Silk + Sharpies + Alcohol = Yum!

It's been a while since I picked up the combination of silk, permanent Sharpie Markers and rubbing alcohol. Using the technique in the past I became impatient working on small areas and waiting for the silk to dry before moving to the next spot. However, I was reminded of Mark Lipinski's, Slow Stitching Movement to stop and enjoy the process - so I approached my luscious silk with patience and decided the end result would be worth the time. 

The tools: silk, a variety of empty containers, rubber bands, permanent Sharpie Markers, rubbing alcohol (90%) and some type of dropper to add a small amount of alcohol at a time 

Stretch the silk over the tops of empty containers and secure with a rubber band. The size of the container is not important and if you find another method for stretching the silk to lift off the surface than go for it, (and tell me what you did!)

Mark the silk with the Sharpie 

Add a drop of rubbing alcohol on your colored mark 

Here are 2 shades of blue spreading, mingling and starting to dry!

Once the blue was dried I heat set and started again adding purple

Once you get the hang of how many drops of alcohol to use and how the marker spreads its easier to predict the results 

If you want a large blended spot of color start with larger markings and more alcohol - for smaller spots use a light touch

Here is a detail of the finished piece!
The small circles remind me of dividing cells but what if I stretched the silk over a very large surface... what would happen?!

Oh the places to go...

Ice Dyeing + Thermofax Screens = Sweet Gifts!

I created these two pieces for my darling sister-in-law! She's been looking at a blank wall above her computer for a while and now she gets to look at her favorite colors! 

This 22" X 28" piece was stretched over canvas which is a really a quick and easy way to hang art cloth. The fabric was first painted and then ice dyed. I added the dandelion design using a thermofax screen printed across the surface. I apologize but I can't remember the name of the artist who created the screen. If you recognize it please let me know so I can give credit! 

To keep the color palette consistent in the room I made a matching runner for her side cabinet. 

The fabric was ice dyed using the same colors as the above piece. It's been a while since I sewed and I was reminded of how fun it is to use custom fabric for creating a unique piece!  

Combining Techniques to Add Depth!

I get SO excited when creating a design on fabric! I wake up with an idea and boom... I'm off and running. Because my mind is racing forward to put my ideas into action I sometimes have to remind myself to slow down!

During quieter times I go through my stash and pull out pieces that don't quite feel fully developed. The color combination of this blue, red and yellow sunprinted fabric wasn't working for me so I decided to rework the fabric by combining other surface techniques. 

I began with an ice dyed bath of bright green. Next I used a thermofax screen of a pine branch with green fabric paint and then decolorant. The paint color was so similar that it didn't really pop the way I was hoping and I'd forgotten that the decolorant doesn't work very well with paint. It is best with dye but I didn't have enough in the fabric to make a strong impact. That was disappointing but as an artist I try to learn from each step. 

I added more screens; a feather and a bird. The piece was still not quite flowing... I stamped some bubble wrap across the surface and then splashed it with black. It wasn't until the splashed paint that I felt the piece was "done". 

So, if you have fabric that doesn't quite have the impact you were hoping - keep working and combining techniques until it speaks to you! There are no rules... go for it! I'd love to hear your stories and see you fabric photos! 

For purchasing information please click on the Mixed Techniques tab at the top of the page.

Mixed Techniques!

I'm still pulling fabrics from my "to be continued" basket and reworking the surfaces. This piece repeats the circle shape as more layers are added using a number of techniques. 

I started with 100% cotton and painted the surface using Setacolor fabric paint.
I stamped some found objects and stenciled ferns across the surface. 

Next I melted soy wax and using a circular shaped sponged
stamped the hot wax across the surface. 

The piece was over dyed with ice creating a terracotta background.

I mixed green fabric paint with a clear decolorant and sponged circle shapes on the fabric. Once the product is dry I heat set with an iron. As the fabric absorbs the heat the circle shapes begin to appear - It's like magic!

This is one of my favorite stencils and I thought the piece needed some
dragonflies flitting about.  

Here is the finished piece

If you'd like information on purchasing this one yard piece please click on the "Mixed Techniques" tab at the top of the blog. 

Fun with Freezer Paper!

I had a strong desire to create leaf prints across the surface of my fabric but wanted to try a different technique. As fellow artists I know you can relate to the need for a new twist when approaching a design idea! My goal was to create leaves with a strong center vein and I first thought about making a new stamp. When visualizing the end result my mind wandered over to the idea of using freezer paper to create the design. Granted this technique is much more time consuming than making a single stamp because each leaf is created individually but it seemed like the right direction to go... so off I wandered! 

