6 posts tagged “sunprint”
Finally, day three back at my sewing machine!! The bowls got more ideas flowing than I have had in a long time. Night before last, I went to bed and thought about trying some more with creating the look of stained glass again like I did with my "Stained Glass and Ferns" quilt, but on a smaller scale. This link shows the earlier piece in progress, and here is the finished quilt that did a bit of traveling to various shows and won a couple ribbons.
Also today I have a photo of a plant that bloomed before I got to see it. There is a seed pod forming, so I hopefully will have baby seedlings popping up for more in the coming years.
I am finally getting the feeling of accomplishment. I finally have finished and mounted a few small pieces, and got photos this morning.
My UFO from a previous post in now finished! I got the quilting done,
and edged it with a variegated yarn in soft colors of the border. I
then mounted it to a stretched canvas that I painted in a soft, muddy
green with metallic gold. It's new name is "Gilded Ohio Stars".
Here is a detail shot- remember the "pooching" of the triangle areas?? With dense quilting, the excess fabric was "sucked up". Quite a difference from the way it looked in the photo below.
There are still some wrinkles inthe star blecks, but I decided to leave them, they add a bit of character, right??
Definitely looks much different from the original UFO I began with.
This little piece was the only one I finished in my class with Rosalie Dace. It was made from little trimmings of the larger rocky piece I was working on, and has been waiting a long time to be mounted. The big one is still in the unfinished state it was in this photo. My original thought was to mount this to a light colored background, but I was convinced to try something darker, and we found this piece of hand dye was perfect. The little quilt is 5"x7" mounted on an 8"x10" canvas covered with the fabric.
The detail shot shows some of the beading I did along with some hand stitching. I usually avoid hand stitching, but Rosalie convinced me that some would be a good thing on this, and I really like it!
The next photos are of a couple very simple uses of some of my newest sunprints. I usually use them as part of larger pieces, or "mat" them with quilted borders, but decided to go really simple.
For these, I fused the prints onto batting and backing, and quilted details of the prints. After quilting, I bound the edges of the prints with black and gold yarn over a brown variegated one. This one is a 6 1/2" x8" rectangle on an 11"x14" canvas covered with an ivory with metallic, gold flecks fabric. I added a black border to the photo to give the impression of a frame.
Definitely looks much different from the original UFO I began with.
The next photos are of a couple very simple uses of some of my newest sunprints. I usually use them as part of larger pieces, or "mat" them with quilted borders, but decided to go really simple.
For these, I fused the prints onto batting and backing, and quilted details of the prints. After quilting, I bound the edges of the prints with black and gold yarn over a brown variegated one. This one is a 6 1/2" x8" rectangle on an 11"x14" canvas covered with an ivory with metallic, gold flecks fabric. I added a black border to the photo to give the impression of a frame.
Here is a detail shot, showing part of the couched edge and quilting. This print ended up with a bit of gold metallic paint highlighting the large flower's petals. Totally unplanned, but a nice surprise.
The lacy Maple leaves are from a little tree that was at my son's house. When Ken and I were keeping up with the lawn, etc. I noticed it buried in a batch of Sumac. Well, my son decided to clear the brush, and didn't see the Maple- I got these leaves after a couple days on the brush pile- a bit curled and dry,but after soaking in water, I was able to press some of them. I have not seen any other Maples in the area with these lacy leaves, so I will have to take great care to be sure I don't let any of these blow away.
This print is 8" square, and I placed the leaves and flowers in a design on point, so decided to see if it would look OK mounted this way. Definitely a different look. This print is from the same panel of fabric as the first one, but this area didn't have the metallic gold on it. I also used the Rudbeckia leaves instead of the Maples. For the flowers,I had to cut them apart and cut down the cone in their centers. By using only parts of the flowers, I could get the prints to look like the flowers do with their drooping petals in the garden.
