Welcome Autumn Framed Art using the Free Shape of the Week

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Happy first day of Autumn!  Today I’m sharing a quick and simple framed art piece using the (very timely) free shape of the week and lots of layers of smooth and flocked heat transfer material.  There’s just something about the flocked heat transfer material that screams “autumn” to me…maybe it reminds me of fuzzy sweaters?

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I normally like to arrange my shapes in the Studio software to get an idea of how my final project will look.  If I fill each shape with my intended color too, it helps me determine what parts might need a little tweaking.

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In this case, I felt the shapes needed a subtle shadow (rather than a full offset border) to really make them pop.  I decided an extra layer made out of smooth brown heat transfer material would be the perfect base layer.

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To make the shadow layer, I simply selected all of the shapes on my workspace and clicked the “Weld” button in the Modify window.

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This creates a single shape (well, almost) that is quick and easy to cut out and once this layer is pressed onto my canvas, it also allows for the perfect alignment of the flocked layer of each element with no guessing required.

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  • After the cutting and weeding of all of my designs was complete (don’t forget to mirror all of the shapes!), the piece went together very quickly in just a few steps.  Having the transfer tape already adhered to the heat transfer material is a serious time saver.
  • Heat transfer material adheres nicely to pre-made canvas or burlap panels like this one.  And don’t be afraid to layer smooth and flocked materials…they work beautifully together!

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I think the layering looks especially beautiful when cutting intricate word designs.  Of course, I didn’t layer the free shape…but that’s just because it looked elegant enough on its own.

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I, for one, am thrilled that autumn is finally here and am happy to welcome it into my home with my quick and easy homemade sign.  How are you going to use the free shape?

Shapes Used: