Boro Sun Prints

Now that you have made (or are wanting to make) all these awesome Sun and SunLESS printed fabrics, you need something to make with them.  

My daughter had a great pair of ripped jeans that were just begging to be even greater.  

Not to mention the rips were getting a bit too big.

Out came the Sun Printed fabric, Mistyfuse, thread and needle, and a new pair of pants were born.

The thread pictured is a Sashiko thread I had on hand, but I also used a pearle cotton thread.

First I fused Mistyfuse to the back of each piece of Sun Printed fabric, and then carefully cut and arranged patches in an artful manner to cover the holes in the jeans.  Once the patches satisfied their owner, they were ironed and fused to the pants, allowing enough overlap to cover the holes completely.

The most important part of the project was the needle.  

Hand stitching through denim and fabric can be rough unless you have a good needle.

I started with an old needle I had on hand because it was handy, and it had a large eye.  This was a big mistake.  The needle was difficult to pull through and eventually I broke it.

Fortunately I remembered some Richard Hemming Embroidery Needles I purchased from ArtFabrik.  Once I gave this needle a go, it was all smooth sailing!  The eye was bigger and easier to thread than I thought it would be and it glided in and out of the fabric beautifully.

The large stitching was relaxing and very therapeutic.  

I found myself looking forward to the time I spent finishing these jeans.

My daughter loves them and I'm thinking I need another project like this!

One of my favorite Sun Printed fabric projects is this art quilt:

What will you use your Sun Printed Fabric for?

Leave a comment on this post for one last chance to win these FOUR Sun Printed Fat Quarters, TWO yards of Mistyfuse and ONE Mini Goddess Sheet.  The winner of the giveaway will be announced on September 30th.  Thanks for stopping by and reading!

- Lisa Chin

Advanced Sun Printing

Have you used one of the methods in the previous two posts yet to create some Sun Printed or Sun Less Printed Fabrics?  I hope so!

Today's post will use take the Sun Printed fabric one step further.

The fabrics created with Sun Printed are beautiful in and of themselves but they can be so much more when you layer them.  

The paints used in Sun Printing are transparent and lend themselves well to layering.  (Note: Pebeo's Setacolor has been renamed "light" instead of "transparent" as pictured above.)  

It is amazing the depth which can be achieved with two and three layers of paint.  To create a layered effect, start by creating your first layer as described in this post. 

One of the biggest tricks to creating a beautiful second and third layer 

is to remember basic color theory:

  Blue + Red = Purple

Blue + Yellow = Green

Red + Yellow = Orange

And don't forget that

Purple + Yellow = Brown

Green + Red = Brown

Orange + Blue = Brown

Brown is a beautiful color!  

Especially when you can see layers of the colors it was created from.

Here are just a couple examples of the beauty you can create with layer Sun Prints:

First layer: Blue

Second Layer: Fuchsia

Don't be afraid to cover the entire piece with the Fuchsia!

The fabric has three colors despite only using two colors of paint.

And this piece was given an additional layer of blue.

The masks used on these pieces were cut from plastic transparency sheets as well as natural leaves from a tree.

The second example is a piece where Brown is especially beautiful.

First Layer: Blue

Second Layer: Orange

Third Layer: black

This is one of my favorite Sun Printed fabrics.

What colors will you combine?

What shapes will you create in your Sun Printed fabrics?

Leave a comment for another chance at winning these FOUR Sun Printed Fat Quarters, TWO yards of Mistyfuse and a Mini Goddess Sheet.  (I just started singing the 12 days of Christmas there, sorry about the ear worm!)

Next week's post on September 27th will show you a fun project to create with your Sun Printed fabrics.

- Lisa Chin

SunLESS Printing

So one day I woke up wanting to sun print and this is what I saw outside . . .

. . . another day I've been busy with the family or work and missed the sun. . .

What is an artist to do?!? 

Improvise!

By creating a fake Sun or a Heated situation, I have found I can still produce great "Sun Prints."

1) Fake Sun

Following the instructions in this post, prepare the fabric and place the painted and masked fabric under a Fake Sun.  I like using shop lights. . .

. . . as well as my desk lamps.

Both create the same images I get outside in the bright sun.

The amount of time to create the Sunless print will depend upon the heat and humidity in your home or studio.

2)  Bottom Heat

By placing a heating pad underneath the painted fabric laid out on a cookie sheet, the same evaporation effect occurs and allows you to have a Sunless print!

3) Ironing

The fastest way to create a Sunless print is to use a very hot iron.  

