Stitching

Relief printing on found wool herringbone.

Lately, I've been taking steps toward creating some finished pieces from fabrics I have either hand printed, upcycled or both. With the printed fabric, above, it was simply a matter of ironing and laundering to make certain the ink was set so that I could move forward with stitching it into something. Other pieces have involved a fair amount of repetitive hand stitching, often in solitude, with no music except the crackling of a low fire. I have found this activity to be extremely enjoyable -- peaceful and meditative, while at the same time, allowing the mind the freedom to roam or to focus on any given topic. 

Screen print with cream-on-cream running stitch. 

Last night, I met up with the small group of women that have continued to get together since we first met in a wallpaper design class at OCAC two years ago. Our ages span four decades and our artistic focus varies, which always makes for interesting conversation.  Our original intent was to continue hand printing wallpaper and fabric, but we've settled into a routine of simply bringing whatever we each want to work on.  Often, I bring a hand stitching project.  Other activities seem to require too much attention on my part and sometimes more space than is available, whereas the stitching is confined to my lap and allows me to focus on the conversation.  I like the fact that we have maintained our commitment to one another, and that we are part of the age old tradition of women "stitching" their lives together as they gather in the evening to discuss family and world matters while they work.

 

Hoping you've had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to a creative week ahead!

:)

From the Textile Studio

Relief and screen prints

Well, the weekend's almost over and I have had a wonderful time in my studio "metamorphosizing" the last acrylic painting I posted (I'll show you the new version in a few days) and printing on fabric. Of course, I didn't do everything that's on view here this weekend, (far from it) but I'm starting to get enough of "this, that and the other thing" to group some of those "things" together. Hence, the photos. Actually, in thinking about it, the studio time was a bit frustrating in that I basically ruined a couple of previously printed pieces. However, in the process, I learned some new techniques that I can employ in the future so all was not lost.

The brown, "set" pattern, below, was made with a carved rubber block. I wanted the motif to be spread out and light in feel so I printed it on a hard surface without cushioning so that some of the recessed areas of the block would not make contact with the fabric. If you click on the image, you'll see the irregular lines of the block. The yellow/brown print is a screenprint and the last imprint on that fabric (on the lower right of the photo) also incorporates machine stitching.

The fabrics below represent a combination of handpainted, relief printed and screen printed techniques on cotton, linen and silk. (I thought it was about time to shift into a spring/summer palette!) You'll notice an orange print that features the same block that I used for the brown print, above, only this time I brought the motif in closer and printed it on a cushioned surface in order to pick up more of the line detail.


And on the subject of spring/summer.....tomomorrow, I'm going to post about an artist whose work will give you a major case of spring/summer fever so be sure to check back! Cheers!

In the Works -- Relief and Screen Prints on Fabric

Mixed media on fabric

4" x 6"

The above is something I did a few years back. I painted the placket of a chef's coat (reclaimed from a barrel of scraps destined for the dump at a local industrial rag manufacturer), printed it with a paper stencil, added small fabric scraps and bits of paper I had previously painted and printed, and machine stitched it with gold thread.

Below, are a couple of textiles in the works. The first one was screen printed on wonderfully deep green linen purchased at a garage sale, using a paper stencil. (Trust me, the scanner did not do it justice!) I've begun to add a red running stitch to it which is barely visible, but if you click on the image, you can see the stitches and also get a sense of the structure of the fabric which includes a black warp thread and alternating dark green and natural linen weft threads. The central image is approximately 6" x 6" and the surrounding square is about 8" x 8" (too large for the scanner).

The second one was block printed on inexpensive muslin. I used this same block in some of the prints on paper that I posted a few weeks ago.

Oh -- a question: I've been using the older version of the editing program and just recently discovered a newer version exists. Has anyone had experience switching from the old to the new? I'm a bit reluctant to make the switch fearing it will get the best of me and my blog!

Relief prints on fabrics