Textile artist Monique Kleinhans' go to products for creating unique and fabulous quilted art.

Terial Magic

This fun spray is easy to use and great for so many things. I use it to create my 3-D flowers for my Hollyhocks and Sunflower (Mirasol's Garden) patterns, as well as in many of my art quilts. Check out terialarts.com for more tips, tricks, tutorials and even some free pattern ideas! (If you're quilt store doesn't yet carry this, I currently have some some 8oz sizes available for sale.)

Inktense Watercolor Pencils

One of my go-to tools for coloring on fabric. Easy to control, and blend these pencils will add a little bit of color where you need it, or a lot of when you want it. I use these with a small still paint brush and textile medium to activate the color and blend it into the fibers of the fabric. For a softer look, you can also simply use water to activate the colors on fabric and once dry it is permanent! Check my online store as I do tend to carry these around times of classes, otherwise you can find these at any art supply store, including the larger chains.

Textile Medium
(Or Fabric Medium)

Textile Medium (also called fabric medium) is an additive that combined with paints will make the color set into natural fibers (cotton, silk, wool, etc...) I use this medium with watercolor pencils and inktense pencils to draw and color on fabric, as well as with standard acrylics to. make them color fast on fabric. Some quilt stores carry this product, but you can usually find them in any art supply store, including the larger chains. Be sure to look for the 'iridescent' kind too when you need a little added "BLING'.

Soft Body Acrylic Paints

Lutrador

Soft body acrylic paint includes a textile medium and therefore ready to be used on fabric. I love the liquitex brand due to how well it works along with it being light reactive (meaning that when dried in the sun the color becomes very bright--a great tool for sun printing! You can find liquitex in art supply stores and even on Amazon.com (be sure to look for the phrase 'soft body' when buying acrylics...they will work much better on fabric than basic acrylic paints.)

Lutradur is a fun fiber to use in textile art. Light weight (it comes in a variety of weights) and slightly see-through it is still stiff enough to go through your printer, and even easy to paint or sun print on. You can use it to make fabric sculptures and even lampshades and luminaries. There is a wonderful description of lutradur and different uses HERE from the Pellon website.

Heat Moldable Batting

Fabri Flair

This is a fun product to use if you want to create vessels or bowls, or if you are like me--create fun structures that can be quilted, attached to an art quilt, and then shaped with heat.

Fabriflair Medium Weight Stabilizer provides a flexible, yet durable structure for your dimensional fabric projects!

Totally Stable (by Sulky)

Sliver thread (by Sulky)

Sulky Totally Stable Stabilizer

My favorite stabilizer for stitching down applique and for thread art and bobbin work. Irons on to the back of your project like freezer paper and then tears away after you are finished.

Sulky Sliver Metallic Thread

A flat iridescent thread that comes in a wonderful variety of colors. Great to use for some sparkle and will not break like other metallic threads. My favorite color is Opalescent as it reflects the color of the fabric that you stitch it on--perfect for water reflections, and eye lights in animals.

Pellon Thermolam
Sew In Batting

A wonderful batting for thread art, or wall quilts, this lofty, needle-punched fleece is great for quilting your wall art. (It is wonderful for table runners and place-mats too!) While it comes in both sew-in and fusible I like the sew in best as it doesn't add any extra glue to mix when I'm doing thread work or quilting. Thermolam® Plus is stable and has no grain, so it can be cut any direction.

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