This post is a bit later than planned, but the past few days have been a bit busier. Note to self— Don't even pull one weed without gloves if you have a history of breaking out in itchy blisters. I found many perennials buried in the weeds at work, and decided to give some Hibiscus plants a break, pulling just a few weeds out from their pots and surrounding area. I then didn't think to wash my hands after doing it, and now I am paying the price– fat, red, itchy fingers– It's not the first time, so I should know better. Ice packs are wonderful things!
Now to the fun part…. I played with my chalk pastels a few days ago. The weather hasn't cooperated with sunprinting, so I decided to use the breezy, humid weather for other paint play. I learned about using chalk pastels with acrylic and textile paints from my workshop with Elizabeth Busch this summer. The chalk stays put when used with the paint, when the paint dries the chalk doesn't rub off. I got some great effects, and got myself a larger selection of pastels to play with. Irises are one flower I have used in my quilting a lot, but they don't do well for sunprinting. They are great subjects for the chalk!!
I am better at just "slopping paint on fabric, then letting nature help me do the details. Amazingly, I just started to draw the Irises onto the just painted fabric and this is what I got! I love the lines of the grassy foliage, and started there, then "scribbled" the flower shapes and kept adding bits of color over, and am happy with this first attempt. The one thing I need to remember is that since I am working on wet, painted fabric, that the pastel colors look much darker as I am applying them. The darker purple I originally tried, looked too black so I used the lighter shades. The middle group nearly blend in with my background, but that is how you find what works and what doesn't– lots of play!
Another thing I did that I don't normally do, is to stack 2 pieces of fabric on top of each other to see what I would end up with on the bottom piece. For this I used a more open weave fabric than I usually use. The photo here shows the 2 pieces together.
A lot of the chalk did go through to the second piece. The green for the leaves shows the most, and the lightest colored flowers in the middle are very faint. I will have to try again with the tighter weave fabric I usually use. I don't know if as much will go through.
Here is another set of "twins". I tried for a landscape look, here. I think I really like the under piece better than the top one. It is interesting how the greens transferred through.
Here is another landscape type piece. I was trying to get the look of a pond with grasses growing around it. I used sea salt on the green area for a different texture.
It felt good to be back to my more cheerful colors to work with, instead of the "rocks and mud" colors I have been using so much of this summer.
One good thing about the rocky stuff is that the journal quilt I entered into the Houston show was accepted!!
For something I wasn't even thinking of trying to enter, it just happened and ended up being one the jurors wanted. Now everyone will have to wait until late October for the unveiling of the whole piece. The sneak peek is here. You'll have to scroll to the end of the post.
Now back to a fresh batch of sunprints!! I actually got some done yesterday. I just need to finish heat setting them. I will show some in another post.
I am a former textile artist and new pattern designer with a degree in horticulture, wishing to share my love of nature, flowers and gardens with everyone through my photos, sunprinted fabrics, and now pattern designs. Chronic Lyme Disease has caused major changes to the direction my life. I have to limit the amount of time spent digging in my gardens, and quilting has become more difficult. I discovered pattern design as a way to get art back into my life. I now use my gardens and photos to inspire designs that can be used on fabrics and print on demand items.
