My monday class decided to do something different and give block printing on fabric a try. We'll be testing a few different techniques to see which effects we like best. Last week was spent carving patterns out of linoleum blocks and cutting various stencil designs from acetate. Today was all about giving the fabrics a base color using different Rit fabric dyes. They didn't turn out exactly how we expected, but they're pretty. The blue was supposed to be turquoise and the pink should've been a cherry red.
The first thing we did was cut up three different wieght fabrics: a soft cotton, some gauzy fabric, and a thicker canvas wieght cotton which was just a lonely curtain panels I had sitting around. Using some color formulas I found online, we made our hot water dye baths. We then pre-soaked our fabric and dipped them into the different colors for about 10 minutes. Lastly, they were hung on the clothesline and rinsed with cold water.
It was so beautiful hanging them all on the line with the golden glow of the sun shining through. They looked tye dyed, but it's actually just the shadows from the palm trees. Tye dye would not make me happy.
We felt like farm girls hanging fabric on the line while the chickens waddled around our feet. Would farm girls dye fabric in these colors? Maybe we were more like farm girls from India making pretty saris.
Next week, we will try stamping them with our blocks, and stenciling with either paint or a bleach pen. Then we'll have to figure out what to make with them. Bags, aprons, sarongs? Any suggestions?
i cannot believe the things you do with your students! I want to be one.... missing home and all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -cat
ReplyDeleteWell, if you can't think of anything better to do with them- you can come hang them on my clothesline! They look sorta like giant cheerful prayer flags in tropical colors.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I wanna come meet the chickens. Can I?
OOh it all looks so happy hanging there!
ReplyDeleteHi Karin, did you see your pretty fabric on decor8 today?
ReplyDeletehttp://decor8blog.com/2009/10/06/etsy-take-five-tuesday-26/
Beautiful colors in these photos! Looks so amazing to me- its all brown and white and blue here in the Arctic now. :)
Karin that sounds like a winderful class and i only wish i could join in the fun! These fabrics looks so gorgeous and i am loving the colors too! I can't wait till your next class to see you and your student stamps on these lovely fabrics. I think they would make perfect bags and approns! Have a lovely merry happy day and love to you!
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