Magic in the Fabric©

One of the most important things to remember after you purchase your book, is to read "The Helpful Hints" page and practice  spray painting on scrapes of fabric or even a paper towel. Since this is a water based paint you are applying to fabric, you have to go easy and not over-wet the fabric and cause more of a water stain then a "baked" look. When you sew the French Bread pattern make sure you put most of the gathers at the end of the bread(see instructions) or you will end up with more of a pillow than a bread.

Sometimes changes takes a lot of courage, mistakes and frustrations. Learning a new craft can be challenging, but I am here to help you along the way. There is something very rewarding in accomplishing something new. Learning to be a fabric chef, starts with just one book, a little determination and very few dollars.
It's just making the decision to go for it. Once you learn the techniques that I have illustrated in the book, each new project will be much easier. Really. If you have any questions, just send me a note. I am here for you.

One  of the things  I really like about  what I do, making realistic fabric breads and pastries(soft sculptures), is that, you can eat your models when they finish modeling for you. Now isn’t that fantastic? On top of that, they are readily available at little cost and they don’t charge by the hour.

The other great economical part of this craft is that it is rather inexpensive to start. A yard of fabric, a needle and thread, some kind of fiberfill and a small bottle of water based paint. (All details can be found in the Magic In the Fabric Books)

When I first started doing this, I lived in a two-bedroom apartment. I used the second bedroom for designing and sewing my art work and then I covered my second bathroom in plastic sheeting to protect the walls, for my painting room. It really doesn’t take a whole lot of space to start this project, just enough room for sewing and painting, without making a mess. Here is a picture of my first “studio.” I think this is quite a curious photo, don’t you? How many times have you seen something that obvious looks like food on the same table as painting supplies?

 

Did I ever tell you the story of why I began creating realistic fabric breads and pastries? Growing up in the Pop Art era, way back when I was in college, I was very fond of an artist named Claes Oldenburg, who had used everyday objects for models in his soft sculptures. He had incorporated fabric in several of his creations and made many food soft sculptures such as a giant hamburger and giant French fries.

When I was a child, I had learned to sew, loved arts and crafts and enjoyed cooking. I was a very curious kind of person and was always interested in how things where made. I have never forgotten the trip my brownie troop made to the Duffys bottling company, all the machines turning and whirling and then there it was, a labeled, sealed and deliciously filled orange soda. It totally fascinated me.

Ok, so you see it was already in my genetic make up when back in 1997, the opportunity happened.  I was chatting with the owner of The Little Swiss Shop, in Ouray, Colorado, when she said, “Have you ever seen any fabric made pastries?” She didn’t like the plastic ones, as they looked to “cheap.” That was that “light bulb” moment. The wheels stated turning in my head. Was there such an item out there, something like that?

After, weeks of research, all I could find was either plastic, or felt food, which neither would do justice for high-end crystal ware. So, I set to work, researching fabrics, paints and items that would look like realistic toppings.  Since she carried fancy beer steins in her store, I decide to start with giant pretzels.  I drew out a pattern, cut, stitched and painted the fabric. As I painted it, I was amazed. The fabric began to look like a real fresh baked, hot out of the oven pretzel! Here I was doing this, knowing I started with a piece of fabric, but it even took me by surprise. It worked. I felt like a magician (I love magic, don’t you?)

I felt like jumping for joy. Laughing to myself, (out loud), I made several more. Just for the fun of it, I placed them all on a big cookie sheet and took them to town. People walked by, smiling and saying, “can I have one? Or “yum, those make me hungry, did you just bake them?”  When I told them they where made from fabric, they would just burst out laughing. I had never had so much fun.

That day, I made my first sale. The store owner bought all of them.

 

It's time to be thinking about the holiday crafts. Learn  how to make beautiful arrangements of realistic fabric breads  that will last a lifetime. Amaze your friends and relatives with your charming arrangements. All it takes is some minor sewing and basic art skills. It's soo much fun to turn fabric in to something a person wants to eat.

Hello, we here at Soft Sculptures & Beyond are working our heads off to get kits and pattern/instruction booklets out to all of you who would like to become a fabric chef. it is really so much fun to make fabric change into something you want to eat. I even have that problem sometimes when I am making them. I was working on a "cream cheese danish" and almost licked the paint off my finger! I hope we will have products in stores within the year. But you don't have to wait that long. you will be able to purchase them from this website much sooner. I will keep you posted.

Do you want to become a fabric chef? I will be releasing individual patterns soon. Please take the survey so I can print the ones you are most interested in.  Thanks

The Fabric Chef has made several giant sculptures for displays in retail stores for many years. I have made giant cups, chip bags, ice cream cones, big pretzels, and candies. If some one wants to pay for it, I will make it,