Looking for disability crafts I can do sitting in bed, so I’m channeling my inner grandma. Richelieu cutwork doily from a pattern I drew myself. Here is a link if anyone wants it!
This whole project was heavily inspired by the work of Lina Shamoon/ Mirrors by Lina (website here, check out her very cool and much higher quality work). My spin on things is definitely not made as well as her stuff, but I'm still loving the effect.
when i look up a knitting term, the last thing I want is an ai overview. I want a 60+ year old woman with no understanding of lighting or helpful camera angles who still manages to give the most concise and clear explanation of how to execute purl 2tog through the backloop. ai summary fuck off, where is phyllis?
I finally finished weaving my snowy band! Instead of being done and moving on, I've decided to sew a little drawstring project bag to feature it. This will be the first time I've incorporated my weaving into a larger project, which I've been meaning to do for a while now! It'll also be my first time sewing a bag.
I was planning on embroidering a couple scattered stars on the fabric to tie it into the band, but things quickly got out of hand.
Several days and many, many, podcasts later, this is where I'm at. The embroidery is done, and I've very roughly mocked up the bag so I can plan out the rest of it. The starry fabric to the left will be the bag's lining.
I really want to weave or braid the drawstrings with the remainder of the loom waste, but it's all a bit too short. I don't think it'd be worth knotting them together to add length. Currently debating what to do. (I played and won a dangerous game of yarn chicken with 3/5 of the fibers I used. The loom waste is all I've got)
I'm so happy with how it turned out! Thanks to various interfacings and the lining, the bag stands up nicely on its own but is still soft and crumply.
Having a white flannel bottom was objectively a bad call, but it had to be done. For the aesthetics. Star shaped stitching was also non-negotiable.
Drawstring holes were stitched up with more handspun yarn. It took a long time for me to decide what I wanted to do for the drawstrings themselves. I eventually decided to try tubular weaving, which was a great call. Weaving plainweave tubes is so fast??? Extremely satisfying after how painfully slow the band was.
I see more woven cordage and handmade bags in my future.
this messed up vintage cat sewing pattern has tormented me since i saw it & like some other folks have done in that post - i tried my hand at tweaking the pattern to resemble the illustration (and my personal tastes) a little more. i've ended up with this, which i have only tested at a small scale and not this final version exactly (where i have done such things as further widening the cheeks and finalizing the leg shapes.) i bestow it upon you nice folks now 👐
go forth and make weird little beanbag kittens! pls show me if you do!
My first attempt! I made the pattern a bit smaller as I wanted it to be able to fit in a pocket, but then (accidentally but perhaps unavoidably) sewed it with a wider seam allowance than the resized pattern indicated, so the face is proportionally a bit too big and I lost some detail in the ear shape. I'm pleased with it though! It was fun to make something and to do some handsewing.
Did I just casually teach myself to both knit and purl backwards because I'm sick of having to turn my projects over all the time? Yes, yes I did. It's called mirror knitting and is much easier than you'd expect.
@chargedobjex I understand your point of view, but I included it because I believe it makes no sense to practise mindfully without knowing the history, including its most brutal and inhumane aspects. The Malleus’s a terrible text, but it is essential for understanding how prejudice against witches developed and how it led to persecution.
"Sewing is a gateway drug to thinking through complex problems. It seems really simple; culturally, we make it women's work. Let me tell you: real sewing at any kind of level of proficiency is a bloody magic trick. Sewing, like mold making, involves mental frames that require one to think inside out and backwards. It requires one to work on an order of operations that is often taking into account the reverse. It's a really, really important skill, and if you learn how to sew, you're mostly on your way to carpentry and welding and sheet metal work. I'm not kidding: these are planar forms meeting under rules and conditions. And if you can make a sleeve work, I swear to God, you could build a house."
As promised, a process reblog for the final result!
A quick recap: I had finished piecing the daytime side, sewn together my two backing pieces, added scrap fabric along the perimeter of the bodice for easier mounting on the longarm machine, and handed it off to be quilted!
After just a few short days, Laura handed it back to me, fully quilted and
OH. MY. GOD.
IT WAS GORGEOUS!!!!
