May Thermofax Printing Class

We will be teaching our next Thermofax printing class on May 18 at Artistic Artifacts.  For Thermofax Technique Sampler, we have refined our focus to concentrate on the techniques and products that can be used to create images with Thermofax screens. This class is suitable for beginners as well as experienced printers, and even if you've taken another version of our class before, there will be some different techniques/products in this one.

We will be working with page sizes of 6 x 8 inches and each one will illustrate a different technique or product that can be used for printing.  Our list runs to about 20, so we will be working diligently to get them all completed in this one day class.  When the pages are complete, they can be assembled into a book in any manner you choose.

These 4 techniques include white paint used as a resist, a 2-screen image that has an outline and fill, foil and glue, and a water-based resist.

Other techniques include printing with multiple colors, using opaque paint, printing transparent paint over opaque, and printing with a combination of Inktense color blocks and matte medium.  

In this example, deColourant discharge product is used on 3 different fabrics to show variation.

Another discharge method uses bleach gel, again on different fabrics to show color variations.

Sue chose to print her labels on inkjet fabric and fuse them to the pages, but you can also just write directly on the page itself, and include more detail such as type of paint and/or specific product used.

Here's the inside cover and first page.

And the page using foil and glue.

We have this and more in store for you so if you are near the Washington, DC area, we would love to have you join us on May 18 at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria to learn how versatile Thermofax screens can be!

Tea Bag Revival

Libby Williamson is a fabulous teacher, as she proved once again in her Tea Bag Revival class at Artistic Artifacts on Sunday.  (She also taught a 2-day Paint and Stitch class on Friday and Saturday.) Sue was in the Sunday class with 2 friends from out of town - all 3 of us took the 2-day class 2 years ago. Libby's art and style is very intuitive and whimsical - very "throw out the rules and make up your own", so there's no pressure to be perfect.  She creates a fun and relaxed environment to try something new. The focus of the class was using tea bags (steeped, dried and emptied) as the foundation for collaged art.

Here's Libby with one of her sample quilts. The brown squares you see are the tea bags.

In the  foreground of this photo, you can see some of the prepared tea bags.  The tea bags are fused to a muslin base to stabilize them for sewing.

Here Libby demonstrates the process for emptying the tea bags and fusing them to the muslin.

This is another of Libby's samples.  Enlarge the photos to get a better look at the mini collages.  We used small pieces of fabric and painted papers to create the collages, which are machine stitched with black thread and also embellished with hand embroidery.

These are Sue's tea bag collages.  All the pieces are "glued" to the bags with matte medium which has to dry before proceeding.

The stitching is kind of intuitive, some just outlining and/or keeping with the mostly geometric shapes.

These are the machine stitched collages.  There are 6 more in addition to the original group of 12.  The next step is adding hand stitching.

These are the collages Denise is working on.

And here are Paula's collages.  Aren't they both great?

Libby did some instruction on how she arranges them on the background, as well as adding some other fabrics under and between some of them.

After some additional stitching at home, Sue finished the embroidery on 12 collages.  She is working on 4 more for a grid of 16.  Then it will be time to play with adding some additional fabrics to the background and stitching it all together.  There will likely be more hand stitching as well.  Stay tuned for more on the final product.  This was a fun class and we highly recommend Libby as a teacher.  She teaches all over the country, so if she's ever in your area, sign up!  Libby's website is called Art Soup and you can also follow her on Facebook to see what she's up to.  If you're a subscriber of Quilting Arts, she been a cover girl and has articles in 3 issues - June/July 2017, April/May 2018, August/September 2018.  Check them out!

New Year - New (ish) Class

Happy New Year!  If you follow us, you know we've been MIA on the blog for a while.  Seems that after Houston, we got caught up in holiday preparations and Sue spent some time with her mom in PA, so it was easy to let the blog slip into the background.  But now that 2019 is here, we will try to be more consistent, though we may aim for just once a week to keep things going.  It's hard to know if anyone is reading what we post, so comments would definitely be welcome!

As mentioned in the title, we have revised our Thermofax printing class for the next session we will be teaching in February at Artistic Artifacts.  We have refined our focus to concentrate on the techniques and products that can be used to create images with Thermofax screens, and are calling the class "Thermofax Technique Sampler".  It is suitable for beginners as well as experienced printers, and even if you've taken another version of our class before, there will be some new techniques/products in this one.

