue and no water.) I like to use one or possibly two layers and then have a final layer of thin white tissue paper and watered down glue.

You need very little to make this: Paper, fabric, cling wrap, glue, big brush and container if watering down. For the glue, I use tacky glue. A lot of crafters like to use Modge Podge. I do like Modge Podge but find that sometimes it never completely dries and remains sticky to the touch.

For the cloth, you can use anything you want. Muslin is what many folks use. I use scraps of fabric that I do not care for. For protection I suggest using cling wrap. Freezer paper can be used, but when removing the dry fabric, sometimes the paper sticks to the back.

To begin, tape down the cling wrap, place the fabric on the cling wrap and satuate with watered down glue.

Begin placing paper piecing down, saturating it also. I also like to have torn edges rather than cut edges. As far as paper is concerned, I stay away from very thick paper such as cardstock. Wrapping paper, craft tissue paper, magazine pages, book pages, etc work well. When I have finished with the layer of paper, I use an additional layer of white tissue paper over the entire project.

This is what my finished piece looks like. The white dots are the sparkles embedded in the white tissue paper. Because i only have one layer plus the tissue paper layer, it is very flexible and it dried in 24 hours.

So what does one do with paper fabric. Well, if you make books or journals, it will make a very sturdy cover. I have also used paper fabric in wall art, for bookmarks and handmade cards.

You can decorate with a sewing machine including quilting. The fabric on the back lessens the possibility of the paper tearing.

Even if you never use fabric paper, it is fun to make, so give it a try and enjoy playing.

Thanks for stopping by...

Talk with you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

So in looking over your habits what did you find? Some popular good habits folks have are: Meditation, exercise, journal writing, flossing, reading and walking up early. Some not so great habits included smoking, saying yes, swearing, tolerating folks, not sleeping enough, always complaining and constantly making excuses. Do you have more good habits or more bad habits? Is it time to change? If so, start with the easiest bad habit to change, not the hardest. This will give the best chance of success. Decide on the best way for you to change your habit. Worry too much? Set a time to worry and then stop. You may have to stop yourself several times at the beginning but keep it up and you will worry less. Or, alternatively, write the worry down as well as options to stop the problem. Just figure out which way to stop is best for you.