I demonstrated this method on Quilting Arts TV Season 1700 and 1800.  

• Simply place your painted fabric and heat-proof masks (I like to use shapes cut from overhead transparencies) on to a cookie sheet.  (Don't plan on using the cookie sheet for baking again!)
• Cover the fabric with a Mistyfuse Goddess sheet.
• With an iron set on the cotton setting, iron over the top of the fabric until dry.  This will take about 5 to 7 minutes of ironing.
• Remove the Goddess sheet and masks to discover your fabulous designs!

Are you inspired to create some fabulous Sun Printed Fabrics of your own yet?  Go forth and create and then come back here on September 23rd to learn one more Sun Printed trick!

Leave a comment below to be entered for another chance at winning these four lovely Sun Printed Fat Quarters, Two yards of Mistyfuse and a Mini Goddess Sheet!

- Lisa Chin

Sun Print-paloza!

The seasons are a changing, and no matter the weather where you live, 

it's time to take advantage of sun printing!

Ideally the weather is hot, dry and windless for sun printing.

Pull out a table, or a large piece of board. . .

. . . grab some paint, fabric and masks (i.e. leaves, cut outs, stencils, hardware, etc) and get busy.

The basic instructions for Sun Printing are:

1) Wet your fabric with either a spray bottle or soak the fabric in water and squeeze out the excess water.  Lay the fabric on a table or board which can be placed in the sun.

2) Mix your paint of choice (see photo above) at about a two to one ratio - two parts water to one part paint - and, using a large foam or bristled paint brush, spread the paints across the fabric.  Use one or multiple colors.  It's all up to your creativity.

3) Place leaves, masks, keys, nuts and bolts, or whatever you like over the top of the painted fabric.

4) Leave fabric in the sun until the fabric has dried.  The sun heat sets the paint and so it is now wash fast, however, I am a creature of habit and always iron my fabrics before I wash them.

This process is much shorter, and more dramatic, in dry climates rather than in humid climates as the process is really working by evaporation.  As the water travels from under the masks, it draws the paint with it out from under the masks and creates an outline of the image.

But with the season's changing, maybe the sun isn't shining right now. . . 

. . . or it's the middle of the night and you want to create. . .

What's an artist to do???!!!

Well don't panic because. . .

Guess what?! 

There ARE ways to Sun Print WITHOUT the sun!

AND, I will tell you all about them in the next blog post. . .

In the meantime, leave a comment here about your experiences (if any) with sun printing for your opportunity to win FOUR Sun Printed Fat Quarters, TWO yards of Mistyfuse, and A Mini GODDESS SHEET!  The winner will be selected and announced on September 30th!

Don't forget to enter your email address over there on the right hand side so you will not miss the next post about how to Sun Print without the sun!  There will also be a post about layering Sun Prints, as well as a post with a fun project to make once you have created your sun prints (clue:  the project uses Mistyfuse!)

See you Next Week!

- Lisa Chin

Surface Design in Plein Air ~ Cyanotype and Heliographic Printing with Guest Artist Sue Reno

Carol R. Eaton here again for post #2 of the Plein Air Series! In the first post we talked about setting up a permanent outdoor creative space and a tutorial on ice cube painting. This week I invited guest fiber artist, Sue Reno, to talk about her approach to working outside. Next week my guest will be Maggie Vanderweit Meredith and the following week Lorie Hancock McCown. 

For Sue working outdoors began as an extension of an interest in and observation of her surrounding environment. Sue says this approach forms the basis of her creative process. She spends as much time as possible outside, hiking and gardening, and that spills over into other aspects of her life. Sue feels making artwork or the components for artwork outdoors now seems as natural as planting flowers or picking vegetables for dinner!

Sue Reno getting up close and personal with some spring crocus. I'm sure the color, texture and shapes will find their way into a design! 

Sue: My main processes for getting imagery onto fabric are directly tied to working outdoors. I make cyanotype prints from natural objects like leaves and flowers that I either forage for or harvest in my yard. I gather the objects, bring them indoors to arrange on treated fabric in the dimly lit studio, and then go back outside for timed exposures in the sunlight. The process is literally dependent on ultraviolet rays and would be difficult to replicate indoors. 

Sue is also known for her heliographic printing. Cyanotype... Heliographic... those are unusual terms so let's start by identify these techniques!

