Upcoming Class - Printing with Thermofax Screens

In a few weeks we'll again be teaching Printing with Thermofax Screens at Artistic Artifacts!  Join us on Saturday, Feb. 18 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 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 Sue's work.

And here are some pics of student work from our class last fall.

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

Black-Eyed Susans

The Quilting Arts magazine June/July issue arrived this week and anticipation was high to see Sue's quilt published in the Reader's Challenge.  Imagine her surprise to see it on page 2 along with the Editor's Notes! 

As Vivika notes in the caption, it reminded her of the flowers growing along roadsides in Vermont.  Coincidentally, this little piece was inspired by a photo taken in neighboring New Hampshire!

After finding the great batik background, Sue set out to create a Buds, Blossoms and Blooms quilt of Black-Eyed Susans.  The first step was creating the flowers using Thermofax screen fusible appliques.  There were 2 different flower images made in different sizes for variety.

The flowers were printed, fusible web was applied to the back and then they were cut out individually.

Placement was decided on the background.

Stems were added (also fused).

The top was backed with a fusible fleece for batting and machine stitching was the next step to secure all the flowers and stems.

There was no backing as yet because hand embroidery was the final step and Sue didn't want that stitching to show on the back.  Here is the start of lots of French knots!

And this is the finished quilt, which also includes embroidery stitches on the stems and other parts of the background.  A bright and cheery piece to celebrate summer!

Queen Ann's Lace

This is the description of her quilt that Sue sent to Quilting Arts magazine:
"I love the delicate, ethereal nature of Queen Ann's lace and enjoy using it in my work. Several stages of bloom are printed here, layered over a hand-dyed background and prints of grasses and a crackled texture. All the Thermofax(r) screens used are made from original photos. There are also words written in the background that evoke  the symbolism of the blossoms - bloom, blossom, grow, evolve, reach, unfold. Created with hand-dyed fabric, Thermofax screen printing, and machine quilting."

The words listed above were written first on the hand dyed fabric using a sharpie.  Then the crackle texture was printed, first in a transparent red and then metallic gold.  This is what the crackle screen looks like.  The screen in the Etsy shop is slightly different, but this one can also be ordered by sending a convo, and saying you want the one in the blog post (same size & price).

Next, some grasses were added to the background.  The curly grass screen is also available in the shop.  Then the queen ann's lace was added in various stages of bloom.  There are 4 different screens used in different sizes and variations.  (Two of these are in the Etsy shop.)

Sue briefly considered adding a decorative trim as embellishment at the bottom of the piece, but then decided against it.

It was a good thing, because when the backing was added and a quarter inch was lost all the way around for the seam allowance, it would have covered up too much of the queen ann's lace.  Below is the finished piece once again. The machine quilting mostly follows the lines of the imagery of the crackle, grass and queen ann's lace - click on the photo for a larger view.

Buds, Blossoms and Blooms

Months ago, back in the midst of winter, Quilting Arts magazine announced a Reader's Challenge called Buds, Blossoms and Blooms.  Always up for a challenge, and having had 1 previous submission selected for publication in the December/January issue, Sue decided to submit a quilt for this challenge too.  Actually, having 2 ideas that she couldn't decide between, she decided to make and submit both if they turned out the way she envisioned.  So she set about making two 10" square quilts as specified by the magazine.

Long story short,  at the beginning of February the finalists were announced and Sue found out that both of her quilts were selected!  It was noted that only one might be published in the magazine, while the other could be published online.  Well, the June/July issue is now published (though it has yet to arrive in the mailbox) and Sue just discovered the online extra publications at Quilting Daily and the quilt called Queen Ann's Lace has been published there!  While the link is provided, unless you are a member and sign in, you won't see the picture.  However, you CAN see it here!

In the next post we'll share a few pictures of the creation process.  And hopefully the magazine will arrive in the next few days, at which time we'll share the second piece.  Stay tuned!

May Flowers

The art quilt bee that Sue belongs to issues a challenge every other month to make a 12" square quilt that interprets a theme.  The theme for May was "flowers".  Here's her story of how she created the finished piece.

I started with an approximately fat quarter yard piece of fabric that was already printed with the birds on a branch screen.  I intended to use it for another challenge, but didn't get to it before the deadline, so decided to revise the plan to fit the flowers theme.