I drew leaves onto the non-shiny side of the freezer paper. I cut out the body of the leaves keeping the center vein intact. To adhere the freezer paper to the fabric I pressed the leaves with the shiny side down using a cotton setting. Now for the fun... I sponged the fabric paint onto the fabric being careful to cover completely.

Once the paint dried I peeled off the freezer paper.

It's magical to see the design appear as the paper is peeled! It makes the time consuming task of creating the individual leaves worth it... I mean it... it's worth the time!
I think you should go for it! 

Here is the finished piece. It's just a fat quarter size to get me warmed up for a larger project. I plan to use the same technique for the current Printed Fabric Bee custom fabric challenge... stay tuned for more freezer paper experiments! 

First Snow Dyeing of 2014!

When I saw the soft fluffy snow falling one morning I couldn't wait to get out there for my first snow dyeing of 2014... but life got in the way and I wasn't able to get out in the snow for a few days. By the time I was free mother nature had given us some light freezing rain and the snow went from soft and fluffy to moist and compact - not to be deterred I went for it despite the change in the snow consistency. 

First I soaked 100% cotton in a batch of soda ash and water (soak for at least 30 minutes). The fabric needs to absorb the soda ash to assist the dye in adhering to all the nooks and grannies of the cotton! 

Next I either scrunched the fabric into a bucket or laid the fabric across some recycled  containers in a large tub (the containers keep the fabric from being immersed in the dye bath as the snow melts). I scooped up some snow and shook it across the surface of the fabric doing my best to apply an even coating.

Now for the real fun; I donned my respirator (always use  a respirator when working with powdered dye) and sprinkled dye powder across the snow. 

I waited overnight for the snow to melt and in the morning I rinsed the fabrics and tossed them into the washer with an industrial detergent (to remove excess dye). I dried the fabrics and pressed... voila ~ all done! 

The finished fabrics!

The challenge I gave myself was to see what the differences would be between the fabric in the bucket vs. the fabric in the larger tub laying flat (sort of flat!). For each pair I used the same color combinations. 

The fabrics are paired below. The photo of the fabric on the left was scrunched into the bucket and the fabric on the right was laid out in the larger tub:

 

I think this piece looks like hot lava! 

I'd love to hear about your adventures with snow dyeing! Give it a try...

Texture with Clips!

I tried my hand at using clips on the fabric to keep the folds in place before dipping in the dye bath. The results are intriguing and I'm already thinking about ways to tweak the process for different textured results!

Imperial Purple and Raspberry

Thermofax Screen + Decolorant = More Spirals!

I always do this... I get excited about a technique or product and it takes over my thoughts! This is happening with a challenge from The Printed Fabric Bee and my recently designed Thermofax screen. Terri Stegmiller produced the screen and I strongly encourage you to visit her site and explore the other totally awesome products and designs she creates!

I used a decolorant by Jacquard to remove the color with help from the Thermofax screen. The discharge paste is a little thinner than typical fabric screen paint and very easy to use. You place a dollop on the screen and using an old credit card I pulled the paste across the screen. You need to be careful not to drip the paste onto the fabric or the color will come off in unexpected places!

 

The discharge paste needs to be dried completely before you can heat set. It's a little like magic because once the paste dries it becomes invisible. Using a steam iron begin slowly pressing the fabric until the areas with the decolorant start to reappear. The longer you heat set the fabric the stronger the design will be. It was really fun seeing how crisp the colorless spirals looked but after placing it on the design wall for a longer look the fabric needed more action.



Taking Seta Color fabric paints I swirled the paint through the spirals. The fabric was damp to encourage the paint to meander and blend together. Once the fabric was dry I heat set with a dry iron to ensure the paint won't wash. I'm not sure what this fabric will become in it's next life... any ideas?!

Flour Resist - Julie B. Booth's Technique!

Julie B. Booth has a blog packed full of surface design techniques utilizing things from your own kitchen! Julie's perfected her ideas and is getting ready to have a book published due out next fall... I know... it's hard to wait! Check out her blog for a head start on producing one of a kind fabrics! Her current blog is titled, "Carrots, Turnips and Pears... Oh My!". Come on... don't you just HAVE to take a look?!

