Using your Heirloom Smocking Template with Paint!

When Pokey Bolton mentioned during my DVD blog hop that she wanted to use the smocking techniques with Shibori methods, I could NOT wait to try it out on some smocked samples I had laying around.
I used the Heirloom Smocking Template to draw my grid, and the instructions for several different smocking techniques (some are on the DVD and also available for download from my shop), and then got out my paints. These are quick to smock up, which I do in front of the TV!
In these examples, I used some sparkly acrylic fabric paints to lightly brush over the surface of the fabric. You do not need a lot of paint, and you just lightly brush it over the tops of the raised areas your smocking creates.
Then I let it dry and unpicked the stitches from the back with my scissors.  I ended up with a surface designed fabric that I can’t wait to use in a project!