Technique of the Week #14 – Crayola Model Magic Embellishments

Project hours: 36 hours
Design and materials: 3 hours
Execution: 33 hours
I was shown this technique by Pokey Bolton, editor of Quilting Arts, at a Make It University make n take class about 2 years ago, and have never tried it.  
Playing with Crayola Model Magic is addictive, because once you open your pack, you sorta have to use it because it will dry up and cannot be resealed.  I opened my pack in the evening and rolled out thin sheets on the stuff and pressed various rubber stamps into the surface.  Right out of the package, the foamy clay stuff will stick to your rubber stamps, so what I did was roll out the foam so it was nice and smooth, and let it dry to form a  bit of a skin, for about 10 minutes, and then pressed my stamps in.  I also rubbed the palm of my hand over the stamp before I did, transferring some of the oils on my skin onto the stamp to help prevent sticking.  You then have to let this stuff dry, I chose to do so overnight.
The next day, I painted the surfaces of the foamy shapes with various paints, and rubbed on some metallics for that extra shine and luster.  The neat part is that this stuff is super soft and can be sewn through.  I chose to use a hand sewing technique, because I felt the machine might put too much pressure and tear the thin foam surfaces I had created. I was really happy with the embellishments I made, and with enough stamps or other fun things to push into the foam, I can see making more stuff to stick to quilts in the future.