My Week - My Studio

 Many attempts in writing a blog post where I feel I need to be profound and deep....sigh! But I thought for the next while I'll share my ideas, exercises and experiments in the studio over the past week. I'd love to have feedback and perhaps you have some similar or very different ways of working that you could share with me and other readers.

I've been selling my sketchbooks and totes in local galleries and in my Open Studio, so it was time to paint up some more canvas. I use a 7 oz. unprimed canvas and then paint a layer of clear gesso (diluted 75/25 with water) to provide a good tooth to grab the colours. These are three different colour combinations;

I then add imagery with thermofax screens and stencils over all the canvas, trying to complement the colours and theme of the  background/base colours. Each image takes time to dry, so I usually take a couple days to add enough to satisfy me.

These are the small and medium size sketchbooks that I cover with the painted canvas, I love that each one is different from the other. Cutting different areas of the canvas provides a bit of serendipity!

Then, from the smaller pieces, I back them with felt for coasters. I had precut the pieces and fused to the felt with a bit of a margin, I loved how the black framed the canvas and gave me an idea for making totes or small purses/folios with some black wool....someone else suggested hats and I thought they might have a slight "Cossack" theme to them!

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I was clearing off some papers on the table and thought Id add some more marks with my favourite acrylic ink - Daler & Rowney Indigo - I just used the little dropper thats inside the wee bottle and ran it over the surface of tissue paper. In the one below I then spritzed it with a spray bottle.

Even if it never becomes anything more - I love seeing the colours moved over the paper and bleed around the edges.

These next two were painted on and left to dry - I definitely think they will get more work done - not sure quite yet what that might be!

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My big accomplishment this week was to finish quilting a new piece that has been waiting ever so patiently! I had open studios, some traveling and other commitments so it took a while to get back to it!

Its fairly large - 45" x 60" but lighter than some of my previous work, I tried using Thermore for the batting and it was ever so much easier to get through the machine!

Here it is pined up on the wall, I check over carefully for loose threads and making sure Ive not missed quilting any areas. I am pleased that the difference in batting seems to keep it from distorting and it may not need to be blocked.

Here it is cropped and looking a little tidier. Once I have added the facings I will put it back up, adjust the lights and take the formal "beauty" shots for the website and submissions. I'm still thinking of a title and am leaning towards "On the North Shore" as the photo was taken of the docks on the north shore of Vancouver - any other ideas?

I cut and sewed the strips for the facings and laid them down on my table...I loved the way the neutrals all looked so soft and relaxed...

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I'm cutting you up...yes I am! Every couple of months I take this piece of painted linen from the drawer and put it on the design wall...its about 25" x 35". I want to cut it up into squares and rectangles and I'm trying really, really hard to not make it "too precious" thinking that I'll ruin it....if it doesn't work out I can make something different! Do you find that a struggle too? Fear of Messing Up - FOMU - theres really no reason to think that way, but....

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More Shibori Shiraz....in between times I made more Shibori fabrics using my Shiraz technique - so easy to do with wine bottles and juice jugs....I have a very good blog post explaining my process here: 

http://susanpm.blogspot.com/2020/09/shibori-shiraz.html

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Finally - leaving the best til the last...I'd love for you to take part in my upcoming workshop Cloth to Codex Online - seven weeks of wonderful creating with books, scrolls and folios - jammed with great videos, a private Facebook Group and Zoom meetings - you can get all the details here:

https://www.susanpm.com/2016/11/23/cloth-to-codex/

Not too bad a week, I guess I got quite a bit done and it feels good! How about you?

Space Maps, Pick Up Sticks........New Thermofax Designs

I have a blast thinking of names for some of my Thermofax designs and I've just added a few more. check out these and more at my "Industrial" page:

 Power Grid

 

City Map

You can go and order them in three different sizes: http://fabricimagery.com/category/industrial/

Or how about some new Nature Designs:

 Wood Grain

 Bamboo

These are great, aren't they? Remember Here is where to order them: http://fabricimagery.com/category/nature/
Did you know that I also create custom orders for you? Provide me with a design and choose the size, its that easy! Or I can create something special that I'll love. Just send me an email HERE

Paisley....it's Everywhere!

I've made some Thermofax screens with a "paisley" theme, using designs that I had created in my Art and Design class at the Gail Harker Creative Studies Center http://www.gailcreativestudies.com/ a few years ago. In the class each student choose a theme to work with and develop into designs that would eventually become a handmade book. Here are some pages from my book:

Did you know that Paisley is a term for a design using the boteh or buta, a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Persian origin. Such designs became very popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuries, following imports of post-Mughal versions of the design from British India, especially in the form of Kashmir shawls, and were then imitated locally. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quilt-makers, or "Welsh pears" in Welsh textiles as far back as 1888.

