
Shirley introduced herself, she has a long history in textiles and art and is currently the chair of Ribble Creative Threads.
Shirley brought a selection of fabulous examples, including book covers and collage pictures, to give us an idea of what could be achieved using this technique.
Once crumpled the papers were then opened but not smoothed out as the creases give texture and also soften the paper. According to the desired effect these papers can now be used as they are, painted or tea dyed using brushed cold tea and then left to dry.
Following the demonstration and talk we all returned to our seats and spent a relaxing hour crumpling and tearing paper. These papers were then painted as desired and left to dry, while we had a well-deserved lunch break.
This fabric can then be cut into strips and matched to contrasting or complimentary pieces depending on the required effect. Once the chosen effect was achieved the pieces were ironed onto another layer of backing fabric. These are then sewn together by using a machine zig zag stitch.
Shirley then showed us how these papers could be re-cut and placed at various angles to create a patchwork effect. They can also be cut into shapes to use as patches. This can help to add splashes of colour as needed or on a collage.
Shirley then explained and demonstrated the application of free embroidery to add colour or to blend the edges of the joined strips to defuse and spread colour across the fabric.
We all dispersed to practice the techniques shown and to produce our own designs.