Here's more insight into deconstructed screen printing as the Fiber Junkies approach the process....
I mentioned yesterday that we were all crazy about the mop strings that Kate brought. I've chosen some, along with rick rack and plastic rings and arranged them on a table covered with newsprint.
The screen was placed over the items. Once the dye has been pressed through the screen and it's been allowed to dry it looked like this.
Next it's time to print. The screen is positioned over dry fabric that had been previously soaked in soda ash. Using a release solution across the screen, the dye gets released and transferred onto the fabric. It's strange that the first prints are usually not as attractive as the 2nd or even the 3rd. Here I got 4 prints. Time and time again, what you get is a surprise....and in this case none of the ring shapes showed up at all, though they are clearly visible on the dried screen.
We also loved the pebbled sink mat that Val found. The fabric here is still wet but you can see that my first print is pretty cool. I had hoped to do my second one right next to the first to gain a large run of the pattern. However, and I have no clue why, there just wasn't enough dye left in the screen to get a decent 2nd print. Oh well......
These three prints were another surprise. My image was a mesh vegetable bag over which 3 dye colors were applied to the screen. It looked soooo good on the screen when it was dry. But, when I printed it, no texture developed at all. Ultimately though, I don't think the resulting fabric will disappoint me. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to get all the fabric washed, dried and photographed for you to see.
No comments:
Post a Comment