Experiments with dyeing fabric with Chalk Paint

I had read that Chalk Paints could be used to dye fabrics, the very matt nature of them appealed for a piece of work I'm contemplating making.

I found Annie Sloan trial pots in the colours I wanted.

Initially the thick consistency was a bit off putting until I realised that they needed to be significantly diluted with warm water. I tried a sample of each of the paints on cotton fabric.

Muted and with a slightly sueded texture.

I then tried mixing the paints.

When dry they were a lot less vivid.

While the instructions from Annie Sloan state that the paints are non toxic, I found that when dry they were very 'dusty' from loose chalk. I did dye a linen top, the colour is excellent but the loose chalk is taking a lot of getting rid of. I'm not sure whether this is always the case or if I used too greater proportion of pigment to warm water. I shall have to try again!

Room 6. "6 Shades of Grey"

I just wanted to share with you an interesting exhibition I visited while at the ICHF show at NEC recently. Room 6 are a group of textile artists who met through their course tutor Susan Chapman. The group comprises Consuelo Simpson, Lynn Onions, Helen Still, Alison Hulme and Caroline Bell.

While all the works were interesting I was particularly drawn to a pair of pieces by Alison Hulme. "Urban Streets" influenced by city streets, looking up at the tall buildings and down to the chewing gum on the pavements.

Her second piece "Conversations " influenced by heal heard and overheard conversations.

Sorry photos not as good as I have liked because the stand shape made it hard to get further away from the pieces.

Caroline's Bell's series of pieces "Fade" exploded grey through naturally dyed fabrics and printing. I loved these, the variations that were achieved and her use of hand stitch.

I still strive to achieve a series of pieces that are linked. I'm setting off to try to do this again this summer with two key themes in my brain, Jordan Desert and Family History. More later.

Exhibition

I have been sharing less recently as I have been preparing for an Exhibition on 30th April. I'm exhibiting as a member of Threaded Together and my theme has been abstractions of bodies of water. My work has been absorbing as it has forced me to extend my range of skills and experiment with how to interpret the behaviour of water without trying to produce a representational piece. I shall be show a set of four pieces. I'll post these just before the show.
Here is the poster with details of where and when.

Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch

Stewarding at the NEC show gives one a fabulous opportunity to see the Contemporary Quilt Groups Journal Quilts. Little gems of creativity!

As always, there is a plethora of techniques on show and the folder gives the visitors an insight into how each piece has been created.

Inevitably, each visitor has their particular favourites and this is my change to share mine with you.

Jill Packer

Irene McWilliam

Linda Billsborrow

Linda Seward

Cathy Hensman

The CQ Stand

The quilts always attract visitors and one has lovely conversations with people about how they are all created.

The Shipping Forecast

This year the East Midlands region of the Embroiderers Guild are running their embroidery Kick Start competition with the theme of weather. I was lucky to get a place on a one day course with the sub theme of weather maps. As a child I loved maps of all types, drew them, copied them made then up you name it I did it. As a family we also listened to The Shipping Forecast, it came immediately before the news. There was something quite exciting about the deletion of these names. Initially they did not have a geographical position in my mind, just the words, but later I realised that it was a tour of the British Isles!

We spent the day using the chart symbols as a basis for design ideas.

These symbols when repeated form patterns!

We spend time investigating the possibilities of such repeats and the isobars.

Here I started to play with a symbol and the names of the sea areas following a set of isobars. I played with writing with my sewing machine. Not very good at this yet.

Then I had the idea of colouring in the white fabric as if it had been paper. I tried Neocolour wax crayons, and Koh I Noor fabric paints inside the Neocolour crayon lines. These ran a little but the shading worked well.

I machined all the lines and then very carefully began to colour in the shapes.

The larger areas looked a little irregular but I soon realised that a little judicious rubbing with kitchen  towel soon evened it out!

Completed, I was delighted with this new technique and will consider it again. 

The piece can now be used for Weedon Bec CT exhibition in April, the Harborough Embroiderers exhibition in May and possibly Kick Start as well. Job done!

Batik experiments

Local textile artist Andrew Wynne came to the EG this month to talk about Batik, his work and to demonstrate. A lively and informative evening Andrew introduced us to non hot wax techniques which would be so useful at home.

He showed us the use of lemon juice on potassium permanganate dyed fabrics using the metal stamps used in Asia for batik. It produced a delightful yellow where the lemon juice was applied.

The most revelatory moment was when he showed us how to use Transfer Crayons to create a gutta like resist! You draw your outlines onto silk with the crayons and with a heat source warm the crayon lines, they "pop" and become brighter. The silk can then be painted! 

Here is the sample I then did in a hurry the next day.

I then asked Andrew if one would get the same result with Neocolour wax crayons. He had not tried that. So....... I had to try!

It does work! I had drawn the lines while the silk was in the embroidery hoop so did not get as firm a line as I needed but where there was sufficient pressure the resist worked well. It's lovely when you have a tiny eureka moment.

It's been a bit quiet here in February as I have been working on pieces for an exhibition and have not wanted to put the work out on line until the show!

A Travelling Companion

With this year's Travelling Books each being on a theme I realised that I would not have the opportunity to continue to explore "Marks and Lines" each month, but work on a different theme. My book won't get back to me again for fifteen months. I might loose the impetuous to explore the theme by then.

My solution was to create a "Travelling Companion ", my own book which I can add to and work on whenever I feel so moved. 

I want to start with as minimalist as I can. I am using these images to kick start the stitching.

My own "Ice" background for the CQ Elements Exhibition, now touring.

Experiment for the "Ice" background 

I thought that I would try to extend my own practice by stepping outside my comfort zone right from the beginning.

I have taken some linen ecru fabric and applied acrylic paint to convey some embryonic directional marks that I can then work on with appliqué and stitch.

Now I just need to settle down and work out what it is that I want to convey.