tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40085283673556258612011-10-25T21:16:32.621-07:00Nancy and Jessicanoreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-76283552355480070512011-06-21T20:17:00.000-07:002011-06-21T20:23:13.368-07:00

What a month it has been! Thank you so much to those who have offered encouragement and comfort.Next Monday I begin training for a full-time position with a technical company. I don't know what it will mean for my artwork. I'm praying for a happy heart—to be where I'm suppose to be.This change could not be anticipated, but after a client let me work on a project for a year, released the product

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-40155077719050416732011-04-18T09:59:00.000-07:002011-04-18T10:12:35.860-07:00

I was busy this weekend—actually just Saturday, making about a dozen of these beautiful pieced eyeglasses cases. From scraps. Of gorgeous rust-dyed fabric. With Earth Safe Finishes Shimmer Opaque paints stenciled on them.They used stencils/templates from The Crafter's Workshop, of course, plus gold and/or copper Opaque Shimmers for a permanent metallic effect on the cotton fabric.The texture is

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-69635875402549039202010-12-31T12:52:00.000-08:002010-12-31T13:58:32.146-08:00

Aren’t these yummy? This is a montage of a few paintbrush bags I made for some artist friends as holiday gifts. I made 25, each one slightly different.Grab some Earth Safe Finishes Acrylic paint, Fabric Magic, and your favorite Colorants and let’s get started!Painting StepsMix white acrylic paint with Fabric Magic. About 2 parts paint to 1 part Fabric Magic. The textile medium helps the paint

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-44549592110982563032010-07-20T05:22:00.000-07:002010-07-20T05:30:53.987-07:00

So, I'm in the Rust-Tex booth at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair in Grayslake, Illinois, wearing a very plain old white men's dress shirt as a painting smock when we decide to art it up a bit. That meant my clothes were no longer protected.Lois had me wear one of her rusted T-shirts to demo Earth Safe Finishes surface design on rust-dyed fabric—and I got a couple tiny specks of Colorant on

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-4536887728310690582010-05-14T12:53:00.000-07:002010-05-14T12:56:52.486-07:00

Yahoo! It's finished!We just finished a little booklet of recipes using Earth Safe Finishes products: Colorants, Fabric Magic, Tackifier, Extender, Hand and Brush Cleaner, and more.It's free! Just click the link to the right and an automatic download of the pdf should begin.Now, when you want hints and ideas about how to use the Colorants for paper or fabric, this little booklet will come to the

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-14314730107902540762010-05-02T06:29:00.001-07:002010-05-02T06:40:41.561-07:00

This is a small art quilt I finished several days ago. It is part of a series about childhood fantasies, a tribute to my mom who passed away just about a year ago. The piece consists of digital images printed on rust-dyed fabric, enhanced with Earth Safe Finishes paint mixtures and free-motion stitching.The hanger is a piece of cold-forged copper tubing.Fabric snippets on the right have been

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-66481970806532779092010-04-22T08:11:00.000-07:002010-04-22T08:28:24.365-07:00

At this time last week I was in Chicago at Quilt Festival, in the Rust-Tex booth! The show was exceptionally nice and I loved using Earth Safe Finishes in interesting ways on rust-dyed fabrics.Generally, I'm not a fan of stenciled images with large open areas, HOWEVER, this very-cool technique changed my mind in a heartbeat!Last month at the California Association of Machine Embroiders, someone

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-54073203668002522212010-03-07T09:59:00.000-08:002010-03-07T10:18:24.653-08:00

Well, here are the results of my ice-dyeing experiment(s). Believe it or not, this is the result of heavy misting with red orange, violet, and crimson!Although the texture is interesting, it isn't as vivid as I expected it to be. On the other hand, I'm imagining it as a background layer for touch-printing, stenciling, and And AND PRINTING!!!This may be a bit of serendipity. It isn't exactly what

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-24318732410805158712010-02-17T07:38:00.000-08:002010-02-17T07:44:57.162-08:00

Another in the series of quilts based on childhood fantasies. This one is for Tote Tuesday, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.It is a photograph of Gerbera daisies and a file of Dover clip art printed on rust-dyed fabric.The color is from watercolor cakes/pans/shells for fabric I made with ESF Colorants + pearl powder, + Fabric Magic. If you look closely at the detail you can see the

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-43025607661473252032010-02-14T14:41:00.000-08:002010-02-14T14:51:12.735-08:00

