Washing Out Fabrics and Thinking Ahead

After setting the fabric paint and washing out yesterday's fabrics, this is how they looked.

It got me thinking about what I'd like to do for the Strohl Gallery Shop at Chautauqua. I've been thinking about going back to some signature pieces but using my Controlled Breach technique. So I'm going to try a version of Joie de Vivre and Surely You Jest! (see printed, stitched and beaded versions below). I hope to "keep it simple", as Jennifer says. Maybe just a bit of stitching and a bit of beading (I will try to control myself!).

Joie de Vivre

Surely You Jest!

Tonight, in Exploring Surface Design we will be working with gelatin printing plates. Students in the fall and winter sessions made remarkable prints during this class. I can't wait to see what this semester's students create.

Gelatin print with dandelions and yarn by Julie B Booth

Catching Kansas Fabric Fever

Two Controlled Breach fabrics like two old friends

 Last night, I got the chance to talk to Pam and Jennifer. They just started their annual retreat together at Pam's house. We were arranging Skype time...more like a negotiation... as they are extremely early risers/early to bedders and are in an hour earlier time zone than I am.

We set the time for 10 AM this Saturday and Pam said, "Be sure to have your seatbelt on" as it will be a whirlwind tour of their time in the studio. Pam has already painted 16 yards of fabric and Jennifer has been working with her yards and yards of beautiful rusted fabrics. As I look at my cluttered work table, it is hard for me to conceive of 16 yards of fabric! Time to get my 8 foot table cleared off.

In the meantime, after my talk with them, I went down into the studio to whip up a couple of Controlled Breach fabrics (okay...okay...more like sample size). I wanted to share in a bit of all that excitement out in Kansas.

This morning, I got up (but NOT at 5:30 Central time...or even Eastern time!) and painted the second layer of fabric paint.

I'll be setting these later today and then removing the wheat flour resist.

They'll be shipped off to Kansas tomorrow along with a few other goodies...