Creative Fabric Painting for Landscapes

1004 STUDENTS ENROLLED

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Instead of searching high and low for perfect landscape fabrics, make them yourself! Landscape quilter Mickey Lawler has painted over 45 thousand yards of fabric and she shares her tips and tricks for success in this fun class. Begin by learning to mix the paints and move right into painting beautiful skies and water. Make texture-rich sun and sand prints and manipulate fabric to create interesting one-of-a-kind backgrounds for your projects. Mickey shows how to make bricks and then provides a bonus piece that combines many of the techniques presented in the class. You can begin with a minimal number of supplies and make your own landscape fabrics like a pro—even if you’ve never painted before!

Course Curriculum

Creative Fabric Painting for Landscapes by Mickey Lawler

Lesson 1. Class Introduction 0 Hours 18 Minutes00:18

Lesson 2. Skies 0 Hours 42 Minutes00:42

Lesson 3. Water 0 Hours 28 Minutes00:28

Lesson 4. Prints 0 Hours 36 Minutes00:36

Lesson 5. Manipulating Fabric 0 Hours 33 Minutes00:33

Lesson 6. Brick Wall 0 Hours 13 Minutes00:13

Lesson 7. Bonus: Painting a Seascape 0 Hours 10 Minutes00:10

LIST PDF

Fabric

2-3 yd. white prepared for dyeing (PFD) 100% cotton

Paint

Note: Use transparent fabric paint in the following colors: (I recommend Jacquard or Pro Chemical and Dye transparent paints.)
- cool blue, warm blue, yellow, orange, cool red, violet, green, black, pearlescent gold, and pearlescent white

Brushes

(4) 2" natural bristle brushes
(2) 1" sponge brushes

Other Supplies

3"-5" natural sponge
Coarse kosher salt or coarse sea salt
Contact paper or plastic sheeting
(3-4) 20" x 30", 3/16" to 1/4" thick foam core boards
(10-15) paint containers, half-pint size
(2) paint containers large enough to accommodate the natural sponge
(10) plastic cosmetic bottles with twist tops
Plastic plant mister or spray bottle, holds at least 16 ounces of water

Optional

Hair dryer with diffuser
High wattage light or grow light
Rubber gloves
Ironing Surface
Purchase a Complete Fabric Painting Starter Kit and eliminate shopping for many of the items listed above. Found at www.skydyes.com. Each kit includes:
(4) bristle brushes
(1) natural sponge
(10) paints in twist-top bottles
(2) sponge brushes
(2) yd. cotton broadcloth ready for painting

What can I do with these fabrics once they’re painted?

They can be used for all sorts of landscapes or you can focus on one area and use only that part in a project. Also, they can be cut up and pieced back together for an entirely different look. Mickey shows numerous techniques in the class and then offers a bonus lesson on painting a seascape. Once you’ve painted your own fabulous landscape pieces, you’ll be inspired to use them in many creative ways!
Will I need to invest in a lot of supplies?

You can start with as few as eight to eleven colors of paint. Use prepared for dyeing (PFD) fabric, some wide brushes, a few other necessities, and that’s it! You’ll enjoy the creativity of this class so much that the investment in supplies will pay for itself because you’ll use them again and again once you’ve learned the technique.
What is the difference between this method and dyeing my own fabric?

Dyes form a chemical bond with the fabric so you’ll see color on both sides of the finished product. Paints sit on the surface of the fibers with less bleeding to the back of the piece. Mickey’s painting method produces the painted front surface and also the back with softer hues. You can use either the front or the back depending on your project needs.
What if I have questions?

We recommend that you watch the class in its entirety and become familiar with the downloadable materials. At that point, if something is unclear, go to the tab that allows you to ask a question and Mickey will get back with you via email. Please do not contact iquilt instructors by telephone.
When can I start the class?

We know you are excited to get started. After you have purchased the class, you can enjoy it anywhere and anytime you have the Internet. The class belongs to you, so watch it as many times as you like!

Instructor Gallery

Student Gallery

Linda Van Gastel – March 5, 2021:

An excellent presentation and demonstration of her approach and techniques. Thorough and understandable. I find myself coming back to review sections of the course regularly. So much useful and inspiring information!
Elaine Skinner – January 16, 2019:

Wonderful course.Teaching clear and entertaining, Answered lots of questions things, I have struggled with such as colours for sea and sky and browns. Thank you so much.
Linda Dowd – January 9, 2019:

I got so much more out of this class than I anticipated. I've been trying to incorporate painting into my fabric projects, but I felt like I was totally out of my element. Mickey breaks it all down with clear and precise instructions and demonstrations. She's very personable and she explains things so clearly and seems so very comfortable in front of the camera. I seldom make quilts, but I often s…

earch for specific fabrics for fabric postcards and art to wear. This is a perfect solution to some of those fabric searches. I LOVED this class! I can see so many possibilities for these techniques in creating some of my own fabric designs. Great class and wonderful instructor!

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Sue Fyfe – August 20, 2018:

One of the best classes I have ever taken. I started out thinking I wanted to do landscape quilts but can see so many more opportunities to use these techniques in other quilting. Well worth the money. Thank you so much Mickey.
Diana Schimmenti – September 13, 2016:

Isn’t technology great? How wonderful to “have” Mickey Lawler right here in my own house! I attended a workshop years ago and often wished I could do it again. Well this series is the next best thing to being there, with the added benefits of being able to actually watch her work, and being able to review the teaching on any technique as often as needed. While her easy-going song “it just …

doesn’t matter” helps me to put that first brushstroke of paint on a perfectly white piece of fabric, I’ve learned to pay attention to her comments about always using a test cloth, not pressing down too hard, not taking too long to get that sunprint out it the sun, and not letting things get too wet. It does help to hear her say that even her own results are not always predictable, because mine certainly are not. But then her wonderful guidance on how to mix colors combined with the methods taught in this series will often result in a piece of fabric you may never want to cut up! Thank you Mickey, and thank you iQuilt.

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Trish Hodge – August 25, 2016:

If you have ever thought about creating your own fabric for your quilts take Mickey's Class! She gives you a broad array of techniques for painting fabric and shows you some exquisite examples of how you can you use that gorgeous fabric you have created. Mickey is the very best kind of teacher - her directions are clear, detailed and precise; she is encouraging to beginners yet offers plenty for…

more experienced students; and she is passionate about her work. My favorite lesson was on printing, but each lesson gives you something new to try. The great advantage to this online course is that you can go back to refresh your memory every time you begin a new project. I highly recommend Mickey's class.

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Vicki Knepp – August 25, 2016:

This is a great class. Mickey's down to earth explanations make her techniques so easy to understand. Her explanations on mixing colors are simple in both the videos and the written course materials. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to paint landscapes on fabrics.
Elaine Armenta – August 19, 2016:

You're going to like Micky. She is so fun an personable. I would say, she is kind of a gentle, calming, but uplifting type. Also there's a lot of interesting techniques she presents for painting cloth. I really like how she shows you how to mix the paints to get your colors. You can make tree bark, bricks, Sky, water, you name it. If you like doing landscape quilts this is the class for you!…

I'm going to buy some second hand, good quality, all cotton sheets and cut them up to practice on. I think this will be fun.

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