quilting arts tv little miracles—mixed-media folk art · 2020. 1. 15. · tip: use very little...

Little Miracles—Mixed-media folk artby Vivika Hansen DeNegre

Sponsored by Bernina of America, eQuilter.com, Treenway Silks, Sew Steady, Dharma Trading Co.

Host Susan Brubaker Knapp and quilt artist Vivika Hansen DeNegre

Materials• Neutral medium-weight background

fabric

• Lightweight fusible interfacing

• Glue stick

• Paper-backed fusible web (I used

Wonder-Under®.)

• Milagro pattern components

• Template material

• Fine-tip permanent marker

• Graph paper

• Tissue paper

• Painter’s tape

• Fanciful fabric scraps

• Hand-dyed cheesecloth

• Vintage book pages and maps

• Ink pad (I used Tim Holtz’ Distress

Ink ™ in Fired Brick and Dusky

Concord.)

• Cosmetic sponge

• Sewing machine

• Rayon thread

Optional• Pinking scissors

• Metallic thread

• Watercolor paints or Derwent

Inktense Blocks

Sometimes inspiration for a

project comes from a variety of

cultural sources. That is the case

for my mixed-media Milagros. I was

recently gifted a small stash of fancy

fabrics—gorgeous sheers, silks, beaded

trim, and colorful snips of Indian

saris—that were just itching to be used

in fiber art. But they had me stumped:

the beads and bangles needed to be kept

intact and the sheers would look best if

they remained sheer. I knew I’d think of

something.

Then the notes of a Mariachi band

drifting through the window of our

local taco truck started me thinking

about the Milagros I’d seen at the

California missions. Milagro is the

Spanish word for “miracle.” These

religious folk charms have their

roots in Spanish and Latin American

culture. Each tiny charm has a different

meaning, and is offered to a saint as a

prayer for a specific need, or carried

in gratitude as a reminder of prayers

answered. As the concept of gratitude

is important to me, I knew I wanted

to interpret these symbols in my own

artwork, and the fancy fabrics were a

great place to start.

What does it mean? When researching the symbolic

significance of the charms, I found a

variety of meanings for each shape. Here

is just a sampling:

• Hearts represent love, joy, longing,

and worry, but also the sacred heart

of Mary and Jesus. Hands stand for

friendship, strength, creativity, and

creation. All of these images are often

paired with wings (angels) and flames

(sacred heart of Mary and Jesus), and

sometimes topped with a crown.

• Eyes symbolize watchfulness,

yearning, and watching over loved

ones.

• Animals—such as sheep, pigs, and

horses—represent community,

abundance, work, and travel.

• Arms and legs symbolize strength,

support, movement, and a warm

embrace.

Of course, each of these shapes can be

reinterpreted by the maker to carry their

own special meanings.

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project 2308-3

directions

1. Prepare a fabric background for the

Milagros. Choose light or neutral

colored fabric with a bit of weight

and texture, but not too much

pattern or it will compete with the

focal image. Determine the size of

your finished piece, and then cut the

fabric 1" larger on all sides. Consider

grouping smaller Milagros together

on 1 piece of fabric. My background

is cut to 9" square.

2. Following the manufacturer’s

instructions, fuse the background

fabric to a piece of fusible interfacing

cut to the same size, creating a

sturdy surface on which to work.

3. Trace the individual Milagro

components onto template material

and cut them out.

Tip: I cut my templates from sturdy

cardboard so they can be reused.

4. Choose several of the templates and

design your own pattern. I started

with the central image of a heart and

traced it onto graph paper. I then

auditioned wings at various angles

and a variety of leaves and flames

before deciding on the final design.

The empty heart reminded me of a

frame, so for 1 version I sketched

a bluebird in the center. For other

versions, I filled the frame with

fabric collages.

5. If you are adding a sketch to your

piece, trace the sketch onto tissue

paper to create a pattern.

6. Trace the templates onto the paper

side of the fusible web, and cut them

out adding 1/8" margin.

Note: When using fusible web, keep

in mind that you fuse the webbing to

the back of the fabric and therefore,

directional pieces will be backward if you

don’t plan accordingly. If your templates

are directional, trace them in reverse.