The lacy Maple leaves are from a little tree that was at my son's house. When Ken and I were keeping up with the lawn, etc. I noticed it buried in a batch of Sumac. Well, my son decided to clear the brush, and didn't see the Maple- I got these leaves after a couple days on the brush pile- a bit curled and dry,but after soaking in water, I was able to press some of them. I have not seen any other Maples in the area with these lacy leaves, so I will have to take great care to be sure I don't let any of these blow away.
Here is the detail of this one. You can see that most of the leaves this year have holes in them from the bugs. Between the hail of early summer, and the bugs, perfect leaves are not readily available this year- More character! The little flowers with rounded petals are Phlox florets, andthe pointy ones are Pentas florets. It takes longer to add the tiny flowers, but they add a lot to some of the compositions.
Well, this is what is done so far for today.... I just realized that "mud" is really prevalent in this group. I do have some prints in blues and pinks, etc. ready to bind and mount. Not sure why I'm doing the mud and rock colors first??
Well, Back to work.... I have to be ready for my first art show of this year, this coming weekend in Norwich, NY. Colorscape Chenango Arts fest. Not looking forward to lugging the tent, etc. and so far rain is in the forecast- yuck!
Well, this is what is done so far for today.... I just realized that "mud" is really prevalent in this group. I do have some prints in blues and pinks, etc. ready to bind and mount. Not sure why I'm doing the mud and rock colors first??
Well, Back to work.... I have to be ready for my first art show of this year, this coming weekend in Norwich, NY. Colorscape Chenango Arts fest. Not looking forward to lugging the tent, etc. and so far rain is in the forecast- yuck!
Well, mostly done. I still have to do the writing and signing on the backs.
Here are a couple of studio shots- showing just about the whole thing in 2 pics. You can see what someone described as "sedimentary filing" used in many places- especially in front of the window. The design wall still has the last batch of postcards I was photographing. I put them on foam sheet, then in the computer, it is easier to remove the background. That's why some of the pictures have some pink shadowing on edges.
Below are groups of postcards- all are for sale, some are on my website, http://andrusgardensquilts.com/postcards.php and some are uploaded to Etsy http://andrusgardensquilts.etsy.com If you see one you would like, please email me, as I can not upload all. I can send a paypal invoice for payment. The price for these is $25 each card, shipping included, if ordered directly from here. There will be $1 shipping through Etsy. All will be individualy packed in clear packaging, then in an envelope for shipping. Please click on the group picture for larger photo, and more descriptions for each card, and Letter of each, so I know which one you may want. If sold, on Etsy, or on my website, that will be noted in those descriptions, Thanks!
Sunprints in rainbow colors edged with couched yarn, and accented with crazy patch- Group 4
Soft colored sunprints, with dye pen accents, rainbow sunprint, Scan of strawberry flowers printed onto fabric with assorted fabrics and yarns- Group 3
Printed scans of roses or strawberry flowers, dye pen accents, assorted fabrics and couched yarns- Group 5
Flower scans printed on fabric accented with assorted fabrics and couched yarns and FMQ- Group 6
Random scrap flowers with glitter centers, or flower scans accented with fabrics, yarns, and crystals Group 8
Sunprint panels bordered with couched yarn, and accented with crystals, and one flower scan accented with fabrics, yarns, crystals, FMQ- Group 1
Flower scans accented with fabrics, couched yarns and crystals on burgundy flowers, Pastel colored sunprint, echo quilting, applique butterfly, crystals- Group 7
Backs of postcards finished
as in picture on left. Name of card, signature, and dated. Backs are
fused fabric in pale colors or ivory. Write on with gel pens for
scrapbooking, or Pigma pens.
Since I have been working small, I
decided to go a little smaller. I have been cluttering up my studio
(cubicle) with bits of fusible backed fabrics, paint, pastels, and
other stuff. I spent most of one day painting sparkle paint onto
some flower scans and sunprints. I love what happens when I
paint the sparkle over the pastels (water soluble ones). The colors can
become really bright. Below is a slightly neatened up look at my studio
earlier today.