First I overprinted with the cherry blossom screen.  I made small appliques from a hand dyed osnaburg fabric to fuse over the birds that were part of the original bird on a branch print. The part on the right side was extra that I didn't need.  I also printed some single cherry blossoms around the perimeter, keeping to the size for the 12" square dimension.  The cherry blossom branch was printed in white with some pink blended in; the single blossoms were printed in pink.   The extra fabric was trimmed off.

With the printing and birds fused in place, the next step was adding a border.  I had purchased a batik that I thought was the perfect border fabric, but because the color was so close to the purple background, it needed something to separate the two.

I used a darker blue batik to make a flange around the center block that gave some definition and separation between it and the border.  Then it was time for some quilting.  I layered it with a fusible batting but not backing because I intended to do some hand stitching and didn't want the back side to show.  But first I did some free motion quilting with the machine.

This close-up shows the machine stitching outlining the branches and blossoms, and also the start of the hand stitching.  I used a darker pink floss on the larger blossoms and a lighter pink on the smaller ones in a star shape.  Then I added french knots at the end of each point. 

I also did some stitching to add definition to the birds.  After adding the backing, label and sleeve, it was finished.

Printing with Thermofax Screens at VCQ Meeting

Elizabeth and Sue taught their screen printing class last weekend at the VCQ meeting.  We had 15 enthusiastic quilters in our group who all made great progress learning how to screen print using a thermofax screen.  Some had done printing before, and for others, it was their first foray into the world of surface design.

They practiced with different types of paint while they got the hang of how to print and by afternoon were ready to branch out to more creative printing endeavors.

We demonstrated printing techniques and reviewed the tools needed as well as various types of paint.

We had a very large room so everyone had plenty of space and successfully avoided any accidents with paint on the carpeted floor!

Martha and Sherry are busily printing; with prior experience, they were prepared with their supplies and ready to go.

Elizabeth explains using a screen as a resist before dyeing fabric.

 Marty is taking care to get her screen clean after use.

There were lots of screens to choose from!

 Sherry brought some coffee filters along to print on.

Wendy printed butterflies on this lovely hand dye/metallic fabric, then added some discharge with a dragonfly screen.  Click on the picture for a larger view.

These are some lovely pieces that Cathy printed.  It was a fun day that literally flew by!  Never enough time when you start playing with thermofax printing!

Printing with Lines

Elizabeth played along with challenge 2 from Julie Booth to find objects that would create lines and print with them.  These are the pieces she came up with.  Can you guess what she used to print with?

The first was done with straws - multiple straws glued to a piece of cardboard.

The second piece came out of the pantry cupboard.  Pieces of lasagna, also glued to a piece of cardboard.

What can you find in your kitchen to print lines with?

Printing with Circles

Julie Booth is running a Scavenger Hunt on her blog to go with her book Fabric Printing at Home.  The first task was to find circles on objects from the kitchen and use them to print.  Sue collected a tray full of objects, but chose 3 for her printed sample.  Here's what she found:

And this is what she created:

She started with the bottom of the green plastic cup to make the first circle.

She used this wire egg beater that squishes up and down to make the spiral inside the circles.

Finally she added dots with the end of a cork from a wine bottle to complete the pattern.

Here's the finished piece and the 3 things she used to print circles.  Fun!

Elizabeth also found some circle objects to play with.  Here are her prints:

Left to right - a plastic magnifier, a small plastic plant pot, a cap from a vitamin bottle, a straw, a plastic suction cup, and a cork.  We applied the paint to these objects by dabbing it on with a sponge.  Take a look around your kitchen - see what circles you can find to print with!  And follow along on Julie's blog for the rest of the scavenger hunt - up next is "lines".

Thermofax 101 - A Review of Lyric Kinard's New DVD and Blog Hop!

We are delighted to participate in a blog hop review launching Lyric Kinard's new DVD,  “Thermofax 101: Screen Printing Made Easy”.  We first met Lyric at a Virginia Consortium of Quilters retreat where she presented a Surface Design Sampler class that included thermofax printing as well as several other surface design techniques.  Because we enjoyed Lyric as a teacher, we later took her comprehensive screen printing class online at Quilt University.  Thermofax printing is the one technique we both fell in love with from this class.  As a result, we purchased our own machine and PGFiber2Art was born.  We owe our start to Lyric and are excited to review her DVD!

