Coloring Cards

Good Morning...I'm sitting here in my window looking at a pile of cold snow...I do love snow, it's pretty and so peaceful when it's falling, but once it's down on the ground I would like it to go away. I know...... it doesn't work that way. One of the things I've been trying to catch up on during these long winter months is doing something with all the Eco printing I did last fall. The trees are naked... so nothing to print with...now.

On many of the prints I did I used color overlays to give the background some color. It's easy peasy to lay a sheet of colored or Origami paper over the leaf while printing. Make sure it's not a fugitive paper which means the color won't last. For example, colored tissue paper is fugitive so not a good thing to use. The leaf was also traced around with a Pigma pen...giving it more definition. I used watercolor pencils to do some shading. You can see the pencil lines in the upper right corner.

and here

and very obviously here, using 2 different colored pencils. They do look unfinished but once you add a drop of water...

They blend out so well.

The are some droplets from the printing process in close to the leaf (above), but adding color makes them look intentional. I use a small round tip brush and a little cup of water. I dip the brush in, shake off or blot the excess and apply to the pencil lines. The water turns it into water color paint. 

I use Derwent watercolor 72 because I always wanted the big super duper size box of Crayola's and never got them...so this in fact serves another purpose besides lots of color choices...that of fulfilling a childhood fantasy...except they don't have the smell of a new box of crayons....

Well....back on track...here is a before and after of a leaf in the process of developing some personality. First the pencil markings...can use several colors...

then blending it with water.

Here is another one using several colors and also some color enhancement on the leaf itself.

Here is a"before" but don't have the after but it was a very soft colored leaf ...it needed a little oomf.

Another using purple and needs the water to make it complete.

 This is a finished one, 2 different watercolor penciles, outlined with a pigma pen, torn edges on the paper before printing and burnt edges with a wood burning tool before mounting on a card. And the nice thing about this is that if you have some "not so great" prints, they can often be saved with a little embellishing!

Have a great day...stay warm.

NY at Christmas

I am so far behind in posting...have had company for the last week and it's been a whirlwind of activity. My daughter and I did get up to NY City for the Christmas markets, something we started several years back and loved it so much, it's become a tradition.

We did miss the recent lockdown by 2 weeks; we feel fortunate to have had the full experience but also sad and frustrated that this is still going on.

We always stay in the same hotel as it has a wonderful location and far enough away from Times Square to give you some peace and quiet. It's also right around the corner from Rockefeller Plaza. 

We did get in the same evening as the lighting of the tree so it was a bit insane. There were millions of people and you could not get near the tree as the blocks were all roped off but plenty of other beautiful things to see in the city...the tree could wait.

This was near our hotel...

And this came to be our favorite deli that we had breakfast at every morning.

More beautiful decorations....

The first market we hit was in Central Park West near Columbus Circle...It had not opened yet so a great time to get pictures.

Walking along Central Park to get there was beautiful. It was cold but not unbearable. Wearing a mask was mandatory but also felt great as it shielded the cold from our faces.

One of booths sold beautiful wood pieces made from Olive wood.

and more Central Park....

I was surprised to see some trees that still had color in December.

Bergdorf Goodman's featured an exhibit on Gee's Bend quilts (a few months back) and clothing made using that style. The exhibit was down but they did have a few articles of clothing left and interesting to see. To purchase them, I would have needed a second mortgage on my house.....like $3,200 for a jacket...Crazy but lots of fun to see.

We went to lunch at our favorite place - Rue 57 and was glad to see that the first lockdown in NY did not affect it...just as wonderful as ever.

Walking along 5th Avenue at night is magical....all the buildings are decorated.

My favorite is Saks 5th Avenue which is right across from the tree and has a light show every hour for @ 5 minutes. The building is covered with lights which change patterns etc along with music. It's magical and amazing.

The tree...night 2 just as beautiful as the first night when we couldn't get near it...probably just as many people though.

Bryant Park which is in back of the NY public library is the place for another and very large Christmas Market...We visited it at night but also during the day.

Radio City Music Hall which had not closed as yet was such a treat. The first full night we were there, we went to see the Rockettes. I hadn't seen them for years and it was quite an amazing show.