We will be working with page sizes of 6 x 8 inches and each one will illustrate a different technique or product that can be used for printing.  Our list runs to 25, so we will be working diligently to get them all completed in this one day class.  When the pages are complete, they can be assembled into a book in any manner you choose.

These 4 techniques include white paint used as a resist, a 2-screen image that has an outline and fill, foil and glue, and a water-based resist.

More techniques are printing with multiple colors, using opaque paint, printing transparent paint over opaque, and printing with a combination of Inktense color blocks and matte medium.  

Here deColourant discharge product is used on 3 different fabrics to show variation.

Another discharge method uses bleach gel, again on different fabrics to show color variations.

Sue chose to print her labels on inkjet fabric and fuse them to the pages, but you can just as easily write directly on the page itself, and include more detail such as type of paint or specific product.

Here's the inside cover and first page.

And the page using foil and glue.

We have this and more in store for you so if you are near the Washington, DC area, we would love to have you join us on February 16 at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria to learn how versatile Thermofax screens can be!

Print and Collage Class in March

Coming up on March 17 is our next session teaching Thermofax screen printing at Artistic Artifacts, called Print and Collage with Thermofax Screens.  This time, we're putting a new twist on the class by using the fabrics you print to create a small collage.  Typically, we teach you the basics of printing and then let you use the time to print as much fabric as you want.  But sometimes people aren't quite sure what to do with the fabric after they've printed it.  So we'll talk about some art and design principles and use your stash of prints to create a 12" square quilt, which could become a wall hanging, pillow, be mounted on canvas, or incorporated into a larger piece.  Lots of possibilities!

Below are some collage examples.  The first 2 are made with only thermofax printed fabrics (except 1 piece).  The third one combines thermofax printing with other printing techniques.  Check out the description and supply list and we hope to see you in Alexandria on March 17!

Quilting Inspiration

We all need inspiration, don't we?  And gathering with like-minded souls who share our passion for creating with fabric and fiber (or paper and paint, beads, yarn, whatever you create with) is an important aspect of that inspiration.  At Artistic Artifacts, there is a monthly group that meets to do that - share their work and inspire each other.  JAMS is the name of the group and stands for Judy's Altered Minds (Judy Gula is the owner of AA.)  Yesterday, we were joined by Sue Warburton of Manchester, England who is in the area visiting family.  A friend of Judy's, she was kind enough to bring part of a collection of journal quilts she made - this was a one-a-week project for her, so she initially made 52, but has since doubled that number. So in addition to the regular member show and tell, we were treated to seeing Sue's work close up.

Here is Sue explaining a fabric bag project to one of the attendees. Below are several of Sue's journal quilts.  Her work includes a variety of techniques, from applique to wool, vintage and found objects to collage, surface design, beading, hand embroidery and machine thread work.  All a treat for the fiber enthusiast!

These small pieces are all about 8 x 10 inches in size, a good size to experiment with a new technique, focus on your own individual style, and stretch your boundaries.  Maybe a new goal for 2018? 

Fall Classes

We are back on the calendar for teaching our thermofax classes this fall.  Printing with Thermofax Screens is scheduled for Oct. 14 at Artistic Artifacts.  Join us from 10 AM to 3:30 PM for a fun day of printing with our extensive collection of original screens.  Many images are elements of nature based on photos we have taken.  Others are more graphic designs.  We will work with textile paints, discharge products and thickened dye.  Bring as much fabric as you like (commercial fabrics, hand dyes, solids, prints) and build your stash of custom printed fabric!  You will also go home with a small screen of your choice, and learn to tape the edges for ease of use.  Go to the AA site for more information and registration.  Below are samples of our work.

And here are some pics of student work from previous classes.

 Come join us and learn to create your own unique fabric!

We are also teaching Photos to Thermofax Screens at Artistic Artifacts on Nov. 4 from 10 AM -1 PM.  We will show you how to use Photoshop Elements to convert a photo to a black and white image suitable for creating a thermofax screen that can then be used in your art quilts or mixed media work.  You will practice with some of our images first and then work with your own to see how you can incorporate your own unique imagery into your work without any concerns about copyright.  We'll also give you tips for taking photographs to make this process easier.  Soon you'll be looking at things with screen images in mind.  If you will be in the metropolitan DC area, come join us on Nov. 4!

Note: While your own laptop and copy of Photoshop Elements are most beneficial, you can share one of our laptops if you don't have one, and/or download a trial copy of Photoshop Elements to try for 30 days before purchasing. (Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for the free trial links.)  Send us an email at pgfiber2art  @ gmail dot com.

