Valentine Screens and Mug Rug

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, we decided to add a few more screens to the shop and make a quick and easy project that featured fabric printed with these screens.  Along with the "love" themed screens we have an additional snowflake screen for the snow enthusiasts as we deal with the blizzard of 2016 here in Northern Virginia.  You can find these screens in the Etsy shop.

First we printed some fabric using the new screens.  The scattered hearts and "love" screens work well together.  These were printed with white and coral paint blended together, which is why some of the hearts appear to be incomplete - those are spots where the coral paint is heavier.  By the way, the background of this hand dyed fabric was previously discharged using deColourant and our water ripple screen.

Sue also had this tic-tac-toe sample which she decided to combine with the "love print" for a quick mug rug.

The finished dimensions were to be about 6 x 8 inches, so the first step was cutting pieces to size and seaming two together for the top, but you can make whatever dimensions you want.  The dimensions she cut were 6.5 x 4, and 6.5 x 5.  The backing was cut 6.5 x.8.5, and fusible fleece 6 x 8.  The two pieces for the top were seamed along the 6.5 inch side with a 1/4 inch seam.  The fusible fleece is cut smaller to eliminate seam allowances and bulk; since it is fused on, no need to worry about it shifting. 

After applying the fleece, layer the top and backing right sides together.

Then stitch a 1/4 inch seam around all sides, leaving a 3-4" opening to turn right side out.

Trim the corners to reduce bulk.  Turn right side out and press, pressing the open edges to the inside.  These edges will be secured with an edge stitch before quilting.  Choose your thread to either blend or contrast.

First stitch close to the edge all the way around.  Then quilt as desired.  Sue chose to do concentric rectangles over the whole piece. 

Starting in one corner, she did continuous stitching using the edge of the presser foot as the guide, which puts the stitching lines about 3/8" apart.

And there you have the finished piece.  (It's not actually as wonky as it looks here - just not the best picture.)  Why not make a few for your favorite people?  Add a mug and some chocolates for an easy Valentine's Day gift! 

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial

So how do you make those wonky blocks used for the fish rows?  We made ours with improvisational piecing, but if you want a more specific tutorial, Judy followed this one by Quilt Dad. The best thing is that you don't have to measure, you can sew and trim as you go.  It helps to have a few tools handy - a cutting mat near your machine, a ruler and rotary cutter for trimming, and a wooden "iron" or finger press - whatever you choose to call it.  Once you've assembled these tools and cut some strips (I used 1.5" strips), you're ready to start.

My center fish block was wonky to start with, a slight slant on the left and a strong slant on the bottom.  You may prefer just a slight angle on each side.  I added the logs starting on the bottom and working clockwise around the block; you can start on any side and go in either direction, as long as you are consistent all the way around.  After adding the bottom log, I trimmed it at an angle to give a "squarer" shape to the block, then added the next side and did the same.

Continue adding logs and trimming to complete the round.  I tended to create opposites as I trimmed; if the end of the previous piece was wide, I trimmed the next one at that end to be narrower.

The angle doesn't have to be large, and be aware of not trimming too close so you still have room for your 1/4" seam allowance.

I used the wooden finger iron to press each seam before sewing on the next log.

In the Quilt Dad tutorial, he adds all the logs for a round and then trims them wonky; I trimmed each as I went around the block.  Either way will work.

Continue with the second round the same way.

Stitch, press, trim.

I had a little slip in trimming the piece on the left, but that will be inside the seam allowance.

Round 3 has been added.  You can see that even though the logs are angled, it is becoming more rectangular over all.

Round 4 is added.  I came up a little short on the overall dimensions (the block needs to be squared up at 9.5"), so I added another strip of the round 4 fabric at the bottom.

Using a 9.5" square ruler, position it on the block to square it up.  You can see that this adds the wonky angles on the last round.

And there you have a finished block!  Four 9.5" blocks stitched together make your row, and you could choose to make it horizontal or vertical.

Mug Rug Tutorial

In my last post I mentioned that I would write a tutorial on how I am making the mug rugs.  There are lots of tutorials and patterns out there on the web.  I just made this up based on the sizes of the component pieces I had.  For most of them I worked with a 3-piece format, some ended up with only 2.  I decided on a finished size of approximately 6x8 inches; actually, that is the size I cut the fusible batting that I sewed the pieces to, so with seam allowances they are a bit smaller than that.

