Fabric Collage

These are a few little experiments that I am working on with a fabric collage technique. I first start with raw canvas--sometimes I prime it with gesso, other times I just go right in with acrylic paint. I paint pieces of canvas about 18 x 22 inches, with layers and layers of acrylic paint. I use different techniques to add the layers--paint scraping, stamping, freehand mark making, stencils, splatters, etc. to create colorful and patterned pieces of fabric. Then I cut them up and applique them to a base fabric. All of the fabrics here were hand painted. I don't usually have a piece planned out completely, but have an initial idea of what shapes I will be using, and then I play around with the layout before I stitch them down. Here are 2 houses, and some flowers in progress.