The Printed Fabric Bee....Not So Late!

I'm catching up now to everyone else and getting ready to do my fabric for this month!
But now, I've got a series of photos to walk you through the latest one I've completed, for January! So the theme for January was turquoise and orange colours with Petroglyphs as the image theme. Well, since I live in the Pacific Northwest I decided to use art for this area and found a wonderful richness of images left behind by ancient people....check out this website: http://www.gabriolamuseum.org/petroglyphs.shtml
So here's how it happened....I found some fabric that was turquoise and purple and then forgot I had it...so overdyed some blue and got a nice mottled turquoise.

I remembered just the perfect stamp for a border image and when I found it, it had broken....so I carved another one....

Then I made four separate Thermofax images to use from the Petroglyphs. First there was the "Salmon", printed in a salmon-y red colour .....

Then came the "Killer Whale"...... chasing the Salmon!

And then "Dancing Man" and "Bear"

Now you can see the entire layout. I had fun, learned something about the culture of my local area and created some cool fabric!

From My Sketchbook - Stamps from Photos

The picture below was taken when I visited Chicago in April and went on a Design Tour. This is a very simple design which reminded me  of a few of the Stained Glass designs I have done for quilt patterns. I’ve printed it out and done some alternate sketches of it which you can see below left.

If you are not sure where to start on your Design Journey, begin with something simple. Look at designs around your house, a piece of china, the pattern on a chair or table. Trace it out and repeat the image two or three times and see where it might lead you. There are no rules and you don’t have to share with anyone until you feel ready.

 

Make a couple of copies of the photo you have taken or do a rough sketch.  

Carve a stamp from Speedy-Cut with lino cutting tools.

 

Use paint or stamp pads to create layers of colour and play with different ways to arrange the images. Try different colours or multiple colours, turn or rotate the stamp for different effects.

Making a Print Table

Since I've been doing so much printing lately, I thought I'd post instructions on how to make your own print tables. They're easy to make and essential if you want to do any printing or stamping on fabric. The "firm softness" of the print table gives much clearer definition and sharper edges to your printing and stamping and since they're so easy there's no reason not to make at least one! I have five of them because I take them when I'm teaching, they're portable and easy to lift in and out of the car. I would love to have a dedicated table at home, just for printing but these are the next best thing as I can lift them on and off the art table and store them upright in a corner of my room. Since I have a few of them I can print a piece of fabric, put it to one side to dry, then go on to make another and another on the other tables.

I stretch 3 layers of cotton batting over the plywood and staple gun the edges on the back. Make certain you have a good 2" extra on all four sides to bring around to the back. Its really much easier to have someone to help you with this.

I have used pieces of batting that I've joined together with a butted seam (don't overlap edges or you'll get bumps on the top). You can also use industrial felt, old blankets or towels. Just make certain that the product is absorbent and will stand up to heat and steam. Avoid anything too bouncy such as polyester batting or synthetics.

The top layer is a medium-heavy muslin or unbleached cotton. A lighter coloured fabric is easier on the eyes and you can see if images are running through your printing fabric. Avoid thinner fabrics as they can rip too easily. Staple this layer (or two) separately to the back of the plywood, again stretching well but not straining the fabric. By stapling the batting and the muslin separately it is easy to replace the muslin when it becomes too stained. You can also try using the stained muslin as an interesting piece of art cloth!

Now you are ready to use your print table, the thick batting means its easy to pin your fabrics into the table (I use T pins so I can print right over them). Place the pins so the sharp end is towards the centre of the fabric. This way they won't come out if  there is any tension on the fabric. In fact, you should pull the edges of the fabrics slightly so there is some tautness but no distortion.

In my perfect world, I'd love a 4" x 8" sheet of plywood made up into table for larger printing, but what I have works well for me. You can also make a table from foam core (Michaels has 1/2" thick sheets), thicker sheets of styrofoam or heavy cardboard. Try it!

Off to my Stamping Class!

I'm getting ready to teach my Stamp It Up class at the North Carolina Quilt Symposium this weekend. My bags and boxes are packed and I'm off tomorrow!

Here's my smiling face and I hope to see some of yours!

Print Tables

Yesterday I mentioned that I would post instructions on how to make your own print tables. They're easy to make and essential if you want to do any printing or stamping on fabric. The "firm softness" of the print table gives much clearer definition and sharper edges to your printing and stamping and since they're so easy there's no reason not to make at least one! I have five of them because I take them when I'm teaching, they're portable and easy to lift in and out of the car. I would love to have a dedicated table at home, just for printing but these are the next best thing as I can lift them on and off the art table and store them upright in a corner of my room. Since I have a few of them I can print a piece of fabric, put it to one side to dry, then go on to make another and another on the other tables.

I've purchased plywood already cut to 24" x 24" (good for fat quarters) and 24" x 48" (good for 1/2 yard cuts), its about 1/2" thick, and rough finished on both sides. Check the weight of the plywood and make certain its not too heavy to lift easily. You'll probably want to move it around your studio from time to time.

I stretch 3 layers of cotton batting over the plywood and staple gun the edges on the back. Make certain you have a good 2" extra on all four sides to bring around to the back. Its really much easier to have someone to help you with this.

I have used pieces of batting that I've joined together with a butted seam (don't overlap edges or you'll get bumps on the top). You can also use industrial felt, old blankets or towels. Just make certain that the product is absorbent and will stand up to heat and steam. Avoid anything too bouncy such as polyester batting or synthetics.

The top layer is a medium-heavy muslin or unbleached cotton. A lighter coloured fabric is easier on the eyes and you can see if images are running through your printing fabric. Avoid thinner fabrics as they can rip too easily. Staple this layer (or two) separately to the back of the plywood, again stretching well but not straining the fabric. By stapling the batting and the muslin separately it is easy to replace the muslin when it becomes too stained. You can also try using the stained muslin as an interesting piece of art cloth!

Now you are ready to use your print table, the thick batting means its easy to pin your fabrics into the table (I use T pins so I can print right over them). They are portable and you'll probably want more than just one!

In my perfect world, I'd love a 4" x 8" sheet of plywood made up into table for larger printing, but what I have works well for me. You can also make a table from foam core (Michaels has 1/2" thick sheets), thicker sheets of styrofoam or heavy cardboard. Try it!