It is available for purchase on her website where there is also a short video preview.  But be sure to read to the end of this post for a chance to win a copy!

Whether you're new to Thermofax screen printing or have been using screens for years, there is something in this DVD for everyone.  In a 65 minute instructional video, Lyric provides a fun and fundamental overview of thermofax printing in a comfortable, friendly, easy-going style.  From explaining what a thermofax is, where to find and how to create imagery, how to print, to design basics for creating your own cloth, there is plenty of information here to get new printers started, as well as nuggets of information that experienced printers can incorporate as well.

Lyric’s clear, concise instructions are presented in a logical, step-by-step sequence.  For those curious about what a Thermofax machine looks like, she burns a screen with her 3M machine.  Her thorough explanation of textile paints includes ways to use opaque and transparent paints together and she discharges fabric using Cascade dishwasher detergent.  The screening technique itself is an important part of achieving a quality product and Lyric shows you the best way to hold the squeegee and pull the paint across the screen.  A favorite part of the DVD is the masking technique she uses to create a complex background and an image that really pops.  Several sources for copyright free imagery are mentioned and the DVD includes a resource document with sources for materials and a list of screen providers.  There are providers who sell images as well as make custom screens of your design, so you don't need your own machine.  She whets your appetite with enough information to make you want to pull out the supplies and get started printing, right now!

In fact, that’s just what we did!  Lyric was kind enough to include one of her screens with the DVD for review, and we chose the dragonfly.  Sue pulled out a piece of fabric that was sun printed with Solar Fast dye and looked like it would make a good home for some dragonflies.  These were printed using gold Speedball screen printing ink for fabric.  The fine details of the dragonfly are really beautiful with this paint. 

Another technique we tried was discharge with Cascade dishwasher detergent.  As Lyric shows in the video, you simply pour the Cascade onto the screen as you would paint, and squeegee it across.  In a short time, we could see the bleach in the Cascade discharging the color.  Just be sure to use a product like Anti-Chlor to stop the action of the bleach or it will continue to eat away at the fabric!

We love how this crackle screen adds depth and texture to an otherwise so-so fabric.  That's the great thing about screen printing - you can take a piece of fabric that's not so great or even ugly, and transform it!  Here are a few more examples of discharge with Cascade.

Win a Copy of Lyric's DVD!
This is a great DVD for anyone new to thermofax printing or looking for a refresher.  Please leave a comment telling us what your experience is with thermofax printing (including "none" if you've never tried it!) and we will pick one responder on May 10 to win a copy of Thermofax 101.  International entries are welcome for the DVD.  In addition, we will pick a second responder to win their choice of a medium size screen in our Etsy shop. 

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog hop - Lyric is giving away a copy of the DVD for each stop on the hop.  Here is the schedule:

April 24  Cheryl Rezendez http://www.cherylrezendes.com

April 25  Leslie Tucker Jenison  http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com

April 28  Sue Bleiweiss  http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog

April 30  Judy Gula  http://www.artisticartifacts.com/blog

May 1    Susan Price & Elizabeth Gibson  http://pgfiber2art.blogspot.com

May 2    Judy Coates Perez  http://www.judycoatesperez.com

May 4    Linda Stokes  http://www.lindastokes-textileartist.com

May 6    Jane Davila  http://janedavila.blogspot.com

May 6    Melanie Testa  http://melanietesta.com/blog

May 7    Liz Kettle  http://www.textileevolution.com/index.php/our-journey

May 8    Carol Sloan  http://carolbsloan.blogspot.com

May 9    Kathy York  http://aquamoonartquilts.blogspot.com

May 11  Susan Brubaker Knapp  http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com

May 12  Desiree Habicht  http://myclothesline.blogspot.com

May 13  Jamie Fingal  http://JamieFingalDesigns.blogspot.com

May 14  Deborah Boschert  http://deborahsjournal.blogspot.com

May 15  Sarah Ann Smith  http://sarahannsmith.com/weblog

Don't forget to comment on this post for your chance to win, check out all the other blog stops, and if you just can't wait to get your hands on Thermofax 101, you can purchase a copy here!