Paisley was particularly popular during the Summer of Love, heavily identified with psychedelic style and the interest in Indian spirituality and culture brought about by the pilgrimage of The Beatles to India in 1968. Also, Fender Guitars made a Pink Paisley version of their Telecaster guitar, by sticking paisley wallpaper onto the guitar bodies. Prince paid tribute to the rock and roll history of paisley when he created the Paisley Park Records recording label and established Paisley Park Studios, both named after his 1985 song "Paisley Park".
(from Wikipedia)
At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Azerbaijan's team sported colorful paisley trousers! See them at: http://www.fastcompany.com/1557207/olympic-uniforms-take-home-gold-ugly

Here are some of the images I developed during my classes, I think they make terrific Thermofax designs:

You can order them in small, medium and large sizes here: http://fabricimagery.com/category/paisley/

 

Who Loves Ginkgo?

There is something so universally appealing about the shape and form of Ginkgo leaves that artists have used them in their designs and artwork. Think of the Asian artists, particularly the Japanese or how the Arts and Crafts movement stylized them for decorations.

I looked up information about Ginkgo and found out that the ginkgo is a living fossil, with fossils recognizably related to modern ginkgo from the Permian, dating back 270 million years. The closest living relatives are the cycads, which share with the extant G. biloba the characteristic of motile sperm. Fossils attributable to the genus Ginkgo first appeared in the Early Jurassic, and the genus diversified and spread throughout Laurasia during the middle Jurassic and  by the Palaeocene, only a few Ginkgo species remained in the Northern Hemisphere.  At the end of the Pliocene, Ginkgo fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere except in a small area of central China, where the modern species survived.
Ginkgo evolved in an era before flowering plants, when ferns, cycads, and cycadeoids dominated disturbed streamside environments, forming a low, open, shrubby canopy. The large seeds of Ginkgo and its habit of "bolting"—growing to a height of 10 metres (33 ft) before elongating its side branches—may be adaptations to such an environment. (edited from Wikipedia)

I planted a small Ginkgo tree in a planter on my deck. Family questioned my sanity by mentioning how tall it grows but I'm hoping that my great grand children will be around to see in planted in the backyard and thriving in the sunshine!
Now, I'm happy to offer three designs in Thermofax Screens that I've created with Ginkgo Leaves as the inspiration. They come taped and ready in three different sized frames: Small = 3 3/4" x 5", Medium = 5" x 8", Large = 8" x 10 3/4". Check them out here: http://fabricimagery.com/category/nature/

More Good, Better, Best.....3 Easy Steps to Fabulous Fabric

Here's another post about Good, Better, Best and it ties in beautifully with our ongoing Printed Fabric Bee! I hope you've been checking the progress in our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/theprintedfabricbee

This month Julie chose blue spirals in an 8" x 18" format. And I admit that I did start with a fabric that I had soy wax resisted and dyed. But I remember that I wasn't terribly pleased with the results and it had been tossed into the proverbial pile for some reason. But, you know sometimes things just need a second look and I hauled it out and fell in love again!

 

 

So, I admit that I sort of took the easy way out and screen printed some blue spirals on it:

 

 

Well, not quite there, is it? so I screen printed more blue spirals:

 

 

Now, I'm in love!

And I have a couple confessions...... I didn't have enough of this fabric to include it as the 6" x 6" giveaway.....so sorry!

Plus, I think I had a head start because I started with a resist and dyed fabric.....sorry again!

 

But I think if you check out the other fabrics below, I have very unique spirals????? (they're the top middle one)

 

Don't forget to enter for the giveaway here: http://www.threadbornblog.com/2014/01/starting-new-year-with-fabric-giveaway.html







The Printed Fabric Bee

Sorry that I'm a day late in posting the latest information about our Printed Fabric Bee, I hope you've been having fun seeing all the great fabric designs that the "workers" have been making?
It's Julie's turn for the "giveaway" so you'll need to pop over to her blog and leave a comment. Julie will choose a winner for the 6" squares and they could be yours!
Visit her blog at: http://www.threadbornblog.com/2014/01/starting-new-year-with-fabric-giveaway.html

Here's a picture of the squares:

 

 

Tomorrow, I'll show you how I made my fabric!

Online Learning with Susan!

After a very steep learning curve, the FIRST part of my Online Workshops is up for viewing! I am thrilled to be able to offer a variety of Surface, Design, Dyeing and Printing Techniques for my students.
I love to teach and share with you but I can’t always be at your guild or conference. So I’ve developed the next, best way to inspire you. So, invite me into your home or studio to learn new ideas and techniques.

You can see a short video at:  http://susanpm.com/online-workshops/

Pictures from Print It, Print It!