This is a padfolio made from rust-dyed fabric with a photograph of trees, a photo of ancient language carved into stone, and a piece of clip art from a Dover publication printed on it.Why is this on the ESF fabric blog? Because, the gold metallic paint wash on the writing and around the fairy's head is a mixture I MADE from Earth Safe Finish metallic powder, Fabric Magic, Colorant, and a little

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-60930991322388523942010-02-10T13:09:00.000-08:002010-02-10T13:17:27.878-08:00

I'm still making padfolios like crazy! I can't keep up.These are all Earth Safe Finishes products on rust-dyed fabric. The one on top is a watercolor wash using Colorant + Fabric Magic + water on wet fabric. The next one down is touch print on rust-dyed fabric, using Shimmer Opaques. The padfolio in the center has Colorant + Fabric Magic + Thickener stenciled on it in layers. The two on the

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-54759170009448729232010-02-05T07:01:00.000-08:002010-02-05T07:06:20.627-08:00

I've been working in digital collage, combining photographs and line art printed on rust-dyed fabrics lately. The piece above is a door prize to be given away at Wisconsin Quilters Inc. this weekend.The Gerbera daisy is a photograph, painted with Earth Safe Finishes Colorants using a watercolor technique to help the colors flow and blend.ESF makes it so easy to create beautiful colors on fabric,

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-62090564552178157602010-01-17T07:57:00.000-08:002010-01-17T08:12:54.709-08:00

The 12" x 12" square art quilt above was made for Rust Tex's exhibition. If juried into the show, it will travel to England for their quilt festival.The background began as a digital collage of photographs and vintage artwork printed on rust-dyed fabric. I added a wash of green for the forest floor, white for a shaft of light, and blue for the sky using ESF Colorant + Fabric Magic + lots of

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-15014469967591551122009-12-28T12:26:00.000-08:002009-12-28T12:34:48.576-08:00

The photo above shows a pair of socks knit for me for Christmas by my friend Cheryl. She's a master with needles and hooks!Back in July, she brought two pieces of knitted natural wool and asked me to dye them in my favorite color combination.This is one sock panel soaking up a combination of ESF Colorant + Fabric Magic + the juice kids use to blow bubbles. The bubble juice was a perfect carrier

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-63978114548431577452009-12-19T11:31:00.000-08:002009-12-19T11:43:04.082-08:00

Need a great last-minute gift? Try these fabulous padfolios! Once the fabric is prepared, it takes less than an hour to assemble and add the embellishment.This is what it looks like when opened out flat. This is a piece of rust-dyed fabric with touch-prints of bottle caps and paper towel core using Opaque Shimmers in bronze, copper, and gold.This is the padfolio inside. It features a pocket in

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-1892127363419956072009-12-16T12:21:00.000-08:002009-12-16T12:34:55.627-08:00

I'm having a blast tattooing T-shirts, sweatshirts, purses, scarves, and all sorts of surfaces with a mixture of Earth Safe Finishes Colorants (or Opaque Shimmers) + Fabric Magic + Thickener. The colors are crisp and clear—even on dark backgrounds, such as this black fabric purse.The surface design is three different tattoo-style stencils layered with red on the bottom, then gold, and finally

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-86534664025231837392009-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:002009-10-29T10:40:37.144-07:00

Please don't think I'm neglecting you or the excitement of discover with ESF. DH and I are currently in Santa Fe, soaking in the vistas—and I'm working on a new book concept!

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-56139334969657955222009-10-23T08:30:00.000-07:002009-10-23T08:39:20.171-07:00

I just love Autumn! The colors speak to me. I love the crunch of the leaves, the trees as their branches are exposed again, and the squirrels scampering across the yard with mouths of acorns. But most of all the colors!This white pumpkin was chosen for it's smooth surface and was going to be stenciled. However, the pumpkin was too small and the curve too acute for a stencil to work properly. So,

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-60989905229178245032009-10-05T11:00:00.000-07:002009-10-05T11:06:58.799-07:00

I had a booth in the Apple Festival in Kendallville, Indiana this past weekend. It was quite cool (49 degrees F.), windy, and spitting rain most of the weekend. It was a perfect time to work on some wardrobe upcycling!Directly across the street from my booth was a bargain center, which had a small collection of old ties. At less than a dollar each, they quickly became a target of my tattooing

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-29145159009908364852009-10-01T10:06:00.000-07:002009-10-01T10:08:20.210-07:00

Ann Butler has a short video tutorial on the ESF mixed-media blog, showing how to stencil and highlight with Earth Safe Finishes.Here's the link http://artofgreenmixedmedia.blogspot.com/Check it out!

