Silk + Sharpies + Isopropyl Alcohol!

I've been working with Silk, Sharpies and Isopropyl Alcohol again = yippee! The more I experiment with this technique the more I learn and look forward to expanding my approach!  

After some trial and error I decided the best way to stretch the silk was to use the largest quilt hoop I could find. 

Using permanent Sharpie Markers I colored across the surface of the silk.

It's a very slow process as I move the hoop around to fill up the fabric surface.

Here is a detail shot of dropping the alcohol onto the colors which gets them to move and mingle! As you can imagine this is why the technique takes so long. After dropping alcohol across the surface I let it dry and repeat the step multiple times until I'm happy with the end result. 

Here is the completed orange, brown and green piece!

Detail - orange, brown and green 

This finished piece combines blue, purple and yellow!  

Detail - blue, purple and yellow

When you try this technique please be sure to have a fan in the room. The Sharpies tend to be smelly - not toxic - but not pleasant either! The good news is they dry super fast and you can keep going. 

Fun With Silk & Sharpies!

For the longest time I've been waiting for the right moment to pull out the Silk and Sharpies again! It's a technique that forces you to slow down and embrace the process; until now my life hasn't allowed that luxury! The whole project reminds me of Mark Lipinski as he advocates for the Slow Stitching Movement... enjoy the journey! So... here is the journey! 

The last time I posted about this technique I was mumbling about using a larger piece of silk and wondered how I might stretch the surface. My buddy Julie Booth (the Queen of using practical supplies you already have on hand in surface design!) suggested I use an embroidery hoop --Bingo! I happened to have a large quilter's hoop and it was a fabulous suggestion.

It's all quite simple for such a cool end result! I stretched the silk in the hoop keeping it taunt. Next I colored random dots using permanent Sharpie markers. Now for the magic - using a small tipped squeeze bottle I dropped Isopropyl Alcohol onto the dots. Immediately the marker reacts and starts to spread across the silk. Now for the slowing down part - you need to keep moving the hoop around the surface until the fabric is filled in. TIP: fold the silk in half so you can cover a larger surface with each stretch! The marker will run onto the underside. 

Once I covered the surface and the silk was dry I restretched and dropped more alcohol randomly across the surface. The second round created more depth to the overall design. This piece is 44" X 43" which is by far the largest piece I've done with this technique. I'm definitely going to keep going as it was fun.... slow but fun! 

My next curiosity is in mixing colors and creating circles inside of circles... if anyone has suggestions I'm all in! 

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...