Printed Stuff - A Compilation

I was looking in my stamp box after finishing printing the blue denim flower and saw I was getting quite a collection of stamp blocks. This led me to start to look over previous prints that I've made and I then  decided to put them all together in a quick photographic display.

Printed stuff and what I've made with it...

Well that's tha, back to the printing Block!

Finally - Hand Printed fabric Swap III

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Hand printed fabric swap - part 100 -the never ending story

I started off with base colours of yellow , bright pink, white and black.

A request for magenta and oranges lead me to start mixing colours. the centre of the lotus flower  is yellow and bright pink to yield a rather burnt orange. And then I dabbed the hot pink on the outer edges of the lotus flower. Working in the pattern that I stamped yesterday (but more evenly spaced) has given this rather hot run of material. One of my friends last night suggested that the flower reminded her of Florence Broadhurst prints...I do love her work, high praise indeed

 Random stamping for the next request for muted tones, earthy favouring green, grey, brown or white.
I struggled with this print as my grey leaves would just not stamp evenly and give me a nice impression - always half hearted and missing the middle of the leaves. It was most frustrating. I do like the mix of colours though. The burnt orange above had a little grey added to it to yield a olive/yellow green found on the outside of the flowers. The center of the lotus flower is straight yellow. When I finished stamping the lotus flowers I then added some more pink to give the golden brown.

I've got to say it though that grey was a real 'bitch' to print with and caused me much frustration.
Parts of the print is okay but I might have to try this one again.

And to finish off some of the inks and just play a quick medallion.

Are you sick of the prints yet????

Hand Printed Fabric Swap

My son gets up really early for swimming training , usually between 0430 and 0445 am, and it is a rare day that I will sleep through his preparations to leave the house. I do admire his stamina at getting up so consistently and the effort then he ensures he puts into his studies, no matter how tired he is.

Any how this morning nothing was going to get me back to sleep. Rather than wake the rest of the household, I holed up in my bed and started to play with the stamps and ink on paper

Looks a little familiar but a twist on placement utilising the original centre of the lotus flower to pattern.

Still bored and wide awake I decided to carve another stamp. Something simple because I was lounging in bed! So I carved a circle with lines circling around., then I went crazy stamping.

This afternoon I tried to be a little more organized  in my placement. It took quite a few goes to get the right amount of ink on the stamp and to figure out the placement of the grey centres so that they would all fit without overlapping or looking to haphazard.

I've really got to work on my spacing

By the time I finished this lot my back was killing me! I have new found admiration for the girls who do this type of work all the time. Just reminds me I am not as young as I used to be.

 By the time I finished this material I thought it looked a bit bare - too may wide open spaces.

So I plopped another  pink circle middle of the paddock and filled the gap a little

So many ideas, so little time and such a sore back! I'm going to my sisters shortly and will anaesthetise it with a white wine or two. Have a great weekend!

Smurf Blue

Dabbling with the stamps with blue ink meant getting my hands dirty and being another stinking hot day in Adelaide I was not going to wear gloves. So now I have a lovely shade of blue adorning my ever so elegant hands. I have never had very delicate looking hands  and you could liken them to the hands of the peasants in The Potato Eaters, by the flying Dutchman himself, Vincent Van Gough. I really am getting back to my Dutch heritage today. A Dutch smurf it is then!

 Trialling the thistle screen
I had to add more screen filler in places where I missed particularly on the edge of the screen. That ink manages to squeeze through the tiniest of places.

Next time I'll measure and place the screen to give a regular print. I also wont allow the dog inside because she kept running over the material when it was drying. But what are you to do, its stinking hot and I wouldn't want to be locked outside on such a scorching day.

Managed to utilize the stamp with fabric ink by dabbing the ink on with an ordinary kitchen sponge. Of course it soaks through the sponge and hence my smurf characteristics.

Any ho, thanks for stopping by again and I cant wait to see what everybody comes up with for the fabric swap.

Hand Printed Fabric Swap

Are you bored yet with my stamp?

I quite like it. I am finding it a challenge to get a good print consistently though.

I found that using textile ink to runny to be applied with a stamp. It is great for screen printing but doesnt give a good even coverage when applied to a rubber stamp.

My red block printing ink on the other hand is nice and tacky a gives a thick even coverage with a roller.
Do you like a consistent multiple pattern or random stamping?

It is probably too hot today to be playing with screen printing inks as they were drying out too quickly.

I had less trouble with the smaller stamp of the seed pod. Every one of them came out with a nice even print.
It makes me wonder of my leaf and lotus flower stamp doesnt give as good a print because they have been mounted on a block.

The advantage of having the stamp on the block means that it is easier to manipulate without the stamp block flexing when trying to place the print. It also means that the stamp is well clear of the work surface and I dont risk rolling the fabric as I ink the block.

My dad made one with a handle and one without. The leaf block can be inked easily on the table surface, whereas the lotus flower has to be held as you ink it, but is easier to manipulate it. No handle is also easier to store away.

Anybody have any thoughts on ink types to utilize with a larger stamp block?

Lotus Flower

The beginnings of my handprinted fabric swap - Lotus Flower

My thought was to do the flower in two colours. The base colour would be the flower and the centre over printed on to the centre of the flower. I just did a quick trial run so see how things would print up. In this instance I masked the centre of the flower with paper but when printing on fabric would just over print.

I'm thinking this would be nice in blue or white might do both.

Still to carve out the seed head.
I've had a real crafty run today in-between driving the children to various sporting activities and friends. houses. I've basically been hiding from the heat under the air conditioner another sweltering hot day.. argghh!
Anyway this is it for the next couple of days as I'm off to work again.

Take Care!
Jules of Little Woolie has a wool giveaway and has opened up an on line shop. Visit her here and look at her gorgeous crochet
Dont forget to sign up for the handprinted fabric swap III.. tab in the sidebar

Hand Printed Fabric Swap

I'v e joined a lovely fabric swap with the very talented Maze and Vale. Its still open for participants and has some really inspirational work and tutorials to get you motivated.


To join click on the button in the side bar and it will a take you to Leslie Keatings site

On that note I've started drawing up possible patterns and am taken with the lotus flower and will carve a stamp block for printing in the next few days, accompanied by seed pod

I think the flower would look great in full block colour, even if it wasn't true colour for the lotus flower. Seed pods always wear well on mass and make interesting printing don't you think.
I think the flower would also make a lovely stitchery

Have to go but a block to carve so I can start mucking around with patterning.

SEE YOU OVER AT LESLIE'S......