If you are looking for a simple way to create interesting designs on fabric, try mono-printing. It's a wonderful way to create a pattern that's quick and easy - and totally unique.
by Janice Hay
photos by Ian Cole

Inspiration for this method came from a line in a book, 'sackcloth over gold'. The decorative yarns provided the inspiration for the colour schemes.

The instructions are for the cushion with pink felt edges.

What you need for printing

• 11 cm square tile (with a glass-like surface)
• A print roller or an old rolling pin
• Pearlised fabric paints
• Disposable or rubber gloves
• 18 cm square of coloured muslin

To print

Always wear disposable or rubber gloves when working with fabric paints or dyes.

1. Spread a layer of the paint evenly over the glass tile and make marks using a finger or stick, working quite quickly.
2. Lay the muslin face down onto the paint and roll all over, going right up to the edges.
3. Peel off and allow to dry. Some fabric paints require ironing when dry, so do look at the instructions.

Ideas for mark-making into fabric paint

What you need

• 11 cm square metallic fabric
• 10 cm square of thin wadding
• 2 x l6 cm squares of felt in contrasting colours
• No.5 embroidery needle
• Beading needle
• Quilting thread
• Beads
• 2 x 12 cm squares of calico for inner cushion
• Kapok or cottonwool for stuffing
• 4 x 20 cm lengths of ribbon, 1 cm wide or folded to give a 1 cm width.
• Stranded cotton, 1 skein each of: DMC 741, DMC 3821, Anchor 304, Anchor 305
• 1 metre of decorative yarn plus enough to make four tassels
• 1 reel Gütermann polyester machine thread, colour 25
• 27 cm square of calico or firm cotton
• 22 cm diameter ring frame

Preparation

1. Place the 27 cm square of calico into the 22 cm ring frame and pull tight.
   
2. Trim the mono-printed muslin to 11 cm square.
3. Lay one of the coloured felt squares on top of the calico in the frame and pin in place.
4. Layer the wadding, metallic fabric and finally the mono-print muslin centrally on top of the felt, so that there is 2.5 cm of felt showing around the edges.
5. To hold the layers together, tack around the edge of the print and from corner to corner.

What you do

1. The edges of the printed area are covered first to prevent fraying. Pin the four pieces of ribbon along the edges of the printed fabric, allowing the ends to cross over at the corners. Using 3 strands of Anchor 304, work close running stitch along both edges of the ribbon, turning the stitching at the corners where the ribbons cross, so that the ends are left free.
   
2. With the same thread and starting in the centre of the print, work close running stitches around the outlines of the shapes that you have made, stitching through all of the layers (the unprinted areas will be cut away later). Pull the stitches firmly to accentuate the padded effect of the wadding.
3. Remove all tacking.
4. Using two strands of the Anchor 304 and two strands of DMC 3821 together in the same needle, work the decorative seeding stitches around the outlined shapes.
5. To add sparkle, add beads to some areas. In this version, the beads were added inside the cutaway shapes. Choose beads in a co-ordinating colour, more than one size if you wish, and sew them in place, using quilting thread and the beading needle. The wax coating on the quilting thread helps to protect and strengthen it and also makes it easier to thread into the beading needle.
   
6. Next, very carefully cut down the centre of the unprinted areas of muslin to expose the metallic fabric underneath. Trim back to the running stitch outline.
   
7. Using the Gütermann machine thread, couch the decorative yarn on top of the ribbon, allowing the ends to hang loose from the corners.
8. Remove the embroidery from the ring or frame and trim the calico back to the stitching.
9. To make the inner cushion, place the two calico squares with right sides facing then back-stitch together with a 1 cm seam allowance, leaving a small opening for turning through. Turn inside out, stuff until fat, and then turn in the open edges and slip-stitch together.

To make up the cushion

1. Place the inner cushion centrally on the remaining piece of coloured felt. Put the embroidered felt on top, matching the corners, and pin together as close to the inner cushion as possible.
2. Using a thread the same colour as the bottom layer of felt and stitching through all of the layers, re-stitch over the decorative yarn, pulling the stitches firmly as you work.
3. Trim back or decorate the felt edge as you wish.
4. Finish off the corners with small tassels made from the decorative yarn and with a bead wrapping.
   
5. Finally, trim the ribbon back to the edge of the felt, cutting diagonally to minimise fraying.

Suggestions

• Use silk, cotton or another fabric of your choice in place of the felt.
• Transfer paints and crayons can be used instead of mono-printing.
• If you prefer to use a sewing machine, some of the methods can be adapted. Seeding stitches could be replaced by free machine embroidery, and the decorative yarn could be couched in place with a zigzag stitch.
• The edges of the print could be secured to the background with satin stitch, and cords used instead of the ribbons.
• Create your own colourway by dyeing your own muslin and yarns.

Variations

• The turquoise and black felt versions were made as described above.
• The decorative stitching on the turquoise version was worked in DMC stranded cottons 995, 996 and 327.
• The decorative stitching on the black version was worked in DMC stranded cottons 907 and 3812.
• The decorative stitching on the partly worked piece used DMC stranded cotton 309, 327, 946 and 210.

Suppliers

For the name of your nearest stockist of 'Pearlised' fabric paints by Stewart Gill, tel: 0131 337 3699

Coloured muslin and calico: The Dyer's Hand has a wonderful selection in a huge range of colours, including space-dyed fabrics - The Dyer's Hand, 1 Welton Road, Leeds LS6 1EE, tel/fax: 0113 224 9877. Contact them for mail order

Metallic and lamé fabrics are available from many embroidery and craft shops. For mail order, contact Variegations, Dept S, Rose Cottage, Harper Royd lane, Norland, Halifax HX6 3QQ. For a copy of their comprehensive catalogue, send 4 x 1st-class stamps.

The rainbow-coloured yarn/ribbon used for the tassels and trim is also available from Variegations.