CONSISTENT PRESSURE

Oh no! I'm not referring to the pressure of stress, work and life. I'm talking about the physical pressure when squeegeeing your prints onto fabric. This was one of the very relevant techniques I learned at Thea & Sami's Screen Printing Workshop ( www.thea-sami.com.au ).

This past month I have been focusing my inner creativity with outer experiences and oh boy!
I spent a day with Thea getting practical advice and technique in the repeat application of yardage printing. Repeats are very tricky when you first start playing around but as I learned there are simple tricks of the trade that help you along the way.

Already having previous training in Print Making gave me the confidence to enter a workable studio and print under instruction..... though this certainly was not necessary for Thea's Workshop. She takes you through step by step from design concept through to repeat prints and is a great course for anyone who wants to dabble in printing.

Here I am with Thea having a go! 

 

This is where 'consistent pressure' is required when passing the squeegee from one person to another and back again. The same pressure is important for the print to be inked consistently from top to bottom and again on each repeat.

EQUIPMENT

Repeat printing can cause baldness..... from ripping out your hair!! 

By following some useful techniques I discovered how your yardage printing will be perfect each time. Two steps that I really 'absorbed' were the correct placement of fabric, stretched tightly and evenly along your table and fixed into place using 'T PINS'- (oh, T Pins are my new best friend), and the registration of your print using specific tools of the trade. Over the years Ive observed different techniques of which each work effectively well. I'm not planning to go into any length of detail on these steps, I'll leave that to the experts (Thanks Thea!!). What I do have is a visual of what tools of the trade are being used to get perfect repeats.

Here is an insight to what is required:

Registration Rail/Bar - gives you a perfect straight line to guide your screen along the length of the fabric.

Repeat Blocks/Clamps - These are movable blocks that are fixed into place once you have measured your repeat perfectly.

T Pins - aka bestie! These are special pins that when inserted almost horizontally will fix your fabric into place. No more masking tape or wastage yippee!

Registration Clamp - This is a fixed clamp on the screen that butts up against your registration rail for consistent printing along the length of the fabric. They work in conjunction with the Repeat Blocks. Ingenious!

Screen & Table - too obvious!

 

AWESOME!!! Approx 10 metres of fabric printed perfectly.

(Thea & Sami's Cottage Garden Design)

I had a great time, met some wonderful creative people and came away much better prepared to set up my own workspace.

To check out Thea & Sami's 2 day workshop course dates head on over to www.thea-sami.com.au 

Once back into the swing of things I adapted these techniques with what tools I had on hand and worked on yet another print. Hope you like my Pebbles in Line.

 

 

 

DINNER PARTY

PLAYING WITH REPEATS POSES A CHALLENGE.......BRING IT ON

I had the pleasure of creating something special for my friend, Joanne, for her birthday today. What do you give someone who tends to buy what they need when they need it???? Something special from the heart.

This organic design has been swimming around my head for some time now in many different formats until I had a dream.... lately my dreams have been very descriptive and visual and have created masterpieces which I then struggle to remember when my eyes open.

I wanted to do a print that was large (using up the entire space of my screen) but posed the problem of having to tape together 4 pieces of Easy Cut to achieve such a size. Long story short is that my repeat didn't quite 'repeat'. "Must practice this more"...... I had to do some hand painted adjustments after screening the print to fix the errors.

The final product looks great but I encountered the following:
* Need a bigger bloody table to screen on!!! ha ha ha
* Need to perfect the repeat on this particular design
* Must use a lot more ink (using a small tub just doesn't cut it)
* When mixing white to a colour make sure its not thick like jelly as it just doesn't mix well and causes white marks when printing.

PEBBLE STREAM TABLE RUNNER & NAPKINS

The final product is a 1.8m table runner and 8 napkins. Purple on 100% linen.

Happy Birthday Jo!

MY FIRST COMPETITION ENTERED

I'm very excited to announce that I am (excitedly) entering my very first fabric design competition through www.spoonflower.com under the 'Motorcycle' category. I thought this would be a great opportunity to play around with a design that is out of the norm for me. So I'm entering the unknown in a hope to bedazzle! and excite!......  and win!

Motorcycle Main

 Competition opens for voting on/thereafter 22nd May 2012. I would love for you to vote for my design and if it gets a huge response I will have it printed into a range of fabrics. EXCITING!!!

Hedgehog Printing

Whilst waiting for my previous designs to return for proofing I thought I'd play around with some designs for children. Today's image is of a hedgehog which I see as being a very popular character for kids this year.

STEP 1: Drawing the Design

My baby hedgehog is curled up in a ball. I played around with some designs until I decided on this one.

STEP 2: Cutting the Design

At this point my husband questions whether I'm planning to scare the children hmmmmmm.... that's not my intention.

Final cut

STEP 3: Printing the Design

I'm definitely happy with the final image. Now to work out a placement on fabric. My test strip will work well for a patchwork quilt and cushion covers.  

What do you think this print would look great on?

OFF TO THE PRINT SHOP DESIGNS

With so many things happening all at once who ever gets the time to finish anything?

Note to self "Relax and go with the flow........"

Who else seems to be stuck on the merry-go-round of life?

Now that April is behind us I have been able to get my fingers into motion. I have been working on a design (or at least doodling the design) for some time and I have finally put it into an aesthetically pleasing arrangement... oooh actually multiple arrangements!

As this will be the first time I explore sending images away to be printed I'm both apprehensive and excited about what this may bring. This particular design below is a work in progress and forms only one arrangement within a multitude of designs for my first official 'range'. I am still playing with colour options and sizes but I would love your thoughts!

My First Inspiration

"Forged by a desire to create without limitation.."

I anticipate this will be the opening line to the new chapter in my life. When one door closes another will always open.... and here I am, in the raw, without the shiny cover or glossy pages.....just me as I am.

My all time inspiring saying is that "Life is what happens to you whilst you're busy making other plans".  How true this is for me in this stage of my life.

I welcome you all to enter the pages of my new chapter, to witness the transformation that will be the most inspiring and captivating journey I will ever take.

DESIGNS IN THE RAW

During my recent Fabric Painting Course I was able to explore the amazing world of textile design printing with the fabulous Ro Cook {Sydney Community College}. She is indeed an inspiration on her own.  I had fun experimenting with colours and designs in an artistic format that brings excitement even to the novice. My very first print is not beautiful or technically amazing.... but its mine and mine alone and that is what I love about screen printing.

By the end of the course I was able to transfer my RAW ideas into workable prints on gorgeous organic Mocha Cotton. As a first 'REAL' attempt at something usable I was pleased (no... ecstatic!!) with the result.

..... And then used in my home decor with some gorgeous Ink & Spindle Fabrics.