Do I Really Look Like That?!

   

Yesterday I received a copy of the DVD for Quilting Arts TV Series 800. I flew to Cleveland in February to film two segments for the series that airs on some PBS stations. I have to admit, I was a little nervous to see how it came out. During filming, you only get one shot - no do-overs. I was afraid that maybe I said something really silly. It all happened so fast, but Pokey Bolton is expert at guiding the guests along.

Bottom line, I was pleased with how it came out. I did a segment on Resists From the Kitchen, showcasing oatmeal, mashed potato and baby cereal resists. That segment appears on episode 806 (scheduled to air in early September). I also did a section on adding texture with brayer printing. That segment appears on episode 809, scheduled to air in mid-September.

There are 12 episodes in the series, which features Ana Buzzalino, Faith Cleary, Vivika Hansen DeNegre, Diane Rusin Doran, Maria Elkins, Noriko Endo, Lynn Krawczyk, Jane LaFazio, Nancy Odom, Mary Pal, Susan Shie, Cheryl Sleboda, Jennifer Solon, Judith Trager, and Terry White. Pokey Bolton and Helen Gregory from Quilting Arts Magazine also filmed some segments. The episodes cover a lot of ground - surface design, machine stitching tips, collaged and fused quilts and even a little color theory.

Check to see if your local PBS station airs the show. If not, the DVDs are available through Quilting Arts TV.

Boring to Beautiful



I taught a class on brayer printing last weekend at the Southwest School of Art.  The brayer is my new favorite tool.  Although I have used it for years, I've only recently come to fully appreciate what a versatile tool it is. It is a great way to transform fabric. It can be used with just about any medium, including paint, thickened dye, discharge agents and resists. You can achieve a variety of effects with a brayer all by itself. Then add some textured items into the mix and the possibilities are endless!

We started by comparing the marks made with a rubber brayer, a foam brayer and a napped brayer.  Then we add texture by placing items under the fabric and brayering over them.



This fabric was scrunched, then brayer printed with a rug gripper and a piece of lacy fabric underneath.




This fabric was brayer printed with rubber bands and egg noodles underneath.




Detail view







A rubber brayer created the yellow background pattern and the fabric was scrunched before being brayered with purple.

A lot of these pieces looked different by the time class was finished, because we kept adding layers of printing and dye.

Cathy adds some background color with dye.





Here is how this piece looked Saturday morning.





And here is what it looked like on Sunday afternoon.

We also spent some time working with flour paste and gel glue resist.  The resists were brayer printed , then dye was either brayered or painted on.

Sarah applies flour paste resist with a foam wall roller.

I'll be teaching a one day version of Boring to Beautiful at the Quilt Festival in Houston this year.  Hope to see you there!



Transforming Fabric

I've been creating some samples of brayer printed fabric for a demo I'm doing at the Quilt Festival in Houston this week.  I've always loved the patterns you can get, but I never before thought about using brayer printing to transform my fabric "duds".  It's amazing how different the fabrics look after brayer printing.

Before: Interesting patterning, but not my colors

After: Much more interesting surface and a more subdued palette!

Before: A soy wax experiment gone wrong

After: The squiggles are hardly noticeable, and the new patterning and color are a big improvement.

Before:  Nice colors, but the double mandala was not effective.

 After: How did I get one focal point out of that? Amazing.

If you are going to the Quilt Festival, maybe our paths will cross.  (Sure, among the many thousands who will be there, right?!)  The brayer printing demo is part of the Friday Morning Sampler, which is full, so if you can't stop by then, look for my article on brayer printing in the Dec/Jan issue of Quilting Arts.