More Handprinted Stuff

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 More denim blue stamping done yesterday.. the same but different. The original stamping is the last photo. I did some strips of leaves to utilise as borders if i need it. If I do some more of these i think I will actually draw up a pattern next time, now that I have had a play with the stamps and have got a fair idea of placement.

I also printed off a few monkeys. When I made up my rainbow monkey quilt I was one monkey short and ran out of fabric to print on. So all those rainbow squares are waiting for one other monkey to join them to complete the quilt top ( or at least have enough pieces so I can sew it together to complete it).

Next days off

Rainbow Monkey Quilt

 Holidays are wonderful.A bit of extra spare time to be creative in  and ignore all those other impending jobs that you alway feel like you have to do. The recent make of the baby blues quilt made me think that my monkey print would be fun to produce as a rainbow styled quilt. So  I printed up 29 monkeys. An odd number you say! Originally planning a 24 square quilt with a few to spare I didn't really plan the number of monkeys printed (beyond 24) but just used up the last of my black ink. Unfortunately I am a monkey short now.

 Selecting colour was fun. Any bright solid or spotted print that fit in the rainbow. A fat quarter is sufficient amount to piece, so I haven't had to go out and buy any material. The left overs I am thinking of piecing together in odd shaped log cabins

Below the Baby blues quilt finished and bound. Just simple horizontal stripes for quilting. My daughter wouldn't let me cross stripe the quilting. And the teeny tiniest binding ever - which may I say was a pill to sew

A little light on the subject

 Daylight hours and better light! But the wind is blowing and it is making it impossible to capture a shot without the quilt top blowing upwards when on the clothes line or is partially in shadow when hung on the pergola.

But you do see how much brighter the blue fabric is in the light! Far more appealing and not so dull looking.

Last night shot looks grey compared to the one taken this morning.

Baby Blues Quilt

 Yet another colleague and friend has fallen to the lifetime commitment of parenthood and is preparing to give birth any day now to a baby boy. This lovely lady is a joy to work with and so I said I would to love to make her baby a quilt. I had already made up a quilt top of crosses (look here) for her upon hearing of her pregnancy but later found out that she was having a boy, so I deemed it not suitable.

 Her theme to be for the baby room is Jungle and I had thought of doing a quilt with animals in bright primaries (which is probably what I should have done). But not having made a start on the quilt other than drawing the design (mainly due to illness and work) I have opted to utilise what I have.

Hand printed fabric ..hand carved lino print monkey

I've dragged out my hand printed fabrics with the view to utilising grey and blue colour scheme and the monkey print. I had thought of making chevrons in grey and blue interspersed with a monkey print here and there but gave up on that idea fairly quickly - another day when I have more time.
So a simple square framed by a border is an easy and quicker quilt to make.

The thistle print actually looks really effective cut up  in the quilt

Some left over lotus flower print

A naturally dyed square of grey material from eucalyptus leaves and iron

 Lotus flower print

So it is a little darker than I would have envisioned for a baby but I think  it would be utilised more of a lap quilt.

It certainly is unique and a one of a kind quilt.
I will grab a better photo  tomorrow in the daylight hours, once again doing my photography at night!

Monkey Run

The first of the chimpanzee run with block ink. Just a quick trial run on brown paper before I went off to work. I am undecided whether I should carve more out of the darker side of the face and risk loosing some of the contrast in colour.

It kind of reminds me of Planet Of the Apes. 

 I think I'll carve the space away above the arms and give the monkey more definition. Yes/No??

The first print below held only very little ink, as is usually the case the third prints are usually the best before the block gets saturated.

The lino carving as is at the moment. Maybe trial printing on fabric before I make a decision.

Eye Spy

I've got to say I got a little tired of printing and needed a change of scene for an evening. Added to that my husband gets a little frustrated with the printing equipment spread across the dining table and the general clutter I do generate. So screen printing and stamping is done when no one else is home. 

Saturday night I fetched out my last piece of lino and decided to monkey around for a bit. Chimps are fascinating creatures don't you think and I fell in love with some of the images/ photographs on line of chimps.

So a combination of photos and this little fella is being carved out with particular reference to form from this photo.

I'm really looking forward to meeting this little fella and emblazoning him on a t-shirt