Photos on Silk in Quilts!
I finally got myself back on track, after having a near meltdown. My printer ran out of 2 colors of ink, and I had to wait a couple days until I could get the ink. Just as I was settling down for a day of printing, and working on some small pieces, you guessed it.... The printer refused to print the 2 new colors! I tried all I could, and then gave up, and called the dreaded tech support (not my geek son). I was given a number for a repair, and found that it was going to be cheaper for a new printer, than the charge to fix it!! I needed to print some things for a show I was going to, so I went back to Staples. They did say that it could possibly be bad ink, so they replaced the ink I puchased the day before. I did also buy a new printer- hoping that I would get home, replace the ink, then be able to return the new printer- NOT. Upon replacing the 2 cartridges again, none of the colors were working!! Out came the new printer- Epson C-88+, the newer version of what I had. I got it going, and set things up so it printed notecards even after I went to bed.
The show came and went, and I was a bit worn out from the hassle of the printer as well as setting up and tearing down for the show (most everything is still in the van). Yesterday, I began to think about the printer. It has a newer version of the Dura-Bright inks. I remember doing a test print on fabric many years ago, when I got my first printer with those inks, and found the prints were much better with the use of "Bubble Jet Set", which I hated dealing with. This is a "new and improved" ink, what would happen if I printed on fabric?
The test began. The first piece of fabric jammed, (loosened from the freezer paper). re-ironed, tried again, and success- I scrubbed it in hot water with dish soap- probably more that any quilt would get- No ink loss!! The wheels began turning again in my head- I had just taken some real great photos of some of my flowers in bloom. I also remembered that I had some silk that has been longing to be used. I fused some of the silk- fairly heavy with a great sheen- to Wonder under, and cut it for the printer. SUCCESS!! The resulting prints are beautiful!!
Here are the two photos I used first. I love the shades of blue, and got some really close shots of these small flowers. I had to watch the silk to be sure it didn't jam, because it is thinner than paper.
These two quilts were made from one 5x7 print of the Scilla. I cut it up, and used it in 2 quilts- one 5x7" and the other 8x10. The photos are surrounded by the scrappy crazy patch that I have been using. The strip of deep blue silk in the 8x10" piece is left from some of the Delphiniums I made in the door quilts. The small one is quilted with a blue variegated thread, and the rest are done with an iridescent thread I had, to add a bit of shimmer , I thought the blue quilting distracted from the print.
This is the piece I made using the Snow Glory photo- I cropped it, and printed it out at 5x7 also. I had bordered it on 2 sides only, and it needed something, so I added a strip of the dark blue silk to this one, also. In all of the pieces, the photos are fused to the batting, and a black and gold yarn is couched around the edges of the prints, and used as the binding. I am still debating if I will add more yellow with dye pens to the centers of the flowers.
The Yellow Iris has been blooming in the pond in my small greenhouse. I took a few closeups of the flowers in full bloom. Here is one of them. It is bordered, and finished like the blue ones, and is also 8x10"
I guess there was a reason my other printer decided to quit. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have tried these. Now my silk is finding a use- the photos are so beautiful with the shimmer of the silk. It is different to work with, but I think I like the results. Prints look good on cotton, also.
You never know what good will come from what seems like a disaster at the time you are going through it. All quilts are available for sale- Click on the picture to see the price in the description, just email me (click on email- upper left). Shipping will be free if purchased from my blog- Any would make a great Mother's Day Gift.
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