During classes at the recent Quilters' Affair here in Sisters, I took a couple of classes from Rayna Gillman (
www.studio78.net). The classes I took expanded both my interest and knowledge for creating my own personalized fabric--more to my style, liking, and colors! I learned about the ins and outs of printing with carved stamps, screen printing, and using thermofax screens to "up" the individuality of fabric upon which I might be working. I then downloaded her video entitled "Free-Form Fabric Art" (http://www.interweavestore.com/free-form-fabric-art-dvd), for which I was most interested because the ad touts "no rules!"
I'm still contemplating whether I will use some of the pieces I made during the class. I am not interested in creating whole cloth quilts, but merely want to use bits and pieces of the fabric I print to include as strips in my work--similar to what Rayna does. I like the idea of taking something in the fabric I like that I think might fit well with other fabrics and incorporating it into the overall design. The interesting aspects of this "rudimentary design process" are discoveries I am making along the way. Here are just a couple of things I have already learned about this process .
1.
Don't throw anything away until you are absolutely sure you will not use the fabric. Anything you are working with can be fair game later on. Although you may not like it at the time you are putting your textile paint or ink down, you may decide that you like it after all in a day or so. For example, I was using a piece of flannel as a wipe-up cloth and decided that I not only liked the colors on parts of it but that several black droplets I had splattered as I worked would be great to use in a strip next to a black piece.
2.
Adding black in some form provides an interesting effect in the overall look. I had already been working on the premise of throwing in a "surprise" color here and there (as Jean Wells teaches) but I never considered the effect that black would have.
I began doing a bit more surface work once I was back at home and settled. I wanted to put together some strips with what I had learned but decided I just didn't have enough backgrounds to work with and did a quick "dye job" of greens and oranges. Once I put those together, it was then that I decided that I needed to gather up some fabrics and begin the quilt process. Not having a lot of black, I rushed out to the Stitchin' Post here in Sisters. Thank goodness they always have a good selection from which to choose! Here are some of the fabrics I started my project with and have been adding others along the way. I always find out I just don't have enough and end up rummaging in my "stash."
As of today, I have created several "strips" that I like a lot and am now at the point where I need to decide how I might want to sew them together. While looking through my stash, I happened on a practice piece from last year where I did some transfer work. Although uncertain what I might end up doing with the piece, I kept it because I was just taken by the overall effect. And now I am thinking about incorporating it--somehow--into this new design. To me it seems to go because it has a similar look and coloring. But the question is ... do I cut it apart and scatter individual portions around or use it as a larger piece. I'm toying with cutting it apart. Perhaps I should take photos of each section and see how they work with the strips? Wow, what a good idea!
Well, that is it for now. I'll let you know what I decide. Until next time ...