The original pantograph I chose was called Echoed Swirls, but unfortunately it was too large. At the scale we wanted, it would have been 22 inches tall, which was longer than the working bed size of the longarm machine. So we had to do a quick pivot to a new design. I ended up choosing Breeze. It maintained the 'Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night' look I was going for, while also fitting into the quilting 'zone.' We chose a gold metallic for the upper thread, and a stronger grey for the bobbin. Apparently, metallic threads require a lot of supervision, as they are prone to breaking, but Laura assured me that she had it handled. And boy, did she have it handled. I cannot praise her enough! Even with all of my weird requirements, she did a remarkable job :)
I feel like the pictures don't do it justice, since it's hard to capture the beautiful sparkle of the gold threads, but here are a few close up shots I took:
I then did the work of trimming and cleaning up the edges. All along the top where I had sewn scrap fabric to help with mounting onto the longarm, I had to painstakingly cut around the fabric with applique scissors and then tease out the scraps from beneath the quilting. Could I have just trimmed about half an inch away all around? Technically yes, but I was a bit worried about losing more seam allowance just in case I ended up needing that extra wiggle room for adjustments. Especially since quilting already has a slight shrinking effect on the fabric. I also had to seam rip the pocket slits open and tie off all the loose quilting threads. I re-drew the quilting lines that I had to rip out with a heat-erasing pen and back-stitched over them by hand, using the same gold thread that Laura was kind enough to give to me!
Once all my edges were trimmed, I began working on the watteau pleats. I pretty much just followed the instructions in The American Duchess Guide to Eighteenth Century Dressmaking by Lauren Stowell and Abby Cox. My pleats measured about 4 inches in length down the back, and each center pleat was about 2.5 inches. While laid flat, I pinned them, and then prick-stitched in place.
I then worked on top-stitching the other pieces of my dress that I had assumed were too small to bother with the longarm for. I used the image of the pantograph and scaled it to the same size that was used on the rest of the dress. Using my projector, I traced the image onto the sleeves, shoulder straps, and bodice fronts. I then followed the chalk marks on my sewing machine. I assembled the sleeves, and prepared the dress for my final fitting.
I don't have any pictures of this process, but it involved trying on the dress, and having my wonderful partner help to pin the skirt and sleeves in a flattering way. I then went back, and sewed them permanently to the bodice lining. The shoulder strap edges were turned under and sewn on last to cover the raw edges of the sleeve heads. Strips of fabric were sewn to the front skirt openings to cover the raw edges, which were likewise folded under. A strip of gold velvet was used for the hem facing. A silver star patch was appliqued on to cover an old tear in the backing fabric.
And with that, the dress was complete! All I had left to do was gather my accessories (including a pocket bag I made to wear under my panniers), and don my battle armor (a.k.a heavy, quilted dress).
A fine and important Elsa Schiaparelli couture Zodiac jacket, the Astrology Collection, Winter, 1938-39, Paris. This is arguably one of the most beautiful of all Schiaparelli's creations with its glittering embroidery, shimmering star-shaped beads and rhinestones set against a midnight blue velvet background. Marlene Dietrich was photographed in her Beverly Hills residence in 1938 wearing the zodiac ensemble with matching dress. Schiap was fascinated by the night sky that she used to view as a child through her uncle's telescope - the renowned astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, director of the Brera Observatory in Milan. He inspired in her a lifelong fascination with the celestial realm. He commented that the moles on her cheeks reminded him of the Big Dipper which she adopted as her 'lucky star', incorporating it into printed fabrics, the fabric lining her salon, her own personal jewellery as well as on this magnificent jacket. Schiaparelli's press agent Hortense MacDonald stated that the Astrology collection was defined by Euclid's famous geometric treatise - 'Elements'.
Hi! I put together an introduction post to block printing on fabric, based on my experience so far. Some basic info on printmaking blocks, ink types and the like. Enjoy!
First off - I have a background in fashion, but fabric block printing is purely a leisure activity for me. This info is intended mostly for other hobbyists and people who want to try their hand at this and don't know where to start. HERE are some examples of works I've done so far. I'll be really glad if this post will help or inspire someone to try<3
(please note that all the materials are what I could get here in Poland - this would obviously differ from country to country)
INK TYPES
SPEEDBALL Fabric Block Printing Ink
Probably the most popular fabric printing ink. Oil-based, water-washable. It has nice viscosity and spreads evenly. Available in many colors, a really nice opaque white among them. Works best with a soft rubber brayer from the same producer (although could be used with a more common, hard rubber brayer as well). Doesn't need heat setting, just a few days to dry properly. It mantains a soft hand after, although it is slightly noticeable. Can be used on both natural and synthetic fibers. Durable: with a test t-shirt I didn't notice much changes after a few washes.