 Cyanotype: a photographic process that produces a cyan-blue print. Engineers used the process well into the 20th century as a low-cost process to produce copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints. The process uses 2 chemicals: ammonium iron (III) citrate and potassium ferricyanide.
Sue's design is a perfect image transferred directly onto fabric!

Heliographic: is a word derived from Greek and Graphein. The Heliograph is a type of "sunshine recorder" and Heliography is the photographic process used to make the earliest known permanent photograph from nature.
Sue lays foliage onto painted fabric and exposes to the sunlight. Over time the flora imagine will be seen on the fabric. 

Sue: I make cyanotype prints of animal skulls for works in my Flora and Fauna series. This began in response to a possum skull found while hiking and has grown from there. With the skulls I take macro photos that I turn into transparencies, which I use to make blueprints as described above.

Carol's Cyanotype Notes: Jacquard offers a starter set for cyanotype printing. The chemistry comes premeasured in lightproof black bottles. Fill each bottle with water to create solutions A & B and mix the two to create the cyanotype sensitizer. Coat fabric or paper with the sensitizer and allow to dry. As Sue mentioned above the next step is exposing the fabric to sunlight or UV (3-15 minutes, depending on conditions), using objects or a film negative to create an image. After exposure, prints are processed in a tray of cool water and allowed to air dry over about 24 hours; prints will oxidize to their final deep blue color. To instantly oxidize the print to its final color, submerge in a dilute bath of hydrogen peroxide after washing, then rinse and dry.

Sue: I also make heliographic prints, aka sunprints, using plants. I paint fabric, apply leaves as a mask, and put the composition out in the sun to dry. As the paint dries, it wicks out from under the mask and leaves an outline. It’s a physical process, unlike the chemical reaction of a cyanotype, and the possibilities seem endless. 

Sue: With both cyanotype and heliographic printing, I feel I am capturing a unique moment in the life cycle of my subject. The variables introduced by printing outdoors, at the gentle mercies of the environment, give the prints substance and meaning. I improve with practice but will never fully master control over those variables, and that keeps the process interesting and sustainable.

Carol: In the previous post I discussed creating a permanent outdoor space but I know not everyone wants this option. With all the fabulous artwork Sue creates she is not bound to a designated outdoor space. It doesn't matter if you have access to large outdoor spaces or a small balcony; you too can work outside! Sue's studio is located in the daylight basement of her home, allowing easy access to the outdoors. Living in a 4-season climate most of her printmaking is done in the summer months, however deadlines have driven Sue to working in wintry conditions on occasion! Her setup is impromptu and informal. She has a picnic table as her main work surface, and a hose available for cleanup. Sue follows the sun around the yard and uses the driveway and decks as print-drying locales. Sue has also used her wrought iron patio furniture as a drying platform when painting yardage to compliment her prints - secret - if you look closely you may spot some diamond designs on the fabric from the chairs!

More ideas for Heliographic (sun) printing from CAROL R. EATON! 

TIP: Once you place your object on the wet fabric apply a little more paint around the edges. This creates a more precious outline as the paint dries. 

Try all kinds of masks in your sun printing

Go Wild! 

Any object is fair game! 

Rethink your solid colored hand dyes. Use sun printing to create a new look 
with layers of fabric paint
Be Fearless!  

Nature is never perfect so don't leave out the fun foliage that's been tasted, torn or otherwise lived on when selecting flora for printing! 

Giant Ferns - sometimes it's just fun to go for the biggest foliage you can find. These ferns are about 30" tall! 

I hope you give Cyanotype and Heliographic Printing a try! Please share your results on the blog! If you have any questions, please feel free to start a dialogue and we can all get in in the conversation… and don’t forget to comment on the blog for a chance to win a pack of fat quarters using all the techniques we’ll discuss over the month of June! The winner will be announced June 30^th! 

Next week our guest fiber artist is Maggie Vanderweit Meredith  who will share her rusting techniques!  

Supplies:

Setcolor fabric Paint - Dharma Trading Co

Jacquard Cyanotype Starter Set - Dharma Trading Co

SUE RENO: I am primarily a studio art quilter.  I make art in response to the natural environment and historic architecture in Lancaster County, PA. I use a variety of surface design techniques to put imagery onto the fabric, such as heliographic and cyanotype printing. I also work with screen printing, collagraphy, and digital printing from my own photography. Lately I have added felting and fabric manipulation to my repertoire.

www.suereno.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suerenostudio, Twitter: http://twitter.com/suereno, Tumblr: http://suerenostudio.tumblr.com, Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/people/suereno/, Instagram: sue_reno_studio