Prints Crisp As The Grass

It’s been a long, hot summer here in New England! And dry as a bone with withering lawns everywhere.  Grass is yellow and brown.  As I forage for art supplies that I pick off trees and shrubs, some whole branches are so dry and brittle they’re snapping and breaking off in my hands.The pigment in leaves seems to be leaching out with the heat.

My blog is usually a week or so behind what I’m actually doing because of the lingering process of curing time before washing, ironing and photographing. My process keeps changing as I experiment and learn. I cure my printed and dyed fabric longer than I used to – a week or two. I used to boil but now I steam everything. One of the most dramatic changes comes from longer cook times.  I steam from 2 to 4 hours, usually closer to four.

Although I have increased my overprinting, in this case, I wanted a clean, crisp print with a lot of white in the background. So, I dumped my dark, muddy water and started over with clean, fresh water in the steamer. It was a good decision.

It’s Off The Wall Friday over at Nina Marie’s!