Kirsten's teeny-weeny blocks quilt

Hello fellow creatives! Have you checked out Artistcellar's brand-spankin' new stencils? They have quickly become one of my favorites because of their versatility and deceptively simple design that work with just about any type of project.

Since I enjoyed making a paper quilt last time I decided to explore that technique further by choosing a larger canvas and making smaller squares. The result...FABULOUS.

Here's what I worked with: Blocks series stencils, Gelli plate and brayer, scrap pieces of file folders, Dina Wakley acrylics, gel medium, glazing medium, glossy sealant and a 6x24 canvas.

Set up your gelli printing spree and have fun mixing colors. I used a brayer to "paint" color onto the scraps for an initial layer and then followed it up with more layers using the Blocks stencils. I made sure I had a few scraps that only had a few simple layers and others that had three or more. Keep to the same 3 to 5 colors to make sure your finished prints are consistent. 

For the next step grab your trimmer and some scissors, turn on a favorite show or blast some groovy music and get cutting. I cut down my scraps to 1x1 inch squares. Look at all that inchie goodness!

Now it is time to start adhering the squares to your canvas! Working in small sections and using an old hotel key card smooth a semi-thin layer of gel medium onto the surface of the canvas and place your squares in rows. You'll get in the zone and pretty soon you will have the entire canvas surface covered in your gorgeously patterned squares.

For a finishing touch, use a dark color like Umber or Night and make a glaze with glazing medium and paint it to the surface of the canvas (again, working in small sections at a time) and then wipe off the excess. The following picture shows a glazed section next to one that hasn't had the glaze wiped off yet.

Finished project! Another beautiful paper quilt that is both relaxing to create and interesting to look at. I hope you make one for yourself!

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