Sun Printing Fabrics

That little side trip to Vermont whetted my appetite for fabric painting, so I squeezed a day of play into my busy retirement schedule. As is my habit, I gathered my supplies and tools needed to work on some prototypes for a larger piece I have in progress. And then I proceeded to set up for sun printing. I do that all the time..decide I am working in one technique and then change midstream and start another. This probably drives others (read: husband and offspring) a bit crazy, but it seems to work for me. I am running one process through my head, all the while getting another process set up.

Well, it turns out I picked an A-1 day for sun printing! The tools are basic and the process is easy and fast. I used PFD (prepared for dyeing) fabric, a couple of Setacolor Soleil Paints I had, some wide bristle and sponge brushes, a spray bottle, a piece of foamcore covered and sealed with plastic wrap, some painters tape and a handful of coarse salt.

Then all I needed were objects and materials to print. I collected some leaves, grasses, weeds, some plastic doilies that had been my Grandmother Robertson’s, some buttons, coins and chain.

After cutting my fabric to the size that would fit on the foamcore, I ironed it and taped it in a few strategic spots onto the board so that brushing paint on it  wouldn’t be tedious.

I sprayed my fabric to the extremely technical point of “very wet” and then started brushing paint on. If you don’t have Setacolor Soleil Paints, you can use Setacolor Transparent Paints watered down in a 1:1 ratio. 

If it is really sunny and hot, you need to do these steps fairly fast because your paint will dry quickly. This did happen to me several times and I just gave my fabric a spray of water and I got another effect doing so.

Once you have your paint on, then you pick your items to print, lay them on top of the painted fabric and press them into the fabric. This is also when you can toss the coarse salt over the fabric for added effect.

Then you wait for the paint to dry, which on a beautiful sunny day, doesn’t take any time at all.

Once your painted fabric is dry, remove the objects and materials you used to print, remove the tape and then using a hot dry iron, press your fabric. It’s now heat set, pressed and ready for use! Fun, fun!

Today at Blossom Bake and Create blogger Lynda has a great post with links to even more information about preserving botanicals for use in printing. It is an excellent post and I am anxious more now than ever to get collecting some grasses and leaves to preserve for future surface design sessions.

I am linking to The Needle and Thread Network.

Christmas..mushrooms??

I know Christmas is coming. I know people might assume someone like myself would be spending time creating gifts for my loved ones. Perhaps sewing up bits and pieces, knitting things, wrapping my hand crafted items. Maybe baking Christmas treats. Well, no.  

Right now I am kind of focused on..

I took these photos lying on a rug on my front lawn around the last of October. I am fixated with these mushrooms, toadstools, whatever they are. Actually, at the SAQA Atlantic retreat, Anne Morrell told me what they were called and in my usual way, I have completely forgotten already. They have a funny name, and they certainly are a weird fungus. Their life span is short; within days they had “melted” and the smell emanating from them grew stronger and definitely less pleasant.

I love how the blades of grass grew right through the lips and how their sweat forms in that beautiful fall shade of orangey gold.

I love how they showed up around Halloween, my most favorite, fun celebration.

I understand how having these randomly popping up could be construed as a sign of witches and goblins and such things misunderstood in the days when it was easy to do just that.

It was sort of creepy how we could see the bright outline of them at night when we looked out our hall window. They grew in a small patch by our front door where they had never grown before and I will be curious to see if they grow there again.

I have printed some of the photos on fabric and matched them up with some hand dyed..I have no idea where I am going with this, but I know I will eventually develop something..no rush.

As for Christmas gifts? I handle Christmas with lists. Tell me what you want, I order it, it shows up at my door, I wrap it, you open it and are happy because it is exactly what you needed, wanted, asked for. I like it because I have given you something useful and because that leaves me time to ponder my mushrooms and tomatoes and beaches and flowers when I have some spare minutes..

