Quilt Camp 7 is Underway!

Quilt camp on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire has begun.  For the past 6 summers Sue and Elizabeth have spent several weeks creating our own fabrics and, for the past 2 years, working on our Etsy shop by creating new screens and tending to the business side of the shop.  It is our time to work on our creative muse, try new techniques, and also spend some time relaxing.  Below Sue is about to make some prints with a  head of cabbage.

This summer we are off to a bit of a slower start as we both had difficult winters and need some time to unwind and relax.  A local friend, Terri, who we met at the Creative Arts Business Summit  in March, came down on Monday to see our studio (umm…the garage) and to play a bit with us.  We showed her what a thermofax screen is and how to print a screen.  Otherwise, we chatted and caught up on all the things we have done since attending the summit.  

Setting up the garage has taken some of our time and we have gone for a daily walk where we have spent some time collecting plant materials growing by the side of the road.  So, yesterday we really got a start.  It was a sunny day and we decided to begin with some sun printing.  To sun print we use Pebeo Setacolor textile paint (available from PRO Chemical and Dye) which is a thin liquid, easy to brush on to a white or light colored fabric.  We place the fabric on a piece of foam core board which has been covered with a plastic garbage bag or a piece of an old plastic table cloth, spray our fabric with plain water from a spray bottle and then brush on the Pebeo Setacolor  paint completely covering the fabric surface. 

Next comes deciding what you want to put on top to make the print and if you want a composition or something random.  You want to be sure to place your items as flat as possible so that you don’t create a shadow with your print and it is best to plan to do this in the middle of the day when the sun is high in the sky creating fewer shadow opportunities.

 Above, Sue is setting up her prints.

We cover the whole board with a piece of tulle, thumb tacked in place, to hold things down in case a breeze kicks up.

Put it in a sunny spot until the paint is dry, usually a couple of hours will do.

Here are the finished prints from this group.  Not bad, but not great either.  They could be better if the plant materials were flatter; and fresher - we gathered things Tuesday and then had to wait 2 days for full sun.

Elizabeth tried some other masks in addition to plants.

Here she's got ferns, as well as little wooden trees, wooden stars, and tongue depressor type sticks.   Here are her results.

Maybe we'll cook up some more prints on another sunny day!