A couple closeups of some different postcards ready for trimming on the left, and trimmed and ready for binding. I find that couching yarn to the edges works well for a quick, neat binding.
Well, back to work, maybe I'll have a few finished before bed. Lots of thread changes to come. I do try to group things, so I don't need to change any more than necessary.
Here it is, a mini
tutorial showing how I sunprinted fabrics indoors last
week. I usually paint and print outdoors, but here in NE
PA, the number of good days are limited, and if I run out, or
need a different fabric, I am stuck having to wait till warm weather.
Even though it is called sunprinting, the sun is not
what causes the print to form. There are heliographic paints that react
to the sun, but I print using acrylic textile paints. Any good
quality paint for fabric will work. I have had great results with
Setacolor®, Versatex®, and now use mostly Jacquard® brand paints.
The prints are a result of the drying process, and placing the fabric
in the sun is the cheapest method of drying it quickly. In my new
setup, I have a germination chamber that was used in our greenhouses
for starting seeds indoors. It has shelves with flourescent
lights, that light and warm whatever is placed on the shelf.
My
work centers around flowers and gardens, so I print mostly flowers and
leaves. for the most detailed prints, items need to be very
flat. The ferns on the left got too dry without being pressed
enough, you can see how curled they are. The ferns on the right are perfect for printing. I
try to harvest enough leaves in the summer and fall, so I have them
available to use later. For butterflies and hummingbirds, I cut shapes out of foamie sheets.
Here is a stack of leaves, etc. pressed between newspapers ready for printing. During the growing season, I press leaves for at least a few hours to overnight. They don't need to be dry, just flat (actually dry items are harder to work with- sometimes very brittle).
Here are some pictures in sequence, of my paint board, fabric to be used, and paints ready to use. My paint boards are 1/4" plywood covered with heavy vinyl, and as you can see, I don't always clean up extra paint between sessions (it does clean up great with a little sudsy water and a plastic "scrubby", when needed). The remaining paint is dry, and usually doesn't transfer to the new piece of fabric. My boards are sized to handle fat quarters, or slightly larger pieces of fabric. I start with wet fabric, dunking it into a bucket of water, wring it out somewhat, and then smooth it out onto the board. This way, my printing items can have good contact with the fabric (also, if working in an outdor breeze, the fabric "sticks" to the board until it is dry). The pic. on the right is a set-up with my paints ready to use. I mix my own base colors, and work with my paints watered down to about the consistancy of heavy cream- the color will be lighter, the more water you add, and I like soft, calming colors. I have been using plastic food containers with "leakproof" lids, with great results- I can keep mixed paint in these containers for months, and if the lids are on, they usually don't leak when tipped over. I also have a mist bottle for water, inexpensive brushes, baby wipes for hand cleaning (if there is no sink nearby), a rinse container, and a bottle of "Super Sparkle" paint by Jacquard®- to add shimmer if I want.
Now the fun begins.....I apply the paint to the fabric. I like to see what happens when I overlap colors, so I work quickly, and sometimes it looks like I am slopping it on. If I want some sparkle, I add a metallic, pearl, or the super sparkle to the paint, or overpaint areas with it, depending upon the effect I am looking for.
To keep the paint wet longer, and to help colors run more, I spritz with water. You don't want to get things too sloppy, or the color will weaken more than you want.
While
the paint is still wet, the objects are placed right onto the wet
paint. Ferns are great, and if they are not brittle, they can be bent
into gentle curves. This needs to be done quickly, so the items are arranged before the drying begins.
The
fern is now patted down, so it lays as tightly to the fabric as
possible. Any areas that are not tight to the fabric will cause a
ghostlike image.
Using
salt is optional. For this fabric, I wanted the patterning the
salt causes. This is coarse sea salt from the grocery store.
When adding salt to sunprints, keep it between the items to be printed, not on them unless you want to soften areas of the prints.