Sunday in November along PEI’s South Shore

This past weekend, we made a little trip to visit my Dad and family on Prince Edward Island. It was windy and cold and I am so glad I wasn’t driving when we crossed the Confederation Bridge. I am not fond of bridges and when the wind is strong, I like them even less. I counted my knitting stitches very loudly, outloud all the way across. 

We took Dad’s dog, Jake for a walk and raced at high speed in an effort to keep from freezing completely. It was so chilly, my husband wasn’t interested in jumping on the frozen furrows with me although I did convince him to stomp on some ice covered puddles along the road! So much fun!

Here are some glimpses of my island, the south shore of beautiful PEI on a crisp, sunny Sunday in November.....

Lament for Summer

It’s getting cold here in the Atlantic. Yesterday there were clumps of white flakes scattered around the ground cover of dry, wilted leaves. This can be a bitterly cold time on the east coast and these temperatures will flit in and out until the snow starts to fall steadily and accumulate. Once that happens, the temperature evens out and it becomes more comfortable. For now, winds off the water eat away at your resolve to embrace the outdoors. When you come inside again, your cheeks are red, your limbs are cold, and your body has to work hard to compensate and warm up again. If the sun is shining, it is all so much easier because a beautiful blue sky can make everything better! But, it is still cold and I for one miss beach weather.

So this is the time of year when I start cruisin’ through my collection of summer photos..and sighing wistfully...I wonder where the summer has gone..again...

Flowery Eyecandy

Baking up some solutions

Today was an unexpected day at home. I don’t know about you, but I seem to have an incredible number of ideas bouncing around in my head before I am awake. This morning I decided to let them all go, go, go and just take the day as it came, without jumping into any one project. I think I needed to do that for myself.

I love baked goods. And I love them fresh and warm. But, I am fussy about my baked goods. If I am going to eat calories, I want them to be worth it. So, first up was whipping up a batch of my Mom’s banana muffins. I added some raisins and dried cranberries and then some chocolate chips to a few as well, to keep my hubby happy.

Muffins have long been a favorite in our family and we have made our fair share of them over the years. I calculated once that I made 40 dozen in one basketball season because I always showed up to the game with a snack for the kids. Eventually even the referees and coaches were digging in as well! When my daughter was born in Goose Bay, Labrador my Mom baked 14 dozen different kinds and made up a beautiful basket for the mid-wives who had assisted in my labor and delivery. That was hilarious because she went door to door borrowing muffin tins in order to bake them all in one day! The house smelled amazing!! Another time I made 3 different kinds for my husband when he was travelling to Newfoundland for a two week work trip. He forgot to tell the boys I made “healthy” muffins as they stuffed themselves, and I guess some of them weren’t used to all that bran. Opps.

I realize I could keep on telling muffin stories, but perhaps it is only me that is amused and entertained. Suffice now to say, this batch is delicious and was a happy way to start my day!

It was a rainy day in our part of New Brunswick but the sun shone just long enough for a walk and some photos. Our yard is bursting with the welcome greens of spring and I love taking photos of fresh growth.

My saucer magnolia is slowly filling with colour although most of the blooms are at the top of the tree where I can’t reach without a very high ladder. This one should be bursting with color soon.

For eight years this tree was covered with the healthiest green leaves, but absolutely no blooms! Finally two years ago there were 7! Last year it was full of beautiful soft pink flowers! Good thing, because we were thinking that maybe it wasn’t a magnolia tree at all!

I love how the maple leaves unfurl from within. When they first appear, they hang like bent hands wrapped around each other and gradually increase in strength and stand on their own.

Our side yard is full of fiddlehead ferns. They are so amazing to watch unfurl!

I could - actually I do - take a LOT of photos of these ferns every year.

In-between these activities, I did make some headway on other projects. I had come to a standstill on one and by letting it go for the day and focusing on anything but it, I suddenly realized how to complete the next step! Of course, the solution seems so obvious now, but for some reason I just wasn’t reaching back into my skills and resources to seek it out. Turns out an old sign writing technique was just what I needed for my most recent fabric project. And that is  just what I will work on tomorrow. After I eat a muffin, of course!