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-63755077973010976892009-09-30T09:38:00.000-07:002009-09-30T09:43:53.080-07:00

This is a set of T-shirts that will be host/hostess gifts for friends with whom DH and I will be staying in an upcoming visit. They live in the beautiful southwest and we enjoy hiking, shopping, museums, art galleries, and visiting wineries with them.“His” shirt in the background is treated with rust and a tannin bath before the Kokopelli stencil and "Hers" in the foreground has rust only before

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-39446375492587119222009-09-27T17:09:00.000-07:002009-09-27T17:10:43.152-07:00

And the winner is (drum roll, please)... Elizabeth Golden!!Elizabeth if you'd please send your address to me by e-mail, I'll send this out tomorrow.Congratulations!

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-78601667482496221142009-09-26T16:16:00.000-07:002009-09-26T16:17:46.277-07:00

Last chance! Please leave a comment and you'll be entered into the drawing for the beautiful beaded silk-and-rayon wrap.The winning name will be drawn tomorrow morning and posted tomorrow afternoon!Good luck!

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-42975512702526528902009-09-22T11:44:00.000-07:002009-09-22T11:55:20.050-07:00

OK, I admit this isn’t fabric related, but it’s so cool, you just have to see it!Earth Safe Finishes Colorants will dye real, glass, plastic, and coated pearls! It’s true. The photos above and below show the results of two different dyeing techniques.The graduated coated pearls above were dyed in Violet Colorant and enough water to cover the pearls partially. I let them sit on one side for

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-91860216643485127952009-09-14T09:23:00.000-07:002009-09-14T09:24:15.483-07:00

Having trouble leaving a comment? Feel free to contact me directly at muttonhead2@verizon.netBeth

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-44186045082150217872009-09-12T09:30:00.000-07:002009-09-12T09:42:32.828-07:00

Isn't it beautiful? It's a sheer silk-and-rayon burnout wrap, dyed with Earth Safe Finishes crimson and rose Colorants and beaded with Swarovski crystal and dichroic glass beads.We'll be GIVING it away to someone whose name will be drawn at random from the comments left on this blog between now and September 26th. Nothing to buy, just leave a comment about how you could use earth-friendly paints,

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-42086467369447322422009-09-08T10:28:00.000-07:002009-09-08T15:01:44.814-07:00

The two mini quilts in today's post are each on rust-dyed background fabrics. The angel above (Peaceful Presence) is a photo printed on the dust-dyed fabric and then stenciled with Earth Safe Finishes Translucent Shimmers. The paint moves from copper in the upper left corner to gold in the middle to gold pearl in the lower section.After the paint was dry and had been heat-set, I backed it with

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-61007263040788943772009-09-02T10:15:00.000-07:002009-09-02T10:17:48.403-07:00

Well, I added the tutorial for the painted baby set. Just click the link on the bar to the right of this entry and it will download as a pdf file.Please let me know if you have any questions—or a photo of the outfit you create using Earth Safe Finishes and this tutorial!

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-70746672200492668262009-08-31T06:43:00.000-07:002009-08-31T06:58:31.250-07:00

The little baby set is finally finished. I thought about it the entire time DH and I were in Minneapolis, attending a record convention (he's a jazz historian) two weekends ago. Yesterday was the day to finish it up and I'm very pleased. I hope my friend Cheryl likes it for her new granddaughter, Nora!Isn't it sweet? The little violets aren't really violet shapes, because I am not a confident

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-7554507155882453832009-08-20T06:06:00.000-07:002009-08-20T06:14:55.108-07:00

This is a "before" photo of a baby outfit for my friend Cheryl's new granddaughter, Nora. My painting skills are seriously limited, but I 'm planning to paint tiny purple violets on the shoes and top.This will be the ultimate washability test, since baby clothes are washed almost daily. LOL!The recipe will be Colorant + Fabric Magic and the ratio will be somewhat less than that recommended on the

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-63399809834434838112009-08-18T14:35:00.000-07:002009-08-18T14:43:54.024-07:00