Fall Classes

We are back on the calendar for teaching our thermofax classes this fall.  Printing with Thermofax Screens is scheduled for Oct. 14 at Artistic Artifacts.  Join us from 10 AM to 3:30 PM for a fun day of printing with our extensive collection of original screens.  Many images are elements of nature based on photos we have taken.  Others are more graphic designs.  We will work with textile paints, discharge products and thickened dye.  Bring as much fabric as you like (commercial fabrics, hand dyes, solids, prints) and build your stash of custom printed fabric!  You will also go home with a small screen of your choice, and learn to tape the edges for ease of use.  Go to the AA site for more information and registration.  Below are samples of our work.

And here are some pics of student work from previous classes.

 Come join us and learn to create your own unique fabric!

We are also teaching Photos to Thermofax Screens at Artistic Artifacts on Nov. 4 from 10 AM -1 PM.  We will show you how to use Photoshop Elements to convert a photo to a black and white image suitable for creating a thermofax screen that can then be used in your art quilts or mixed media work.  You will practice with some of our images first and then work with your own to see how you can incorporate your own unique imagery into your work without any concerns about copyright.  We'll also give you tips for taking photographs to make this process easier.  Soon you'll be looking at things with screen images in mind.  If you will be in the metropolitan DC area, come join us on Nov. 4!

Note: While your own laptop and copy of Photoshop Elements are most beneficial, you can share one of our laptops if you don't have one, and/or download a trial copy of Photoshop Elements to try for 30 days before purchasing. (Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for the free trial links.)  Send us an email at pgfiber2art  @ gmail dot com.

How Do I....Gelatos

Once a month Artistic Artifacts holds a demo/make and take session on how to use a particular product.  Last night Sue attended a session on using Gelatos.  Gelatos are essentially acrylic paint sticks that are crayon like but easily blended with water.  Their main use is in mixed media art, but Sue was excited to learn some ways to use them on fabric and ribbons.

Sharon was the facilitator and demoed some of her favorite ways to use Gelatos.  Since water is an important component, we worked on the coated side of freezer paper. Other "tools" included a water spray bottle and baby wipes.

We were provided with a variety of materials to play with, including card stock, cardboard, found papers (map, sheet music, book page), ribbon and fabric. The baby wipes are perfect for smoothing and blending colors.

You can also use stencils and foam stamps. With stamps, they may deposit color, and sometimes take it away.

The piece of velvet ribbon really soaked up the color. It was fun to see how a bit of color and added water could transform a white piece of fabric to completely colored, much faster than dyeing!

The metallic Gelatos added a really nice sheen to paper.  It was fun to play with a different product and consider ways to use it in art quilts.

Great Day Washington!

What a fun morning!  Artistic Artifacts was featured Monday morning on the local CBS affiliate's morning show, Great Day Washington.  Over the course of a one hour live show, there were 4 segments showing different aspects of the shop - teachers, demo-ing surface design techniques (including Sue doing screen printing), paper piecing by machine, Judy's JAMS group working on hand projects, and highlighting the batiks in the shop with hand stitched embellishments.  The shop looked terrific and Judy was well prepared with the shop set-up.  The TV host, Meaghan Mooney, was a quick study as we walked through the pre-show prep of the techniques being presented.

The first segment included wood block printing, gelatin plate printing and thermofax screen printing.  Here's a link to this segment: http://www.wusa9.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-washington/adult-arts-and-crafts-with-artistic-artifacts-/394538005

Another segment featured some upcycled boxes done by Judy's Altered Minds (JAMS) that meets once a month and chats with some of the members who were working on hand projects.

You can find this segment here: http://www.wusa9.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-washington/artistic-finds-at-artistic-artifacts-/394549214

Cyndi Souder showed some more traditional machine piecing techniques featuring non-traditional fabrics including Australian Aborignal designs and Tim Holz fabrics.

See this segment at:  http://www.wusa9.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-washington/expressing-your-creativity-at-artistic-artifacts/394546555

Chris Vinh highlights the Artisan Batik panels and how she embellishes them with the Wonderfil embroidery threads.  Also in this segment, a quick pan of the shop and a look at Denise doing some machine embroidery.  All of this can be seen at: http://www.wusa9.com/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-washington/diy-crafts-and-more/394555807

 It was a fast-paced and fun morning at the shop, plus a behind-the-scenes look at live TV production!