When everyting has been added to the fabric, it is placed under the lights. The board with the fabric needs to be quite close to the lights to take full advantage of the warming of the bulbs to speed drying. the day I did this, the temp of my room was quite cool, so drying was slower that I wanted, so I placed the board on the floor near the heat outlet of the furnace there to speed things up- I didn't have patience.
When adding salt to sunprints, keep it between the items to be printed, not on them unless you want to soften areas of the prints.
When everyting has been added to the fabric, it is placed under the lights. The board with the fabric needs to be quite close to the lights to take full advantage of the warming of the bulbs to speed drying. the day I did this, the temp of my room was quite cool, so drying was slower that I wanted, so I placed the board on the floor near the heat outlet of the furnace there to speed things up- I didn't have patience.
The furnace is one where
the heat blows out of the bottom, and I placed the board so it got a
gentle warm breeze from it. It worked great! This picture
shows the salt pulling the paint into neat patterns. Too direct a blast
of air would blow things off the fabric.
Here is the dry fabric, showing the result after the fern was removed. If they are removed before "crispy" dry, they can be reused (I put them back in the newspapers). If too dry, the ferns tend to stick, and break apart. This is where playing comes in. If the fabric is too damp, the prints may not have formed well.
Here is the dry fabric, showing the result after the fern was removed. If they are removed before "crispy" dry, they can be reused (I put them back in the newspapers). If too dry, the ferns tend to stick, and break apart. This is where playing comes in. If the fabric is too damp, the prints may not have formed well.
After all the leaves, etc.
are removed, and the salt brushed off, the fabric needs to be heat
set. These are the two pieces I did. I needed these
to continue with a work in progress that I am calling my "puzzle" right
now. I started construction with the border, and am working from
one corner to the other. This is one of those pieces where I
found I needed something I didn't have, so I needed to print it.
These fabric will be used in the upper left section.
This
is my WIP. The outer border and inner border around the large
sunprint, are pieces of my painted fabrics, and various ivories
stitched with black thread to resemble stained glass. The piece
is "growing" from the lower right to upper left. It covers my
whole 3'x4' cutting table. There are many sunprints being used. I
am planning to see what different ideas I can come up with to use my
sunprints in different ways.
To see what I have already done with sunprints, check out my larger Sunprint Quilts, or Sunprint Mini Quilts, Galleries on my website. Website- www.AndrusGardensQuilts.com
To see what I have already done with sunprints, check out my larger Sunprint Quilts, or Sunprint Mini Quilts, Galleries on my website. Website- www.AndrusGardensQuilts.com
***This tutorial
©2007 Sue Andrus, may not be reproduced in part or full for more than
your own personal use, without permission.***
Well, to get to know me and my work, here is a sample of some of my recent quilts and a process picture of one of them. These are made in my probably non "quilt police" approved method, that resulted from a series of what hapens if.... questions. I also don't do bindings.
The first post below this one, gives you some information about me and what got me to this point, if you are interested. I ramble a bit, but it gives a general background.
20" x 23 1/2"
Summer Rainbow- The center medallion is a sunprint of flowers and leaves arranged over rainbow painted fabric. This is the second piece using fused scrap pieces. The setting triangles and corner blocks.
30 1/2"x30 1/2"
June 2006 Journal- This was my first experiment with stitching pieces together with black thread to resemble stained glass.
8 1/2" x 11"
Scattered Maples 1- More scraps and sandwiches, using a number of my maple sunprints.
20" 23 1/2"
Scattered Foliage and Flowers
Left- work in progress, pieces laid out to finalize the center design- all pieces are "sandwiches".
Right- Finished piece
26 1/2" x 34"
This is my newest finished piece- the first of 2007! My biggest problem entering shows is the size requirement. I am trying to do some larger pieces along with my usal smaller pieces.
If you want to see more of what I do, check out my website www.andrusgardensquilts.com
You can see much of what I have been doing for the past few years.
