Tag Team Study Journal

I am participating in Tag Team 2-Surface Design

AKA~Surfers

This study is organized and conducted on my yahoo group Studio Quilt-Goldilocks and Friends

We have chosen to study:

Fabric Art Workshop by Susan Stein

The study begins Feb. 7th, 2009

We have decided to divide the subjects into groups of three allowing  two weeks to complete any of the three.

There are about 60 people who have signed up to participate in this study; this is fantastic!

Feb 13, 2009

The study commenced Feb 7th.  We have an active and enthusiastic group of people.

We have divided to study three topics per every two weeks.  I will skip topics that I am already familiar with.  I decided to skip paint sticks as I use them often.

The effect of paint sticks can be seen in: Imagine

The top area under the smaller “imagine” is enhanced with a  a gold paint stick as well as the bottom strip under the figures.  Blue paint stick is added to the bottom edge under the larger “imagine” and gold over the top edge.

So far I have worked with: Angelina Fiber and Painted  Silk

Angelina

I have used Angelina a bit but I am not crazy about it.  I like to use it sparingly.  Once I used it for butterfly wings and then stitched over it with black thread to detail the veins/lines within the wings.  This turned out really nice.

The following images show several experiments with Angelina.

This cluster of trees developed by accident.  First I used a few wisps of bronze and white Angelina to make an oval shape; the result was sort of transparent.  This is done by fusing the fibers together between parchment paper.  The fibers fuse in a matter of 3-5 seconds on medium heat.  Evidently, the longer the fibers are exposed to heat, the color will change and become less vibrant.  Next I fused another several layers of bronze fibers to have a more opaque quality.  I began to cut strips from it and they landed on the first oval and started to look like tree trunks.      I had some green Angelina so I applied some wisps over the trunks to create foliage.  I placed this over off white linen and I like it; looks like a thicket of trees.

In the next experiment I used white Angelina, made a single thin layer as above.  I like the shape of the nautilus sea shell and I have a shell that is cut in half (shown on the left, inside facing up) that I use often in a variety of ways.  I used the sea shell as a stamp.  I placed the layer of fused Angelina over the sea shell, covered it with parchment paper and pressed with the iron.  The imprint of the shell now shows on the angelina.  Pretty cool, but not very defined.  I decided to cut some curved strips from the opaque bronze layer I previously fused to place around the outside of the shell shape.  This worked well and defined it much better.  I also added a tiny bit of the darker bronze to the center.  The Angelina shell is laying on tan linen which looks nice.

This image shows the shell on light blue hand dyed cotton.  I am not sure which background I like best.

I tried another color combination: yellow and white.  This wasn’t very exciting.  Bits of green along with tiny cut slivers of bronze were added on top and fused.

The result is kind of like a hay stack.  This image shows this combination on the same light blue hand dyed cotton.

Painting on Silk

The instructions referred to the technique as: Lasagne Painting; referring to a layering process.  I have several types of silk.  When layered as directed the paint would not soak through.  There must have been enough resins or finish in the silk to prevent absorption.  I had not scoured the silk before hand.

Instead I decided to lay the silks side by side and use dye.  I purchased  a set of dyes recently from: Things Japanese  www.silkthings.com These dyes are specifically for silk.  It is was the first opportunity I had to try them.  I recommend them because it is a good way to experience dyes without the big investment and no need to prepare the fabric or wash it afterwards.

I mixed up some colors as the directions suggested to use in the tiny spray bottles.  The results of the spray were fine.  Not enough color saturation for me.

So, instead I used a Styrofoam egg carton, poured several colors of dye into the pockets, added a bit of water to dilute.  These dyes are VERY potent.

I sprayed the silks with water and painted on several colors of dye.  Much better results! Each piece was scrunched up lengthwise and left to sit for about 30 minutes and then ironed dry.  The silks varied in weight and finish and one was organza.  The thin silks hardly showed color as compared with the thicker silks.

The 2 pieces on the top right and one one the bottom left are very sheer.  I thought there was potential but not on their own.  I decided to try them out on top of fabric.  This was very interesting.  The colors and textures of the fabric inter played with the silk; this proved to be intriguing.

The next images will show some surprising results of the layering.

The piece of silk is shown (partially) in the silk collection above; bottom left.  This particular hand dye is one I could never find a use for.  The colors are vibrant but not in a combination that is natural.  Amazingly, when these two are layered they both come to life.

The silk on the top center was layered onto a batik fabric.

When layered the results are again amazing!

The sheer silks are merely a “veil” and yet when layered add a wonderful rich quality.

The third combination uses the silk on the top right in the collection and the same hand dye cotton.

This combination was an instant favorite.  It made me think of an impressionistic painting.

I immediately made a quilt sandwich and began to stitch!  The stitching was random with the goal of following the colorations to create a texture in a loose manner.  I intended to suggest foliage and thick bushes with blossoms on the right.

I put on my Ipod audio book and sewed the entire day.  This was very pleasant.  The story was set in the woods of Scotland and contributed to the fantasy setting I was stitching.

The finished art quilt.

The edges were finished with hand painted bamboo fabric.  The fabric was painted with a shimmery mint green and light blue.  The sheen was a perfect complement.

Detail of bottom right corner.

The remaining silks are not transparent.  The colors are very potent and the textures are interesting.  I am sure I will find a use for them in another manner.

Experimenting is the perfect avenue for me because the inspiration from discovery is highly motivating.

I am very pleased with what I have learned so far.