Saturday, November 12, 2011

Done it!

Finally sorted out all design/technical detail for my handprinted fabric :) All thats left to do now is print the final fat quarters and post away!

Here's the journey in photos..with brief descriptions

1 : The desgin
I literally sat one night and scribbled out these triangles with a vague intention to create something inspired by buntings...And then I cut ... I used opaque photographic film to cut the stencil from mainly because this film doesnt tear so it can be used and re-used without any damage to the stencil and even better...you can wash the film and still do no damage~ perfect!


2 : Printing
This time around I decided to be accurate in the way I printed and as you can see...it paid off!
I measured equal amounts of acrylic paint and textile medium and used a household sponge to apply the paint.I also realised that the consistence of the paint needed to be fairly runny so it could permeate through the fibres of the fabric and not be too rough to the touch.
I did a quick trial on paper to test the repeat because I blindly cut out the stencil and only guessed the placement of the triangles as opposed to measuring the design them so it repeated...
But I was quite happy when I finally printed to see that the whole design worked quite well with no obvious tram tracks or gaps...


3 : Heat setting and washing
The last time I heat set and washed...well...it was more of a wash off :( BUT having got the proportions andthe consistency of the paint and medium right...the heat setting worked (using an iron - 5 min on high heat/cotton setting) and once the fabric was washed the colour retained and the result was very satisfying!

Its fair to say that even though I've done my fair share of screen printing at uni, I thoroughly enjoyed this process of using handcut stencils and ofcourse the ever so versatile household sponge to create some simple yet beautiful fabric.
Just goes to show, that sometimes you'd dont need much technology or equipment to create...just an inspired mind, the will to work hard and a passion for what you do!

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