Travel back to the prehistoric past! Cave art is the inspiration for these unique wall hangings that combine painting with free-motion embroidery and stitching
BY JAY HOOPER OF DIZZY & CREATIVE
Ever since seeing spectacular cave art in France as a child, I was mesmerised by the colours and simple shapes etched and painted in such beauty. The designs here are an amalgam representing many cultures. Both hangings are large in scale – this page shows the larger one, turn over to see the smaller version.
PREPARATION
1 Prepare the fabric first. Cut a piece of fabric to size. Use a sewing machine to work a zigzag stitch 1in (2cm) from the outer edge all the way around the fabric.
2 Press the long edges of the strip of fabric under by ½in (1cm) and then the short ends under by ½in (1cm). Position along the upper edge of the fabric on the reverse side, lining up the upper edge of the strip along the zigzag stitching. Using a straight stitch, machine stitch along upper and lower edges of the fabric strip to create a sleeve for a hanging baton. 1
3 In a jam jar, squeeze 2in (5cm) of Raw Umber paint into 2in (5cm) of water. Mix thoroughly. Dampen the fabric by immersing in water and squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Lay out on a flat surface if you have room (I did this bit outside on the garden table), or hang the damp fabric on the washing line. ➜
4 Use a 2in (5cm) paintbrush to spread the paint mixture across the fabric. This does not need to be done evenly, but try to avoid obvious brush marks. Take the colour right to the edge of the fabric.
5 Once all the fabric is covered, take a dry brush and use a tiny amount of undiluted paint in one or two shades to make the occasional streak of colour; do this very sparingly and if overdone, re-dilute using the larger brush and water to disperse the colour. Hang and leave to dry.
START PAINTING
6 First, gather your hands! Ask friends and family members to draw around their hands on a sheet of paper and then cut these out to use as stencils.
TOP TIP!
Children’s hands are ideally sized for the smaller size hanging, and adult hands for the larger size.
7 Position the stencils around the fabric’s lower edge and sides. Use a small dry stencil brush and each paint colour undiluted to stipple around the stencils. Allow to dry, then overlay with a different colour, changing direction of the stencils. Keep stepping back to ensure you get a colour balance across the whole piece. Leave to dry fully. 2 3
8 Use sewing thread and a long running stitch to mark out a grid of 11 X 15 squares on
