Art Paint. Carving. Design & Style.
Materials: Speedball heat setting ink, cotton/linen fabric
Learned at Pennsic XLVIII from Cat Man Do
"The Devil's in the details!" -Modified Proverb
I've always been artsy-fartsy, from the time I could hold a pen or marker. Growing up, that interest in arts and crafts was fostered by my adults, usually with crayons or markers, but also paint and bits of fabric to make tiny clothing for my Barbie Dolls, cross-stitch, beading, and goodness knows what else. So. When it comes to learning new things, I'm all in. I don't have one particular craft or art that I focus on (chainmaille being primary), instead choosing to learn a little about a lot. Pennsic is the absolute best for doing just that. Pennsic 2019 lead me to learn block printing, the blocks for which became my retail therapy during April-June Coronavirus 2020. My goal was to create little drawstring bags with printed images on them for the Lucky Largess submission for the Coronation of Tindal and Alberic, but then the World Went Wild, and Coronation was virtual, so they've sat cut, but not printed, nor sewn.
I had trouble arting through the stress and chaos though, and besides playing with a few tote bags and zipper pouches to get the feel and consistency (photos above), really only just picked this up for garb purposes in March 2021. I started this post in March 2020, and only now, a year later, have put words and thoughts down.
I've been wanting to up my garb game for a while now, and working from home only part time, I've been afforded the time to do it. My goal is to create entire ensembles, or multiple pieces that actually go together, rather than bits found here and there that may be ill-fitting, or don't have a finished look to them.
My persona is technically 1400s Irish, but I wear garb from different times and places. The Norse Viking smokkr is a pattern I can sew, flattering to the body, and comfortable to wear, so that's what I decided to focus on first. Norse tends to be colorful, while I tend to be more neutral, so this is a bit out of my comfort zone. Going with the tenants of color theory, I'm picking a combination of both neutral and vibrant, with the pieces being multi-purposed enough to pair with other pieces. The first dress is black fleece, because I don't have ANY warm-for-Winter garb, and unfortunately, can't wear wool. The body of the dress is black (my neutral). The trim is a rich yellow (my vibrant). The printing is also black, for cohesion of colors, BUT the underdress can be many things - olive green, red, blue - giving me choices. I have the green already, and once I go back to get the correct yardage of red, that will be available too... -sheepish grin-
The second dress is a coppery caramel brown, with black trim, and copper printing that matches the fabric perfectly! The particular brown leaves me a bit less in the way of underdress options - natural off-white, dark brown, orange if the right shade - but I fell in love with particular shades of embroidery thread that pair nicely with it, and will be making inkle trim to use as shoulder straps for it (because that's a new to me art too!). Photo will be posted once it's complete. I'll also be making a fleece caftan with printed linen trim, and a Skjoldehamn hood edged in inkle trim.
Things I have learned:
*Not all blocks are good blocks - make sure, before purchasing, that you inspect the edges and the cuts, especially if the blocks are hand carved. The best presses come from blocks with distinct, clear lines, and the high points being all at the same level.
*Contemplation of consistency - Not all ink is created equal. I'm using all Speedball Water-Soluble Block Printing Ink (best price I found is Blick Arts), and even then I'm noticing differences in consistency, which is leading to differences in opacity. The runnier inks need to sit for a bit to thicken up enough to print nice-nice. Some are too thick and need to be watered down. I have a sheet of 1/4" thick acrylic to lay my ink onto, and I use a soft brayer. I've seen pouncers (little sponge tips on handles) used too, but I haven't tried that yet. You want to make sure you're getting an even coat of paint on your block, however you do it. Make sure there's no ink in the spaces you don't want it - it will transfer to your fabric.
*Ink transfer between layers - This can and likely will happen. If using linen or cotton, the ink may bleed through the top layer to the layer underneath. Not always what you want. So. Put your padding between layers, if able, or put a blocking layer or two of fabric between.
*Alignment and cohesion of images - Oh did I have some issue with some of the stamps I bought until I realized that being hand cut, they were NOT symmetrical! The ones that are, or are a reasonable facsimile, I actually wrote on with a Sharpie marker at the top, bottom, left and right points so I knew my alignment, and could do them with pretty decent accuracy. Different images can mix together, too, to get a neat pattern or effect. Don't be afraid to PLAY!
*Padding beneath fabric - I originally used my little ironing board with a few layers of linen beneath. You want some give below the stamp for it to really make contact with the fabric. Don't use your ironing board with a few layers of linen. Use 8 layers of craft felt OR one of the thicker sheets of craft foam from the kids aisle of the craft store. Trust me. Really lay on your stamp. Make sure all edges get pushed down, the center too. Give it a little wiggle under pressure, being very careful to not actually move the stamp on the fabric.
*Fabric - If you're making a strip for trim, make sure your fabric is even BEFORE you start stamping. Pre-wash and dry your fabric, and even if you hate doing so like me, iron it so it's nice and smooth. You'll get the cleanest results. If stamping an entire piece of fabric, do so before cutting your pattern or after cutting, before sewing, so you don't have to deal with funky edges or curves, stamping after it's sewn.
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