I started by cutting and assembling the parts I needed.  Exact measurements varied from one to another based on the size of the embroidery I used.  As long as your parts add up to 6x8, plus seam allowances, it'll work out.  Here the snowflake pieces are about 5 inches wide; the blue is about 5" high and the tan is about 3".  The strip started out about 2" wide, but ended up trimmed down to fit.

I placed the blue piece on top of the fusible batting and flipped the embroidered piece right sides together over the blue, then stitched a 1/4 inch seam through all the layers.

Then it was flipped right side up and pressed.  The fusible batting helps hold things in place.

Next I added the strip.  You can see that its longer than it needs to be.  I just stitched it on, then flipped, pressed and trimmed it down to size.

Here it is after pressing and trimming.  For the back side, I cut 2 rectangles, 6 x 4 3/4 inches.  On each one, I turned a 6" edge to the wrong side and stitched it down.  (Since this is a batik, there's really no difference between right & wrong sides.)

Then I placed the 2 backs right sides together on top of the front, with the stitched edges overlapping at the center.  Note that you see the folded/stitched edge of the fabric; when it is turned right side out it will be on the inside.

Stitch a 1/4 inch seam all the way around the rectangle, back stitching where your stitching overlaps.

Trim all 4 corners diagonally to reduce the bulk when you turn it.

Here the bottom half has been turned right side out.

Here its been turned and pressed.  You could probably  stop here and not do the quilting, but I prefer it quilted.  (If you choose not to quilt, you would need to hand stitch the opening on the back.)

To quilt, I simply stitched straight lines, 1/2 inch apart.  I marked them with chalk first to make the stitching go a little quicker.  The quilting also secures the opening in the back; just be sure everything is pressed flat first.

Back view.  There you have it!  A quick and easy mug rug!  Of course, you can use any combination of fabrics, pieced, printed, embroidered, whatever you have, and any size; tailor them to any occasion.  Whatever you choose to use, have fun!

Screen Care

One key to helping your Thermofax screens last a long time is caring for them properly.  Here are some tips we share with students when we teach printing, and include with every order received in the Etsy shop. 

• When you are finished printing with a screen, drop it into a pan of room temperature or cool water and rub gently with your fingers to get the excess paint off.  Don't use hot water - it can damage the plastic side of the screen.  You don't have to clean it thoroughly immediately, but also don't let it sit too long - no more than 5-10 minutes.  Letting it sit in water for a long period allows water to penetrate between the mesh and plastic layers of the screen, giving it a "bubbly" appearance. 
• A kitty litter pan works really well for cleaning screens.  They come in several sizes.
• When you are no longer getting "clean" prints, its time to wash the screen.  If you're really in a groove, its hard to stop, but trust me, you'll be glad you took the time to clean your screen and let it dry before continuing, both for the life of the screen and the quality of your prints.  
• Metallic paints clog screens much more quickly than non-metallic paints, so you will definitely get fewer prints before it's time to wash the screen.
• Any paint allowed to dry on the screen will clog the image and ruin the screen.
• DO use a soft toothbrush to GENTLY clean your screens.  It helps remove the little bits of paint that may not come off with your fingers or that have lodged under the edges of the duct tape.  Brush on both sides, but be a little more gentle on the plastic side.  Some paints may leave a slight stain, no matter how good a job of cleaning you do.  That's not a problem, as long as its not blocking the image.
• Pat the screen dry with an old terry bath towel and allow to dry completely before storing.  After patting dry, turn plastic side up to allow to air dry before storing.  Screens put away damp may stick to each other and cause the plastic emulsion to peel off.
• Try to use up most of the paint on the screen or put it back in the container if possible before washing rather than dumping it into your clean up water.  

Here's a method for getting your screen almost clean before you wash it; this was a great idea from Diane Doran that we tried this summer.  When finished printing with a screen, a lot of paint gets washed away in the clean up.  Usually I print on extra fabric to use up the paint but an even better way is to print with a slightly damp sponge which not only uses up the excess paint but helps clean the screen at the same time.  I got lots of extra prints from every screen I used.  So rather than wasting that extra paint, make more prints!

