Groovy Pad Paws How-To's From Lisa Bunting Thoms of Q. D. Patooties

If you like creating unusual bears and like suggestions for doing so then you'll be happy to know that Lisa Bunting Thoms of  Q.D. Patooties  has a wonderful  tutorial showing you how to make colorful pad paws.


Groovy Pad PawsCopyright © 2007 - All Rights Reserved - Lisa Bunting Thoms of Q.D. Patooties

Here's what Lisa had to say about Groovy Pad Paws:

Groovy Paw Pads Tutorial
Paw Pads have always been an interesting topic among Bear Artists.  So I thought I would do some tutorials on different techniques that I have tried to embellish my Paw Pads and make them stand out.  This tutorial will show you how to use an easy Batik Method to make fabulously groovy paw pads on wool felt.  You can try the method on other type of material as well.
Easy GROOVY Paw Pads Materials Needed: Paw Pad Pattern Wool Felt Wax Covered String (Wax Stix) Hot Cup of tea, Coffee or Cocoa White Vinegar Food Coloring/Egg Dye Directions:  Cut Paw Pads out of wool felt according to pattern.  Using the wax covered string (Figure A.) make a design such as a spiral, a heart or anything else that comes to mind on one of the felt paw pads by pressing the string down on the fabric as you go along (Figures B and C.).  Place the paw pad without the wax string design on top of the one with the design to form a sandwich.  Next, make yourself a cup of hot tea. Make Sure you use a cup that will cover your design.  Place the cup of hot tea on top of the sandwich while it steeps (Figure D.).  The tea I use takes 15 minutes.  Pick up your cup half way through the steep time and rub the design with your fingers as the heat has softened the wax.  You have now created a "resist" in the fabric which is an area that will not accept dye.  Flip your sandwich and do the same to the other side.  When the wax is soft on that side, remove the tea cup, rub the design with your finger and then open the sandwich and remove the wax string (Figure E). Saturate both paw pads with white vinegar.  Lay the paw pads on a paper towel in your sink and drip food coloring on them (Figure F.).  Let it sit in the sink while the dye sets.  While you are waiting, enjoy your cup of tea. After a thorough rinsing, let them dry and they will be ready to use!
If you end up using this tutorial to make your own batiked fabric creation, I'd love to see a pic.  Just send me one at hey_lisa@qdpatooties.com and I will post it in my Blog along with your name and website/or Blog address!

Please respect Lisa's TERMS OF USE:  My FREE tutorials, patterns, and how-to's are for personal use only and are not not intended for commercial use. They may not be copied, reprinted, emailed, or reproduced and distributed in any manner without my permission.

Lisa's Bio: Lisa is a professional teddy bear artist selling heirloom quality collectible bears to Adults and has been making bears professionally since November 1997. Her creations have been nominated for several Awards including the TITA, Teddy Bear Scene Reader's Choice Awards and the Ace Awards. They've also been included on a regular basis in many of the major doll and crafts magazines.

Copyright © 2007-2012 - All Rights Reserved - Lisa Bunting Thoms of Q.D. Patooties at http://qdpatooties.blogspot.com.

Please visit Lisa's Q.D. Patooties Spoonflower Fabric Shop and her Q.D. Patooties Etsy Shop.