Flour Paste Resists

It is always fun to create new samples for workshops and this week I am working on some samples of flour resist fabrics.  This is one of the techniques that I will be teaching at Sorrento Centre later in April.

The first step is to mix up the flour and water paste and apply it to the fabric. It will need to dry for a day (maybe more, if it is humid).

I will show you the next step in a day or two . . .

Upcoming workshop ... spaces still open

I will be teaching a fun five-day workshop at Sorrento Centre in April and there is still time to sign up . . . 

Painting Fabric Painting Quilts: Exploring Textile Paints on Fabric

Quilt Week 2016 – Sorrento Centre
Friday, April 22 to Thursday, April 28

This is a relaxing workshop in which you will explore a variety of  techniques for transforming fabric with textile paints and Derwent Inktense pencils and blocks. Textile paints can transform a finished quilt or be used to create unique painted fabric.  Use techniques including sun printing, monoprinting, salt, resists, shibori designs, textile paints and Shiva Paintstiks to kick your quilts up a notch. Create a painted tablerunner. Make unique coordinating fibre art beads. Explore eco printing on fabric with leaves we gather from the garden. This will be a relaxing experimental five-day workshop to discover aspects of painted surface design with me as I delight in unlocking the artist in you! No experience needed.  Come play with us!

Studio paints and supplies will be provided for a lab fee of $25. PFD (prepared for dyeing) fabric can be purchased from me at the workshop.

Check out Sorrento Centre's website for costs, which can be tailored to your needs ... from full accommodation and meals to simply the workshop as a day student.  

Painting Fabric Painting Quilts:
Exploring Textile Paints on Fabric
with Kathy Kinsella

Textile paints can transform a finished quilt or be used to create unique painted fabric. Explore the possibilities of a variety of textile media.
Use techniques including sun printing, monoprinting, salt, resists, shibori designs, textile paints and Shiva Paintstiks to kick your quilts up a notch. Create a painted tablerunner. Make unique coordinating fibre art beads. Explore eco printing on fabric with leaves we gather from the garden.
This will be a relaxing experimental five-day workshop to discover aspects of painted surface design with Kathy who delights in unlocking the artist in you! No experience needed. Come play with us!
Studio paints and supplies will be provided for a lab fee of $25.
- See more at: http://sorrento-centre.bc.ca/2016-0422-quilt-week.html#sthash.RSs5hvhT.dpuf

Freshly painted fireplace

After mentioning in a previous post that I was going to paint our fireplace brick, I have had a few people asking if it is finished ... well, finally, it IS finished!

The original brick was that gold colour, popular in the seventies ... the colour never appealed to me but it took a lo-o-o-ong while before I could convince hubby that we could paint it.  Having had differing advice on what colour it should be, I went with my gut feeling which was to paint it the same colour as the trim in the house (Benjam Moore's Cloud White). Our great room faces north and, in spite of lots of huge windows, I wanted to lighten it up as much as I could.  Who knows if it will remain white but, for now, I love it and it provides a great backdrop for my circle of salmon art quilt! I also found a great deal on the small seagrass baskets that are nestled under the hearth ... a great place to store guitar tuners and picks as well as knitting projects or out of season mitts and hats.

Rusted Fish after tea-dyeing

My nice rusted fish has had a bit of a bath ... in tea ... and is now layerd and basted for quilting.

The whiteness of the fabric above the fish was just TOO white for me and dunking it briefly in tea has greyed the rusty colours a bit and has given the background a touch of lavender-grey. The lighter rusty areas around the fish image have become quite grey and looks like a shadow ... I quite like the effect!

Now to decide just how I am going to stitch it!  The fish is 24" x 12" so this will take a while to accomplish all the hand work that I am considering for it.

Rusted Fish

I have been pondering the idea of creating a rusted fish art quilt for some time and I leapt into it last night after removing everything from my living room fireplace in preparation for painting the brick.

The fish is one that I picked up at a market in Campbell River, BC, some years ago. It has been cut from rusty corrugated iron and it really appeals to me.

What I did was place the rusty fish on a piece of plastic then place the cotton fabric (already dampened with diluted vinegar) loosely on top. I made sure the fabric was making contact with the fish and then covered it with plastic to keep it damp and left it.  I thought it would take a week or two to get the image but today I discovered it was already very rusted  so I am now drying the fabric (while I make another imprint on the other end of the cotton) in preparation for the next step . . . and I'm not yet sure what that will be.  I'll let you know later!

PS ... I hope to remember to stay on-track with the fireplace painting, too!