This beautiful restaurant which was right across from our hotel is on our list to visit next time around. We didn't have reservations which on a Saturday night in December is understandable...

We came upon this near Central Park...so cute.

We also came upon this beautiful cathedral that was open and we had all to ourselves. We spent some time there which was so peaceful and an escape from the busy city.

On to the markets...

some beautiful views of the city

Jill and  I all bundled up...

And a selfie in front of Rockefeller Plaza...Merry Christmas to each and all and as Tiny Tim would say....God Bless Us Everyone!
 

New Quilt, No Name

I started this quilt years ago at one of our retreats, got home, folded it up and put it in my drawer of unfinished projects. I always liked it but was tired of working on it and anxious to start on something new. That's probably how many UFOs get started.

This year for retreat....I decided to go back into the "dreaded drawer" and pull out some sweet, lonely pieces just anxious to be part of this world...this one took my eye....and the rest is history as the saying goes....... I can't say I finished it at retreat but made a real dent and was determined to NOT put it back in the dreaded drawer!

I had already started the quilting when I put it back the first time. I love doing feathers (here, feathered hearts) but realized how time consuming they are. I had quilted them down the middle blocks, hoping to fill in the sides with more. Plan B and common sense took over. Since I really wanted to get this done, I thought there's no reason why a more simple design couldn't be used.

so I thought....got some input from friends and did come up with this.

I filled the side blocks with a meandering type stitch done in gold metallic which picked up the gold in some of the prints. It turned out pretty and is hanging in the hall. I decided to make it my Christmas quilt...I know........not very holiday-ish but it is green and cranberry so close enough I figure. And because it isn't truly a Christmas quilt, it will stay up a lot longer than the holiday season....and so far...no name...sigh..

Heat Press Success Samples

In an effort to learn my heat press and the different materials I can print on, I created a lot of samples. The online workshop - Heat Press Success with Jane Dunnewold opened up a new world for me. Jane dealt mainly with paper and I am more interested in printing on fabric...so a lot of experimenting began.

After much trial and error, I found that silk - many kinds,  seem to work best. I am a lover of silk and have accumulated a nice amount of different kinds over the years. Most of it is white or natural as I like to dye my own colors. There are 4 different mordants that silk can be used as a soak. (A mordant is used to hold the color in your fabric...different mordants for different fabrics and effects). I cut 4 squares and decided on 4 leaves that I knew printed well. The crepe du Chine in the upper left corner, has 4 squares, each soaked in a different mordant. The same group of leaves were used on each square. The leaves were also dipped in a chemical for a different effect.  Doing it this way made for an easy comparison. The squares in upper right used a silk noil that was dyed with natural Indigo and the bottom squares are silk broadcloth.

I also used other fabrics besides silk such as linen

Crepe du Chine did pretty well and the 

silk broadcloth (above left) did wonderful...probably one of the best. The synthetic gauze on the right was just okay.

Above is linen on the left and on the right is China silk also known as Habotai. China silk comes in a number of weights...always identified with an mm which stands for momme. The one above on right is an 8mm and a commonly used weight for scarves.

Silk shantung and silk charmeuse on top left and right. They were good but not my favorite although they look good in the photo. You'll notice letters in the corners which told me the mordant I used on that square.

I have a lot of old linens that people have given me and I tried printing on them...just okay...The China silk dyed in natural Indigo on right did a nice job.

Sueded China silk and mercerized cotton (left and right) did just okay. The cotton yielded the most disappointing results so won't be printing on it for quilts...will have to stick with silk.

China silk 15mm on the left did well and the silk organza on the right did fantastic. You're seeing shadows as the organza is so sheer and showing layers underneath. I love using overlays so I have been making a lot of organza pieces.

Next up is synthetic interfacing and rayon...both did well but not something I would reach for first...but maybe just to have another texture might be nice.

Georgette on left and chiffon on right...all fabrics are silk unless noted otherwise. All the sheers seem to do very well.

My very favorite silk for printing is silk noil...a very inexpensive silk as it is made from the inner part of the cocoon...and the filaments are not as long and luxurious as other silks, but the fabric itself has a wonderful texture, takes a dye beautifully and prints so well...I'm a fan...can you tell?!

I'm also experimenting with dress goods, some woolens I have and so far, so good....will keep you posted.