I followed her flour resist directions. I've tried this is the past but there were gaps in the directions so it was difficult to achieve the results I wanted. With Julie's directions I was able to cruise right through the process and happy with the results.

I started with a piece of multi colored ice dyed fabric. Following Julie's directions I mixed up a paste of flour and water spreading a thin layer across the surface of the fabric. Next I dragged a comb through the flour and then added circles with a fork.

Once the flour dried I crinkled it to create interesting lines in addition to the comb and fork designs. I used a Seta Color fabric paint per Julie's directions and painted over the flour allowing the paint to seep down into the design in the flour.

Once the paint was set and the flour removed I had a true one of a kind fabric. The fabric seemed like a good fit with my coveted Ethiopian fabrics brought back by my friend Leila who traveled there. I made a large table runner which will remind me of Leila's journey each time I see it.

Here is one more little shot of the table runner. It's headed for a special project and I'm unable to show the complete view just yet... stay tuned!

Jacquard Color Magnet - A Great Tutorial!

Jacquard Color Magnet is a super-cool new product that creates a tone on tone quality to your hand dyed fabrics! Lynda Heines demonstrates how to use the product and the creative wheels are already turning! Lynn Krawczyk posted Lynda's tutorial as her guest blogger for October. Please click on Smudged Textiles Studio to see Lynda's directions and tips!

 

I can't wait to incorporate this into my work!

 

Awesome Technique!

Most of you know I am curating a traveling exhibit, Color Wheel of Emotions which opens in August. I created a Facebook page dedicated to bringing the readers into the world of the artists by sharing interviews, tips and techniques. Recently I shared Peggy Brown's unique approach and it's just so cool that I wanted to share with you as well! Please feel free to go to the Facebook page to read more and view the artists stunning artwork... it's a treat!



Changing Colors III

 

Peggy Brown Shares Her Techniques for Combining Mediums! 

I want to thank Peggy for sharing her techniques with us. The end results are beautiful and with her fearless approach perhaps other artists will venture into the arena of combining mediums for unexpected results!  

PB: The materials used to create “Changing Colors III” include archival tissue paper, cotton flannel, a few pieces of silver leaf and  interfacing - all painted with transparent watercolor paint. The darker pieces which compose the center of interest are digital transfers which I fused to the painted background and edged with hand embroidered blanket stitch.  The image in the transfers (which in this case is mostly just textured color) was cropped from one of my watercolor paintings (on paper) using Photoshop to crop and print on treated fabric.

The process: I started with the three orangeish paper sections. I tore pieces of archival tissue paper, placed them on a painting support board, and sprayed them with water until wet thru. Next I painted them with watercolor and let everything dry flat on the support board. The paper and paint worked together to make various textures and the pigments ran and blended.  I never know how a piece is going to look until it is dry - watercolor does wonderful things when left to be itself!  (Refer to photo of Peggy in her studio in below photo) 

When dry I fused the painted tissue to larger pieces of cotton flannel and repainted everything including the whitish sections. When dry I gave the paper parts a coating of Acrylic Mat Medium. 

The next step in the process included fusing the strips of interfacing you see on the sides of the paper sections. I cannot remember if I painted them first or after they were applied to the flannel but either would work. Then I fused my center of interest - the darker transferred pieces.  Lastly I quilted thru everything. The paper doesn't tear because the mat medium makes it strong. Please visit my website gallery for more examples of my work.

 

Peggy Brown happily creating in her studio!  

 

Please "like" our Facebook page!

 

Color Wheel of Emotions opens at the

 World Quilt Show - New England XII

700 Elm Street, Manchester, NH

August 15 - 18!

 

 

Creating Textures with Fabric Paint

Do you ever have an idea that gets lodged in your brain and keeps twirling around and coming back in different forms? This keeps happening to me with the idea on how to create texture on fabric. I seriously lay in bed in the wee hours of the morning thinking about various ways I can make this happen. I jump out of bed at 5 am and head to the studio to see if I can translate my idea into reality!

As I mentioned in previous posts I'm reconnecting with my fabric paints and having a great time. I'd forgotten how instantly paints give you results... you're able to watch the colors migrate forming really fun and unexpected results.

In this post I'll share results from last weeks play time...

Elevating the Fabric

Folded Fabric

Elevating the Fabric

Elevating the Fabric
Canvas Fabric

Ice Cube Manipulation

Elevating the Fabric