7. Position the fusible web on the back

of the fabric scraps, using the prints

of the fabric to their best advantage,

and fuse. (figure 1) If fusing to

sheers or cheesecloth, protect your

iron and board with a sheet of

parchment paper above and below

the fabric. After the fabric cools to

room temperature, cut around the

shape on the drawn line and remove

the paper backing.

Note: If your fancy fabrics are

embellished with sequins or beads, the

fusible web will help anchor the threads.

You might have to be creative in cutting

around them to avoid ruining your

scissors.

8. Remove the paper backing and fuse

the shapes to book pages, maps, or

other paper ephemera. (figure 2) I

like to arrange the pieces so the text

is at an angle and is unreadable but

adds a design element. Trim around

the shape with straight or pinking

scissors, leaving a small margin of

text showing. To add a hint of color

to the paper’s edge, load a cosmetic

sponge with ink and drag it across

the edge of the paper. Create all of

the collage elements in this way.

(figure 3)

9. Position the collage elements onto

the background fabric in a pleasing

arrangement. Once you are happy

with the composition, lightly glue

the pieces in place with a glue stick.

10. Set up a sewing machine for free-

motion stitching. The bottom and

top threads should match. Choose

the spot where you will start sewing

(a straight edge that catches both

the fabric and paper is best) and pull

the bobbin thread to the top of the

piece. Hold both threads and sew

around each of the design elements.

(figure 4)

11. To add the sketch in the frame of

the heart, position the tissue paper

pattern with the sketch and hold it

in place with painter’s tape. Thread

the machine with a darker thread

and stitch over the drawn lines. Try

making minimal stops and starts

for a truly free-hand look. (figure

5) When you are happy with the

machine stitching, remove the piece

from the machine and trim the

threads. The tissue paper will tear

away easily from the stitches, leaving

behind the sketch.

12. To add a bit of color and depth to

the sketch, consider painting it. I

used a small amount of water and

added color with Inktense paint

blocks.

Tip: Use very little water to avoid the

colors seeping beyond the stitched line.

(figure 6)

13. Cut around the completed Milagro,

leaving 1/8" of the base fabric. Using

gel medium, glue the Milagro to a

piece of painted board and add a

ribbon for hanging.

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project 2308-3



project 2308-3

figure 1

figure 3

figure 5

figure 4

figure 2

figure 6


Fabric + Paper + Stitch©2018 F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 107

12 To add a sketch, position the tissue paper pattern with your

sketch over the milagro and hold it in place with painter’s

tape. With the machine still set up for free-motion stitching, thread

the machine with a darker thread and stitch over the drawn lines.

Make minimal stops and starts for a truly free-hand look. (FIGURE 7)

When you are happy with your machine stitching, remove the piece

from the machine and trim the thread tails. The tissue paper will tear

away easily from the stitches, and leave behind the beautiful sketch.

13 Add a bit of color and depth to the sketch. I used a very

small amount of water on my brush, and added color with

Inktense paint blocks. Painting on the cheesecloth was easier than I

anticipated, and the Inktense colors bound well to the fabric as well

as the paper below. (SEE OPENING IMAGE.)

TIP: Use very little water to avoid having the colors seep beyond the stitched line.

14 Optional: Cut around the completed milagro, leaving 1/8" of

the base fabric showing. Using gel medium, glue the milagro

to a painted board and add a ribbon for hanging.

Each of these milagros has special meaning for me and for the

recipient. Whether embellished with fancy fabric or further enhanced

with a thread sketch, you can be sure that I'll be making many more

of these stitched folk charms.

Vivika Hansen DeNegre is a life-long craft enthusiast and the editor of Quilting Arts and Modern PAtchwork magazines. Her layered and stitched artwork reflects her love of nature, color, pattern, and design. When not in her studio, you can find Vivika hiking, knitting, gardening, or reading a good book.

7

MILAGRO PATTERN GLOVE

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MILAGRO PATTERN COMPONENTS


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project 2308-3

Print pattern pieces at 100%F+W Media, Inc. grants permission to photocopy these pattern pieces for personal use only.


quilting arts tv little miracles—mixed-media folk art · 2020. 1. 15. · tip: use very little...

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