 My workshops are multi-lesson formats that combine PDF documents to print out – such as dye recipes and resources – and videos for you to watch and learn exactly so many of my techniques are done. You can watch them at your own pace, download them for future reference and work alongside me or take notes with a cup of coffee beside you! There will be opportunity for you to ask questions and post pictures and to meet other students and chat.

Pictures from Colour It, Fuse It!

 Each workshop will be open for six months from the start date and you will be able to keep the links to the videos forever.
Browse through the workshops below, see which dates fit your calendar and sign up! You are welcome to email  me with any questions. I hope you will join me on this exciting new adventure!

So check out all the details at:  http://susanpm.com/online-workshops/

Pictures from Screen Printing with Success!

New Work for the Oak Bay Artist Studio Tour!

I've been busy working towards my first Artist Studio Tour, finishing pieces, quilting, dyeing, mounting work on canvas and much, much more! It has been fun and creative work, but my main problem is that I'm not sure how much work to produce? I'm hoping to sell lots and have some pieces in reserve to put on the walls as others sell.....but how much?
Maybe you can give me some advice!

This is work that I've finished in the last week or so, I'm enjoying mounting them on canvas board, I like the look when they are hanging. What do you think?

So the first piece shows just the base fabric. It was a piece of soy wax resist linen, that I waxed and dyes, then waxed and dyes some more. It took several processes to get the depth of colour I wanted.

Then I traced, fused and cut shapes that echoed the design in the linen. I backed the linen with iron-on fusible interfacing to give it more stability.

Then lots of quilting with multi-coloured poly thread, trimming and mounting on board. I found a good YouTube video for finishing the corners nicely:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccaNqgje5lY

The next piece I made from fabric I had dyed on a wine bottle (more about that in another blog post) then cut, fused and stitched the cardinal tree and berries.

 

Finally, I used fabric that I had applied soy wax and dye on a pole, after washing, I screen printed the crows on and quilted bird foot prints.

The Printed Fabric Bee

So, its the first BIG REVEAL today! Are you excited to see all the wonderful fabric that Lynn Krawczyk got from the other bees? I sure am!
First, I'll show you how I made my fabric for Lynn. She had requested:

I'm choosing ORANGE CIRCLES. And for fabric size I'd like a rectangular shape - 10" x 14" (just under the 144 square inches but I'm good with it.)About the only thing I don't like color wise is pastels. I like neutrals (greys, browns, blacks) and strong vibrant colors. I'm a contrast junkie. And for the record? Light red qualifies as pink. I do like the 70s color vibe of brown, green, orange, gold. If that horrifies you, though, feel free to flee from it.

I began by dyeing a 1/2 yard of PFD. I used an orange with some bronze in the dye bath:

I sewed the fabric into a tube and put it on a PVC pipe with a rubber band at each end to hold it in place. I painted on some soy wax to keep the orange colour and then painted on an MX dye from Dharma Trading called Caffeine Buzz! 

I let that batch and also stamped soy wax circles on another 1/2 yard that I'd dyed. I thought that might be my back up plan! Here are the two fabrics together:

The next step was to use some of my Thermofax screens and print multiple circles on the yardage with black paint:

Finally I screen printed an image of tiny dots within a circle shape in deep mauve. Its a little difficult to see them:

 

Finally, I put it in  an envelope and sent it on its way!

Now, all the "bees" put a little something extra in their packages....... so that maybe you can join in the fun! You could win a 6" square from each of us and have some creative time with our fabrics. Here's what you need to do: 
Hop on over to Lynn's blog:  http://smudgedtextilesstudio.com/blog/ and leave a note for her in the comments section. You can visit our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/theprintedfabricbee and get more information and news! Be sure to "like" us....

Tasters Choice

It's not coffee....its a CD full to the brim with exciting instructions on Thermofax Printing, playing with Angelina, making your own Print Table, using Shiva Paintsticks, carving your own stamps, Gel Medium transfers and much more. Its presented as a PDF document, you can print off all the pages or just what you want to work on. There are over 25 pages of inspiration, tons of photos and clear, detailed instructions for success.
Best of all, is the price, its a great deal at only $5.00. I'm sure you will want to get more than one, after all, December is not too far away, is it? You can order them HERE

Print a Pair - New Thermofax Screen Sets

I've been busy this week designing new screens to be used as single screens with great designs or as a set to create even more exciting images.
You can start with Dandelion Stems and repeat them over a dye printed background:

Or you can take the Dandelion Blossoms and sprinkle those over a sky fabric:

Or combine the two screens for Dandelions waving in the breeze:

 Think of the design possibilities!!!

How about Tree Tops:

 Then perhaps some Cherry Blossoms:

Put them together and what have you got:

Its spring time in the orchard!
These screens and other designs come as sets of two screens in three different sizes...so much fun, so many possibilities! Check them out at: http://fabricimagery.com/category/print-a-pair/
Why not try one or two?