Seahorses by Carolyn Sinclair
We were blown away by these seahorses sent into us by Carolyn Sinclair. The colouring is so true to life! We first met Carolyn several years ago when attending an exhibition and she made an immediate impression. As a recognised teacher of embroidery machines and embroidery software, Carolyn is one of the experts who writes for the Bernina Blog and both Bernina and Janome UK lend her their machines and software. Carolyn has a very contemporary approach to her work and says she loves to push the boundaries and explore new materials. These seahorses were used to demonstrate and […]
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Lavender Sachets
If you have any lavender in your garden and would like to retain its lovely summer fragrance, why not make these delightful lavender sachets? We made these little bags using Zeelon Light which, although very delicate in appearance, is really strong. We also liked the fact that Zeelon is semi-transparent, allowing the lavender inside to be seen (as shown on the photograph above). Zeelon is only available in white, yet colours beautifully with transfer paints, which we used to create the ‘dotty’ designs and vivid background colours of violet, scarlet, yellow and lime. Also, due to our simple design […]
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Christmas Gift Tags
It won’t be long until the 25th December . . . Here are just a few examples of how one of our (very) talented customers has used Zeelon to make a variety of Christmas Gift tags. With a clever combination of colouring, printing, snipping and shaping she has produced some beautiful designs. Aren’t they gorgeous!
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Remembrance . . . Lest we forget
Our poppy has been made from transfer painted Zeelon Light which, despite its delicate appearance, is a very strong fabric. The background is a piece of Lutradur 70gsm which has also been coloured and then over printed several times with the phrase ‘Lest we forget’. A simple tribute to the great sacrifices made by those who fought in the war.
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Poem by Robert Burns (printed on Zeelon Heavy)
To celebrate Burns Night on 25th January, we thought it would be a great idea to print one of his poems on to a piece of Zeelon Heavy. We hope you agree, it is a much more versatile fabric than simply using paper or card. It is also possible to print on the heavier weights of Lutradur (for instance 70gms), as an alternative to the Zeelon Heavy shown in our picture. On this occasion, we used a standard inkjet printer, but please be aware we would not recommend the use of a laser printer. if you have any questions, please do […]
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Zeelon Ghosts for Halloween
These strange ghostly apparitions were made using Zeelon Light, which was an ideal fabric for this type of project as it is so beautifully translucent and sheer. To make our ghosts, we soaked the Zeelon in a diluted solution of PVA glue and then draped strips of the fabric over empty bottles and left them to dry. (The glue allows the Zeelon to stiffen and keep its shape). We would like to wish all our customers and visitors to our website a very Happy Halloween! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our full range of […]
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Zeelon – available in THREE different weights
Do you like textile art? Have you tried working with Zeelon? Zeelon is great for creating brilliant effects, because it has a soft, smooth finish and you can see through it. At first, you might think it looks like Lutradur, but because of its much finer fibres it has a more even appearance and the drape effect of a conventional cloth. Just like Lutradur, Zeelon will not tear or fray and is very strong. It can be painted, printed, dyed, sewn and also distressed. Its fine translucent properties make it great for layering or where light transmission is required. […]
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Coffee Cup Sleeve by Wendy Cotterill
Many coffee shops wrap paper coffee cups with a sleeve to prevent burning your hand, so open out one of these sleeves to use as a template and cut two pieces of Evolon Soft, allowing a 1cm seam allowance all round. Stitch the two pieces together leaving a gap and turn it inside out. Press to complete and machine stitch parallel lines with normal sewing thread. Create either a button and buttonhole to join the two ends, or better still, use some hook and loop (Velcro) tape or pads. This sleeve has been decorated with flowers made out of […]
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Poppies by Wendy Cotterill – Textile Art Teacher
Beautiful poppies made using Zeelon Heavy To make the poppies, Wendy printed a paper template for the petals. She then placed a piece of Zeelon Heavy into an embroidery hoop and painted the Zeelon a lovely scarlet red. When the Zeelon was dry, she placed the hoop directly over the paper template and, keeping the hoop completely flat, carefully cut out several flowers using a soldering iron. To complete each bloom, Wendy used some black watercolour paint to dab into the centres as shown in the photograph below. A helpful tip from Wendy, is not to overload the paintbrush as Zeelon is very absorbent! If […]
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Tropical Fish using Zeelon Heavy
Let’s go fishing . . . These little fish have been made from Zeelon Heavy and then hung on invisible thread inside a deep frame. The water and fins have been made from scraps of Zeelon Light which has been transfer painted in various shades of blue and green. We made ours to life size proportions (2 inches or 5 cms from nose to tail), so from a distance they look quite realistic! To make – Find a picture of a fish from a book or the internet, copy and print the image on to paper and colour with transfer paints. Iron the […]
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Ruth Lee – Textile Artist
‘Tomorrow at Daybreak’ by Ruth Lee (created using Zeelon Heavy) As part of our commitment to showcase the work of accomplished textile artists, we are pleased to feature a piece by Ruth Lee. Ruth was inspired to create this exceptional example of textile art after observing migrating birds. The swallows have been laser cut from Zeelon Heavy, which has been dyed a beautiful royal blue. The blue Zeelon has then been layered over a white background to create a three-dimensional effect, emphasising the free flight of the birds over the ever-changing landscape.
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Flowers by Wendy Cotterill – Textile Art Teacher
Wendy began her career in the fashion industry as a designer, pattern cutter and tutor before developing an interest in broader textile related subjects. She is now a teacher of textile art and regularly exhibits her work. For these purple flowers, Wendy printed a sheet of petal shapes to use as a template. She then took a small piece of Zeelon Medium and fitted it into an embroidery hoop, before painting the Zeelon with watercolours and leaving it to dry. By placing the painted Zeelon over the paper template of petals, Wendy was able to cut out several shapes with a craft soldering iron, using the […]
