Fabric Printing, Stamping, Dyeing, Painting, and Putting It All Together

Some days I sit down to write, and wonder where in the world to start. You and I both may well admit that I I work in a widely scattered pattern. It may appear that there is nothing linear in my thought process, but I swear there is. Imagine all the puzzle pieces out on the dining room table. I've finally found a few that fit together nicely.

PRINTING

I am a type junkie. I love the printing word, or just single letters or numbers, but maybe numbers most of all. I found some perfect balsa wood numbers in the scrap booking section, and turned them into stamps by painting them first, and then attaching wooden clothespins to them. (Why clothespins? Seriously, they were within reach, and I could hot glue them on.)

I needed to try out my Versatex Screen Printing Inks, and this was a perfect match. The inks have a nice, medium body to them, and I brushed the ink thinly on to my stamps. I used a hard surface underneath, and pressed well. I loved how they missed printing a few of the edges! I could have had perfect edges if I'd used a towel underneath, but it wasn't the effect I was after. They dried over night, and this morning I pressed them to heat set.

And that, my friends, is what happens when you don't move the iron around quickly. Can you see on the left where I scorched it? Without a tear, I wondered if a dark navy dye would cover it up. We shall see. If not, I have something else in mind, too. But this is a lesson in why we experiment, and how we learn. The iron was a little too hot, but it will not deterred from the enjoying the process.

Painting

Next up was Jacquard Textile Paints. I had a very small sampler set to play with, and I created a background by both mixing colors, lightening with white, and diluting with water. They say 25% is ideal to blend with water, but I continued to add water to create a watercolor effect. This also needs heat set, and then I'll add some line drawing to it, and perhaps some luminescent paints by Jacquard, too. The fabric is very soft to the touch, or 'has a soft hand' as they say. I'm impressed with the paint product.

Batiking

In between the work on the table, I had several fabrics that were previously painted, and awaiting hot, soy wax. I applied the wax, and immediately popped them all in the refrigerator to harden. 

My leftover dyes came out of the refrigerator to warm up. All three of these pieces were lightly crinkled, and laid on a plastic tablecloth on the floor. I used a sea sponge to apply the room temperature dyes, and I scattered all with a good dose of salt while they dried.

I am very happy with how the process is progressing, and how I'm beginning to 'see' what I want to happen in the pieces. Red continues to plague me as sometimes the color separates into its mix parts. You can see it above as a grainy appearance. It's not that I don't like the appearance of it, but I want to be more competent in controlling when it happens. Getting several of the dyes pasted up and mixed well is difficult.

Stamping and Printing

I cut and carved a stamp the other day from a leftover scrap of a flexible Speedball pad. I wanted something simple and organic, and played around with some latex paints on paper here. The secondary pattern that emerged was a surprise, and I got very excited.

I quickly dyed this Kona a beautiful poppy-colored red last night, and was so pleased at how well it evenly dyed. A good red! There is a stamping project scheduled for today, and it feels very promising. As a matter of fact, I dreamed about it all last night.

I hope you have something that keeps your dreams alive, and inspires you to create. If it's made a difference in your own life, find an opportunity to encourage someone else. You never know whose life you can change by reaching out. 

I'll be guest blogging this weekend with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. It's such an honor to be a part of the good works she's involved with, and I hope you'll visit me there. 

I've not been linking up to link parties as much as before, but I'm still wandering around QBL to visit many of your blogs. There's so many exciting projects going on, and I see so many of you growing. Congratulations! I folIow many of you on Bloglovin', Quilter Bloggers, and by email, and encourage you to do the same. 

There are several easy ways below to follow Pink Doxies so you don't miss a post, and Instagram, too! Find how to get it in your email by the link in my sidebar.

 

Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.

Linking up with~
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Fort Worth Friday
Crazy Mom Quilts
Off the Wall Friday
Stitch All the Things 
Midweek Makers
Fiber Tuesday
Blossom Heart Quilts
Freemotion by the River