Surface Decoration

In my last quilting class I had the opportunity to purchase fabrico markers, shiva paintsticks, and Tsukineko inks.   All week I have been playing with them (and my water soluble wax crayons) as I work on my postcards.  I learned not to use too much water with the inks (my first attempt ended up to be a solid dull gray colour as the colours mixed).   I also tried to let each colour dry a little before adding the next unless I wanted lots of mixing.  I loved using the markers - they make great rainbows and are good for fine detail.     My favourite are the wax crayons which blend to create delicate watercolour effects, again using water sparingly.   Last year I took a watercolour and ink course.  I think I'll try the techniques I learned with my fabrico markers and watercolour crayons.

I also tried some of these paints/inks on lutrador with mixed results.  I think the shiva paintsticks might work well on the black lutrador.   Maybe I'll try them next.

Since I stitch everything by hand it takes me a long time to complete a postcard.  But I am making progress. Stitching the edges are especially tedious and time-consuming.  I have to be careful not to have too many layers.   I am pleased with the finished results so far.  I have 6 to make - As I mentioned before I have to complete three postcards with a musical landscape theme (do falling leaves and the cosmos count as landscapes?  maybe skyscapes).  I also signed up to complete three landscapes that represent Canada in some way and I have chosen three different Canadian landscapes.   Hard to choose without stereotyping this country that defies definition.   What represents Canada for me is our extremes, our diverse landscapes.   Canada is mountains, streams, forests, oceans, wheatfields, autumn colours, tundra, ice and snow, space, sunny beaches, villages, cities, cultural diversity, flowers, parks, highways, moose, whales.....and don't forget our famous loons and beavers.   What to choose?  I will give no more hints until the postcards are finished, mailed, and have reached their destinations.  I managed to print a postcard back with only a few smudges (I had to clean my print heads at one point).  I am having such fun with these.   They are addictive!

Next I need to decide whether to risk sending them through the mail as is or in an envelope.  I'm afraid they will be ruined or that my post office may freak out when they see them.   They still don't understand why I would put lengths of fabric in an envelope every month and mail them to the US (our last fabric exchanges).  I'll have to ask others in my online quilting group for advice.