Above I was using a sponge to print with the excess ink.  Below, all 3 prints were made using the sponge technique.

One final tip - scrapbooking storage boxes (the 12 inch square ones) are great for storing your screens, especially large ones, so they can stay flat.  Smaller plastic craft storage boxes are also good for medium and small screens.

How to Print with Thermofax Screens Tutorial

A thermofax screen is made from a black and white image along with a piece of mesh that has a plastic coating on the back; the two are run through a thermofax machine to burn the image into the plastic side of the screen.  The edges of the screen are then taped with waterproof duct tape to add weight and keep them flat, and to make a “well” for placement of paint.  The screen works like a stencil, but much more detailed images are possible.  Screens can be used over and over again.

Tools needed for printing include a padded printing surface – a piece of craft felt covered by a double layer of muslin or canvas works fine.  I recycle Styrofoam meat trays to use as a paint palette & hold supplies.  Small plastic baby food spoons are great for fitting inside paint jars.  You’ll need assorted sizes of squeegees (you can find a set of 3 graduated sizes in the detailing section of an auto supply store - AutoCraft and Bondo are 2 brands), including expired credit cards.  You may want to use foam brushes for more precise color placement.  And of course, textile paint – some brands include Jacquard, Speedball, Simply Screen, ProFab, Versatex, Stewart Gill, Tulip.  Finally, a cat litter pan is perfect for washing your screens, and a toothbrush helps clean off all the paint.

Start by putting a bead of paint across the screen; in this instance I will pull the paint from top to bottom, but you could also go side to side.

Here I am using a credit card to pull the paint across the image on the screen.  When it’s the first pull, you may not get a clean print – the first pull kind of “primes” the screen; you’ll probably need a second pull to get a better print.  After there is more paint on the screen, you should be able to get a clear print with one pull.  What you can’t see in this picture is that my other hand would be holding the top edge of the tape securely to keep the screen from moving (in this instance it was taking the picture!).  There is another picture later that shows this clearly.  Here’s the first print.

There are ways to work in additional colors.  I started with red, and then added some orange.

You can see on the right how the colors blend as you pull the new color across the screen.

Another use for the meat tray holding supplies is that the raised edge makes a good place to rest the squeegee when you need to set it down.  Here I’ve added a 3^rd color, burnt orange, which is a metallic paint with a bit of sparkle.

Here’s a better view of using my left hand to hold the screen in place while I use my right hand to squeegee the paint across the screen.  You need to be careful to keep the screen stationary to get a clean print.  You might also like to use blue painter’s tape to hold the screen in place, especially if placement is very important.  Below is a better view of pulling the credit card/squeegee.  Try to keep it at a 90 degree angle to the printing surface.

Here I’ve added some yellow to the other colors already on the screen.  You can see the print on the right.  As you continue to print the colors blend on the screen and squeegee.  Be careful about combining colors that are opposites on the color wheel – you might end up with mud brown.

In the next group of photos you’ll see that I continued printing until I’d used up as much paint on the screen and squeegee as possible and still get a clean print.  At this point you could just wash the screen, but there’s still a good bit of paint there.  If you take a small sponge, wet it, and squeeze out most of the water, you can wipe that across the screen and continue to print with the water in the sponge diluting the paint enough to print.  Pull the paint from the outside edges in towards the center of the image.  This can be done on small pieces of fabric, scraps, paper, whatever you like – rather than washing that excess paint down the drain, you can get a surprising number of prints from it.  When you can no longer get a clear print, drop the screen and other tools in the pan of water.

I couldn’t fit it all in this picture, but I got 8 more prints from the screen using the sponge to clean off the excess paint.

Above are the “regular” prints I did before the clean-up prints.  It’s hard to tell the difference.  Finally, everything gets tossed into the pan of room temperature water for clean-up.  Use the toothbrush to gently clean the screen on both sides, as well as the squeegees, spoons and anything else used.  Pat the screen dry with a terry towel and allow it to completely air dry before storing.  Wet screens stacked together may stick and then the plastic may pull off when you try to separate them.  With proper use and care, thermofax screens should give you hundreds of uses.