Fiber Junkies - Celebration Time

It was a day of celebration as well as fun time in the studio..Gen turned 90 but more on our birthday girl later.

 First things first, our early morning show and tell.......our days are so full and we want to do it justice. Gen is working with paper which is easier on her hands; she's creating some beautiful pieces as well as journals.

 Denny has made some amazing tops over the past year and is in the process of quilting them....Here are 2 she has finished; they turned out beautiful. I'm always amazed that this size can be done on a standard size sewing machine....I would be pulling my hair out.

 I love the use of plaids in this one...looks like old vintage shirts.

 Denny also showed us some prints she made using blocks carved on wood.

  Today was our block printing day and Susan brought along a beautifully carved block she had done some time ago. It was done on linoleum which lasts forever. Below.....Everyone making decisions for designs.

  And our queen for the day who loved her crown and regalia...

I have been wanting to do something with houses and windows for a while. Denny shared the above pattern with me found in a block printing book. She also brought some material for carving (above right) which was very soft.

We don't know the name of the material... Denny found a box of it ordered long ago...I started to use a linoleum cutter but realized a simple stylus with a little bit of pressure did the trick in under 5 minutes. It printed successfully, but a small dusting of the top layer of material came off in the print, which might be the case every time you print. I don't know the longevity of this material but it's fast and easy and serves a purpose in a different way.

 Gen did a small one to print on her papers.

  As easy as it would seem to print, it takes a lot of practice to get the right amount of paint, pressure etc. This is a print using the soft block material. Denny and I both had the same block except she didn't remove the background material. I did the same block but did remove the background so the houses were more prominent. Both were great looks.

 I thought this was so clever....Denny found this in the "dollhouse" accessories section of a craft store. They will make great patterns for block printing but also because they are thin (less than 1/4"), can be used in deconstructive screen printing. Denny has already tried them under a screen.

 We had lots of paint...we used Speedball screen printing ink for fabric. It's very thick which it should be. We spooned some onto a piece of plexiglass; you can also use freezer paper taped down at corners, large styrofoam tray etc. It's rolled out with a brayer first and then rolled onto the block. Keeping the block paint side up, lay the fabric on top and using a burnisher or the back of a spoon, apply gentle pressure over the top of fabric.

Kates first attempt with the "soft material" block and below is Mary's using a regular linoleum block. Tomorrow's blog - time to party!