Year: 2020 | Page 6 | LSIrish.com

September 15, 2020

This morning I am working on getting your supply list ready for the Feathered Green Man Leather Journal Pyrography Project and came across a few photos on how to clean the graphite tracing lines from your wood burning project that I thought I would share.

I prefer to either use a graphite tracing paper or graphite pencil lead rubbed over the back of my pattern my paper as my tracing media. Graphite leaves a pale to medium gray line on our working surface that has no oil or wax, and therefore is not a permanent marking.

I do like to remove those tracing lines as early in the burning as is reasonable and will even do an extremely pale tonal value burned line before any shading work is done just so that I can erase the graphite right away.

A white artist eraser works wonderfully for wood and gourds. These are our rougher wood burning surfaces. Do not use an eraser that has any coloring ( that pink one on the end of your bright yellow #2 pencil) to it as the color dye can rub off onto your project.

An architect’s eraser pad – a fine mesh cloth bag filled with eraser grindings – is perfect for our finer medias as paper, leather, and chipboard (paper mache). Since the eraser bag is flexible it works well for wood carvers that want to remove any carbon build-up from their wood burning details on the carving.

A dry ‘Magic’ eraser not only removes the graphite lines from your leather or wood project, it also picks up any oil and dirt that has been left from moving your hand across the surface.

In the photo sample above, Feathered Green Man Leather Journal Pyrography Project, I first cleaned the graphite tracing using my Architect’s eraser pad. Then I followed up with a light cleaning using the dry ‘Magic’ eraser … and,wow!, was I surprised at how much more dirt I picked up …

That ‘Magic’ eraser is now a permanent addition to my pyrography tool kit.

Pyrography Cleaning Graphite Tracing Lines Read More »

Sep 14 2020

Leather Pyrography Wood Burning Tools

Leather Pyrography / By irish

Plaid 30725E Low Temperature Tool – Available through Plaid Online

Plaid was kind enough to send me a sample wood burner the other day … like I need another wood burning unit to add to my dozen plus one temperature, soldering style wood burners that I have collected over the 25 years of being a wood burner …

Well, I didn’t know it, but I did!

This is a one temperature burner that is pre-set at the low temperature of 750 degrees – 200 degrees lower that the average pre-set unit, which makes it perfect for leather burning pyrography.

Plus … it has the standard four interchangeable tips that we all know and love that are available with most one temp tools.

I already have several low temperature, soldering style tools that I often use for my leather crafting. Each of those comes in the package with only one, cone point tip for fine line work.

Plaid has included the universal writing tip, leaf shading tip, the fine point cone tip, and the wide ball tip, all for under $17.00.

Plus Plaid’s low temperature leather burning tool has an on/off switch right on the cord and a handy little stand for safety.

I happened to have a sample journal cover that I could grab as a practice board … It has been quite awhile since I have used the soldering style pen and every pen, no matter who manufacturers it, needs a little practice time to get your correct grip, pressure, and movement.

So, here is my first using the Plaid one temperature leather burning tool – feathered green man journal cover. Pale tones are created using the cone point tip and a light hand pressure, wide strokes are made with the universal tip and medium hand movement. The darkest tones were made with the wide cone tip and a simple touch-and-lift stroke. The tip of the leaf spear shader is wonderful for thick-and-thin line work as in his beard.

And then I did this one … a giraffe leather journal keeper with suede cord.

Number three is also a journal keeper made from scrap leather and with elastic cord.

The wide cone tip is so much fun to use it lead to this wood flower journal cover – number four.

And number five is this easy leather journal that has the front cover cut open to show the burning on the inside flap.

My whole weekend got eaten up by a Plaid One Temperature, Low Temperature, Interchangeable Tip Wood Burning Tool … grin!

Leather Pyrography Wood Burning Tools Read More »

Aug 31 2020

Redwork Embroidery Patterns

Quilting / By irish

Redwork Embroidery Patterns and Redwork Embroidery Quilts

Let’s take a 1740 discovery, an 1920’s embroidery style, a 1950’s Retro Owl pattern, and today’s trends of adding establishments to our needle arts and see what we come up with.

Around 1850 in the United States the Redwork embroidery style began because of an amazing process that created a colorfast red dyed for cotton fibers. Colorfast means that the dye in the thread would not fade, wash out, or cause the dye to bleed onto the background fabric.

Today, Redwork is seeing a serge in popularity and has
begun branching out from traditional, vintage, and antique patterns.
My owl is worked, centered, on a 16″ square of muslin, which fits
a 12″ frame and allows extra fabric to turn over the frame’s
backboard. The owl pattern measures 9″ high x 8″ wide.

Retro Owls Pattern Package
ArtDesignsStudio.com

Coloring Book Quilt – Free Patterns

Quilting / By irish

That perfect quilt square is easily in reach if you have
just a yard or so of muslin, permanent marking pens,
crayons, fabric paints, or even silk ribbon …
and ArtDesignStudio.com pattern packs.

Sample worked from CP140 Henna Tattoo 2 Pattern Package
Also see CP139 Henna Tattoo 1 Pattern Package
Also see CP090 Wood Quilt Squares Pattern Package

Can’t find that exact fabric pattern that you are craving?
Can’t find it in the exact colors that you need for your latest quilting project?
No problem … color your own!

I chose Henna Tattoos for my table runner Coloring Book Quilt. But any idea goes – wildlife, Celtic, dragons, steam punk. ArtDesignsStudio.com has over 140 pattern packs full of ideas, ready for you to download today.

1. Piece your quilt squares using muslin where you want your coloring Book design.

2. Press well so that you are tracing on a flat surface.

3. Print one copy of your chosen pattern using your computer printer.

4. Place your pattern on your light box. Trace over the outlines with a fine point permanent marking pen of black, gray, or dark brown.

5. Iron well to set the outline color.

Click for a full sized, printable image.

6. Set up your coloring kit next to your favorite chair in the living room. Turn on your current ‘binge-watching’ TV program. Relax, have fun, and color away.

You can use fabric pens, permanent marking pens, crayons, acrylic paint, and of course, fabric dye. Also consider beads, silk ribbon embroidery, lace, and buttons.

Allow the large-area base coats to dry before you add the detail lines to avoid bleeding. Set the colors with a hot iron after you are done.

Coloring Book Quilt – Free Patterns Read More »

Jun 13 2020

Basket Essentials – Rib Basket Weaving

Rib Basket Weaving / By irish

IT’S HERE !
Basket Essentials – Rib Basket Weaving
Published by Fox Chapel Publishing
*** Available at Amazon.com ***

Let’s look inside the pages
200 pages with lots and lots of
Step-by-Step photos.
Rib Basket Weaving
Also called hip baskets, egg baskets, fanny baskets,
granny baskets, potato baskets, and
Appalachian baskets.
Three in-depth projects,
about 20 pages of photos and instructions each.
12 small basket instructions with diagrams.
12 Beginning Knots and Eyes
with full step-by-step photos
Double X, Double Bow, God’s Eye, Braided God’s Eye,
Two-Point Lashing with Collar, Three-Point Lashing,
Half God’s Eye, Three-Spoke Lashing with X Pattern,
Three-Spoke Lashing with Bar Pattern,
Multi-Spoke Lashing, Wheel,
God’s Eye/Half God’s Eye Combo,
Double Bow/Half God’s Eye Combo,
Reed Spline Lashing
Photos … Did I say lots and lots of photos.
Weaving Techniques
How to compensate using short rows.