ESSDEE Fabric Block Printing Ink
Water-based, water- washable ink. As in all water-based inks, the viscosity is average - works ONLY with a dedicated brayer from the same producer. Basic colors available, they mix well. Semi-opaque. Needs to be heat-set - the print mantains a really soft hand after, impercteptible by touch alone. Can be used on natural fibers only. Durability is fine, although the first two machine washes of the test t-shirt shown a slight washout on the design (this might also mean I'm shit at heat setting though lol). Good price to quality ratio; much more efficient compared to the Speedball ink.
PRINTMAKING BLOCKS TYPES
SPEEDBALL SPEEDY-CARVE and SPEEDY-CUT EASY BLOCKS
Both are soft blocks and carve really well. Neither needs a press to print on fabric - a pressure by hand or a clean brayer will suffice. Speedy Carve is suitable for all kinds of block-printing ink, Speedy-Cut Easy for water soluble-inks only (oil-based ones might break the surface and wear it out much faster). Personally I prefer Speedy Carve, as the other one is a bit crumbly, which hinders the carving process.
ESSDEE MASTERCUT and SOFTCUT BLOCKS
Both are great! MasterCut blocks are softer and suitable for water-based inks only, while SoftCut can be used for all kind of block-printing inks. First one is 4mm, the other 3mm thick, so you need to get used to carve a thinner surface. As with the Speedball ones, you just need to push the design into the fabric to print it by hand or better - roll a clean brayer over the back of it.
MILAN VINYL CARVING BLOCKS
Very good for fabric printing - smooth, soft, carve easily, print very well. Suitable for all kinds of inks, although they often leave an annoying residue on the surface that needs more cleaning that the other ones. Again - print by pressing with your hand or with a brayer.
BUDGET OPTION - PVC STRIP CURTAIN!
This is a great option for the beginners and people who are fine with carving a transparent plate. Price to quality ratio is AMAZING. I managed to buy two single strips of different thickness (3mm and 4mm if I recall) and both carve and print very well. However, I personally have trouble with carving transparent plates and I find the smell of these pvc curtains absolutely repulsive (might be just my luck tho).
OTHER CARVING/ PRINTMAKING BLOCKS
Stuff you can get from certain sites and find in different hobby sets. Usually have no info on them regarding what they're made of or what inks to use them with. It's always a hit or miss. Although I have to say that the synthetic carving blocks I got a few years ago in Stamp-making set at Flying Tiger Copehagen and similar one at Action recently were both pretty decent. They are often stinky cheap too, so worth trying!
CLASSIC LINO / HARD PVC BLOCKS
Not recommended. You can possibly get good results with classic, grey linoleum if you're presistent enough, but it doesn't have a give that the previous ones have, that is necessary to make a fine print on fabric. You'd also possibly need a press for it, to add more pressure. It's much easier with softer blocks. The hard blocks are out of the question.
RUBBER BLOCKS
Not recommended! They crumble and carve unevenly.
DIFFERENT MATERIALS
One of the best carving materials I own is some yellow lino flooring scraps sent by my dear friend! I used some of it to made these prints. Search locally for possible solutions, you never know what you'll find.
CARVING TOOLS
HANDLE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE CUTTERS - CAUTION!!!
If you're a beginner and want to buy your first carving tools, DO NOT buy these (the two sets on the picture are ones that I have myself and base this info upon). They are cheap and look handy, but! The cutters are not pre-sharpened and you will try in vain to carve anything with these straight out of the box. Sharpening the u- and v-shaped blades is a thing you might want to learn only when you commit to block printing, trust me. It's good to buy 2-3 tools that are more expensive, but ready to use.
There are many good, different brands worldwide, I encourage also to search locally!
PFEIL is a brand I can personally attest to. EXCELLENT quality.
EWA MARCINKOWSKA - for my homies from Poland! I use their tools for 20 years now, good stuff.
PROCESS
To be frank, I assume most of the people who want to try block printing on fabric, might've already tried block printing (on paper) in the past. I won't give you a step by step here. If you're a newbie though, the process of making a linocut is pretty straightforward and easy to research. Here are two videos for starters with some helpful info on the topic:
That's the gist of it. I hope at least some of this info will help you to get into fabric printing <3 Let me know if you have any questions.
ALSO - if any of you know different ink brands, materials and helpful tips for fabric printing you're willing to share, please comment on this post or reblog with sources! Thanks!!
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