Colourqué™ by Helen Stubbings

What is Colourqué™?

Colourqué™ is a technique tested and developed over time by Helen Stubbings to add colour to your stitcheries and quilts. giving them dimension and interest.

She began by using paint to add colour but found students really felt they needed to be an artist to paint - but everyone coloured at kindergarten so she turned to pencils and began playing.

It is nothing particularly scientific. You can use any colour pencils but some are nicer to work with than others. In its basic form you simply colour your stitchery design onto the fabric. The full instructions for this are in every pattern or book that uses the colouring.

There are lots of hints and tips she has learnt from experience. You don't need expensive hard to find materials or supplies, just a relaxed frame of mind and a willingness to give it a go and have some fun!

» Visit Helen Stubbings's Hugs' n Kisses range

Home-made Stain Removal Solution

(Sent in by Carol Blew from the United States)

This removes almost every stain that I have tried it on. I have gotten lipstick out of clothes that went through the dryer. It is really great at dirt and mud and everything else a child can get on clothes or their favourite quilt!

Recipe: Mix one part dishwasher detergent, must be gel, one part ammonia, one part water, and put in a spray bottle. When you find yourself confronted with a stubborn stain, spray on the solution, apply a small amount of liquid laundry detergent with a toothbrush and rub into stain, then wash.

How to give your fabrics those "Aged and Country" looks

Fabrics used in quilts should be washed and ironed beforehand. It is a good idea with 100% cotton fabrics to dry them to damp and then iron them.

I have described below several different treatments that can be used to give fabrics which appear too bright a more mellow country look, an aged look, or a crumpled look.

Tea Dyeing

Tea dyeing tends to dull fabrics and give them a mellow sepia tone. Tea dying works better if your fabric has been pre-washed to remove any manufacturers sizing, finishing or polishing agent.

Although the process is called 'tea' dying the brew which gives the best results is a mixture of tea and coffee. Add to two litres of hot tap water four tablespoons of instant coffee and eight tea bags. Let the tea bags soak in the mixture for several minutes before removing them and adding the fabric. If you are only dying a small piece of fabric then cut down on the mixture by half. Allow the fabric to soak for about half an hour, or longer for a stronger dye. If you're looking for an especially patchy look, the tea bags can be left in the brew with the fabric. Rinse the fabric and dry. If you decide you'd like to add a few extra splotches pour some of the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it directly onto the fabric. Another good way to get designer splotches is to use a sea sponge to dab extra dye onto your fabric.

To achieve a speckled look sprinkle the tea directly onto wet fabric. Sprinkle tea leaves (about one teaspoon per .25m of fabric) onto one side of the thoroughly wet fabric and roll it up. Place the roll in a plastic bag and microwave on high for about 4 minutes. Shake off the tea leaves and rinse the fabric. If you don't have a microwave leave the plastic bag in the sun for a few hours instead.

I have also recently started experimenting using Parisenne Essence (or gravy browning) as an ageing dye. This can be found in most supermarkets and is a cheaper option than using tea and coffee. Use ½ cap of Parisenne Essence to 1 cup of water, this can be applied in the same ways as described above. Simply increase the proportions to make more dye.

Ageing Fabric

One way I have heard of for adding an extra aged look is to wash fabric in the dishwasher. The abrasiveness and bleach in the dish-washing detergent dulls the colours and wears the fabric.

Crumpling Fabric

Fabric with a lot of sizing or stiffening in it works best for this process. Wet the fabric and squeeze it into a tight ball, squeezing out as much water as you can. Place the ball in the dryer and dry on the highest setting possible. Remove and allow to cool once the ball is dry right through to the centre. If the fabric is not stiff enough to hold together in a ball until it is dry, try tying it with a string (Don't put rubber bands in the dryer) Iron the fabric flat for accurate cutting. The crinkles should not be able to be ironed out.

If anyone else has some good techniques that they have used successfully let me know and I will add them to the Tip Sheet.

Painting Stitcheries with Folk Art Paint

What you will need:

• Stippling paintbrush - 1/8" and 3/8"
• Folk Art Paints
• Water
• Cotton Buds
• Paper Towels
• Old Plastic lid for mixing paints
• Hairdryer (optional)

I bought a sample pack of Jo Sonya's folk art paints from a craft outlet that contained 10 small tubes of different basic coloured paints. This is a cost-effective way of getting started as it is very easy to mix your own colours with a bit of playing around and you only use a little bit of paint for each stitchery. If you are having trouble mixing colours - ask the nearest child for help!

Naïve / Primitive Look
For a naïve/primitive look you use a dry stipple brush. Dip your brush in the paint and then dab it onto a paper towel until nearly all the paint is removed. Begin dabbing the brush on your fabric using an up and down motion similar to stencilling. Don't be afraid to go over the lines as this is part of the look - it is pretty impossible not to! Have some damp cotton buds handy to wipe as much paint as you can off the stitching as you go. Dip the cotton buds into water and then dab the excess water off on a paper towel before wiping the stitches. If your paint gets wet it will change to a darker colour.
Work with one colour at a time and make sure it is dry before moving onto the next colour. You can use a hairdryer to speed up this process.

Conservative Look
If you would prefer a more 'inside the lines' look then I suggest using a bit of water with your paint. If you are using calico, which is the easiest fabric to work with, then make sure you don't pre-wash it as the coating on the fabric will help stop the watered paint bleeding together.
Dip your brush in the paint and again dab it on a paper towel until all the excess is removed. Before painting your fabric dip the brush into a glass of water give it another quick dab on a paper towel and then start brushing the paint onto the fabric. To get the paint into little corners, and close up to the stitching line use a damp cotton bud that has been dipped in the paint. Remove any excess water and paint on a paper towel and then dap the cotton bud in the corners and run it along the inside of your stitching.
It is important to wait to each colour has dried before starting the next as watered paint is more likely to bleed into each other.

Other Tips:

• You can add a textile medium to your paints, but I don't bother if I am making wall hangings as these are not likely to be put through the wash.
• You can also use crayola crayons for colouring. The colour will not be as intense as using paints. Colour your stitchery as desired then cover with baking paper and press with a hot, dry iron to set the colour.
• I like to mix brown and gold together when I have finished, then add loads of water and use this as a wash around the design. I try to make the colour more intense closer to the design and then just use water to blend it into fabric.