How about a painted purse to catch the eye? I made this about two weeks ago, but wasn't able to photograph it without horrible glare, until today. The light tent diffused the ambient light and made it possible to see the layers without being obliterated by blinding hot spots.This uses the same layering concept as the tattooed tanks and jeans, but on a base of Shimmer Opaque paints applied with

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-80693123108742319152009-08-16T12:47:00.000-07:002009-08-16T13:04:21.368-07:00

Isn't this amazing? White stenciled on a black tank! Only one layer, too. Nancy got so excited about the tattooed T-shirt she had to make a whole wardrobe. Of course, being the California Girl she is, she fits into these little Ts! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom to see the jeans!I love the layers of color and motifs that make the technique look complex!Aren't the jeans fabulous? If my jeans

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-77151469442919991222009-08-06T16:54:00.000-07:002009-08-06T16:56:00.798-07:00

Doing the happy dance! After a trip through the washer and dryer, the T-shirt looks great!The black faded a little, but that was expected because the Colorant was in a shaving cream carrier and the shaving cream had to come out of the shirt.It needs to go through the laundry a few more times to determine how long the Tackifier can hold the mica powder, but so far it's looking good!Hooray!

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-35163436637293368192009-08-05T11:22:00.001-07:002009-08-05T11:29:05.875-07:00

The paint is still wet, but I couldn't wait to share this with you. Tattooed T-shirts! This is the girly version, with metallic mica powder as the top layer, but can't you see this for a guy in black, dark gray, light gray, and white?This detail shot shows the layers of opaque, translucent, and metallic images. The metallic powder is a complete experiment and I have no idea what will happen when

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-58124708122332158522009-07-31T08:43:00.000-07:002009-07-31T08:50:13.851-07:00

We're back from Quilt Festival in Long Beach. It was a fabulous experience! If you were there, I hope you stopped by to say "hello." The product was quite a hit—and the samples really showed the range of the techniques possible, using different carriers.This is a silk scarf that has been rust-dyed and then stenciled with the new NEON Colorant. I used Colorant + two or three drops of Fabric Magic

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-35918301999916600082009-07-21T11:12:00.000-07:002009-07-21T11:16:02.673-07:00

Another experiment using stencils and a mixture of Earth Safe Finishes black Colorant + Fabric Magic + shaving cream to add surface design on rust-dyed fabric.This is one of several techniques Barbara Matthiessen and I will be demonstrating in the Earth Safe Finishes booth at Quilt Festival this weekend in Long Beach. We'll be in booth #1251, so please drop by to say hello and see the techniques

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-19316464622683686032009-07-17T11:00:00.000-07:002009-07-17T11:06:21.177-07:00

Why the shoes with the obvious rust stains? Because these photos illustrate "steps" in the surface design process (LOL!).Before beginning to add color, I often like to print on the rusted fabric. Keep in mind: Surface design is all about layers. So, this piece has a scripture verse printed on the fabric repeatedly across the entire surface.The fabric is 13" x 19", allowing more design room than

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-33633415282091151142009-07-16T07:54:00.000-07:002009-07-16T08:02:54.873-07:00

Let the adventure begin!This is the base for the surface design project. It is a 48" x 44" piece of white 100% cotton. No prewashing is necessary, because we'll be washing it after the rust-dyeing step and before the paint layers are applied.Pinches of fabric are secured with rubber bands all over the surface.After dipping in "rust soup" it doesn’t look very interesting, does it?But let it sit in

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-53074604874968515582009-07-09T05:54:00.000-07:002009-07-09T05:59:57.009-07:00

Here we are on my patio, rusting fabric for Quilt Festival in Long Beach. Earth Safe Finishes will be there. Barbara will be demonstrating her overdyeing technique to turn ugly fabric into something REALLY special—and I'll be demonstrating surface design on rust-dyed fabric. Please stop by and say "Hello!"Whether you will be at Quilt Festival or not, please come back. I'll be posting step-by-step

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008528367355625861.post-69306047459406918872009-06-21T18:35:00.000-07:002009-06-21T18:48:05.353-07:00

Hello adventurers!I have the privilege and challenge of sharing some fabulous things we can do with fiber (fabric, yarn, roving, ribbons, etc.) and Earth Safe Finishes! Nancy at ESF has designed the product line so you can choose the medium you want + Colorant to make tons of inks, dyes, paints, and art gels for anything to do with fiber.I love the idea of using earth-friendly products to create

Beth Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487700669016215180noreply@blogger.com0