Rusty bits

My late Father-in-law collected metal pieces that he could repurpose into other things, such as gates. I inherited a few of the rusty bits to use with my textiles, not so much for rusting fabrics [already have a collection for that process] but more for printing and rubbing.

Off cuts of bridal gown silk that I've had for a few years is now being used.

The rusty patina is picked up in the printing.

I work outside so peg the pieces to dry on my portable clothes line.

Yes, these flower shapes are from metal pieces- rubbed and printed. I experimented with this piece and found the printing was more to my liking.



 

Collagraph prints

I have printed 2 of the collagraph plates I made and am happy with the quality of the print. The fabric piece shows various printing experiments with these twisted string designs.

Jacaranda

With Jacaranda trees in full bloom at the moment, I decided to experiment with the flowers for printing. My morning walk gave me the opportunity to collect what I needed. As I went through my stash of hand dyed fabric I found many pieces that fell into the jacaranda colour range.

I tested various print methods on a piece and noticed the fresh flowers left a brown stain on my fabric. The pressure of the brayer made them 'pop' and their bell shapes were flattened.

It was an interesting experiment.

Seduced by the Imperfect

Another in this series is finished! This is a detail from the fourth one I have worked on and happy to say 5 and 6 are underway now.

I love the varying textures of the machine and hand stitching combined.

 

 

Coffee break

Bob and I went to Billykart Kitchen to try their coffee, which was good. The Strawberry Shortcake was also very moist and delicious. We'll be back for breakfast at a later date! They are at Annerley on the Southside of Brisbane.

Added bonus

This doesn't look very interesting, but it is my print cloth that covers the felt underlay. The added bonus from printing is that some of the textile ink migrates through to this cloth and after many sessions I'll have an interesting usable piece of art cloth. I have already used my Hawaiian print cloth in a quilt and love the extra layers imbedded in these pieces of fabric.

Working

What a treat to use my new print table. It was put through a lot of work last week. The old table is also in use at the same time, so I have more options for exploring techniques.

Because of the layers I can easily pin my fabrics to the table, which is important as this is outside and the wind blows!

And at the end of the session I have lots to show for it.