A Sewing and Fabric Challenge

Welcome back to my version of The 20 Project.

To find out more about The 20 Project please visit Shimelle Laine’s blog. This is her concept that I am using as inspiration to get my own projects finished while challenging myself along the way. Shaking up the ordinary processes. Working out the cobwebs. Rediscovering old products. It is all going to happen during this project!

Today the jar prompted me to use fabric on a layout – something I’ve done in the past, but I’ve still got a fairly substantual stash to get through so clearly I need to remember to use it more often.

Take a look at how things came together.

Prompt #2 – Use Fabric On a Layout

If those photos in the video went by too quickly, here are the layouts again. Click on any of the images to be taken to the original posts.

Here I cut a large circle out of my fabric (actually the same fabric I used today, go figure!) and glued it to the background of my layout.

For this one I exchanged patterned paper for pieces of fabric. I even journaled right on the fabric! Accents were created from fabric or were sewing notion inspired – buttons and thread.

And finally this one. I love this layout of my middle daughter! The soft colours suit her to a T! the fabric on this layout was definitely an accent not the main event. I pleated it to create that flounce along the bottom of the photo, and then pulled my ends together to create that flower detail at the top.

Which just leaves us with the layout from today. Here it is.

2 Months

More of a hybrid layout. I’ve treated my fabric as I would my papers. Attaching a large piece of patterned paper to a full piece of 12×12 paper to create a frame is something I do a lot. Perhaps I should have tried to mix up my design a bit more but honestly, when using a new product (okay, not new but also not one that is used regularly) it can help the process to flow more efficiently if you rely on your tried and true techniques.

Having my background in place I could then proceed as usual with some boxes of patterned paper and other embellishments.

Since I set these journaling cards aside to use throughout this particular album, the layout came together in a snap. All I had to do was copy the details that we so carefully kept track of when my daughter was a baby. Oh, the perks of being the first born! Sorry Paige and Christine! You got screwed in that department for sure!!

When I went looking for a “hard and shiny” element to add to this layout I initially pulled out some enamel dots. But I’m glad I stumbled across these pink gems instead. I love the extra glitter they add. Everything else on the layout is matte in finish so the glitter was needed.

My explanation of why I die cut some butterflies from the blue paper may not have been clear in the video. Basically, if you have one “incongruous” element on your page, you fix it by adding more of that element. The blue striped paper was standing out as the odd man out. There was no other blue on the page except in the photos. By adding these three little pops of the blue up near the top of the page, in fact, in the first area you see as you start to ‘read’ the page, your eyes accept them right away and when you see more of that colour and pattern further down, it makes sense.

That’s called repetition and I did a whole post on it along with a series on Design Elements you can check out to learn more about these concepts.

Are you taking Shimelle’s class? Have you been following along with her prompts or have you made your own, like me? Share your experiences in the comments below. I’d love to see your work! And I can’t wait to see what prompt I will pull out next week!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone! Our kids started a week away at Grandma and Grandpa Day’s today (Long Live Granny Camp!) so I know my weekend will be quiet at least! Hopefully I’ll be able to get more scrapbook layouts made too. Fingers crossed!

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