Printing on Fabric with Natural Materials starts now!

Does surface design summer camp sound like fun to you? Then join me in my online course Printing on Fabric with Natural Materials on Craft University! Registration is open through August 29.

The supplies needed are simple to find, non-toxic, and mostly inexpensive - and you'll be creating unique and interesting fabrics with everyday materials like artichokes, onions, ferns, lace, even fish!

Treat yourself, sign up with a friend, and work through the lessons. I'll be standing by to answer questions, lend encouragement, and dish even more tips and tricks.

Use coupon code PRINT20 for a 20% discount on the price of the class. See you at camp!

Printing on Fabric with Natural Materials - online course!

Back at the beginning of May I took a trip out to the Denver area and recorded an online video workshop for Craft University called Printing on Fabric with Natural Materials. Working with the team there was a blast and I'm so proud of the content of this workshop.

In the workshop I teach you all about how to sun print with acrylic paints and inks, how to direct print leaves, fruits, and veggies, how to print 3D objects like seashells and bumpy leaves, how to print fish, and even how to print your own photos with UV reactive dyes.

The team put together a preview of the workshop and you can watch it here:

Printing on Fabric with Natural Materials starts on July 25 and runs through Sept 5, but you own it forever, in case your summer gets busy. But! If you want to play along in real time, I'll be around to cheerlead, answer questions and troubleshoot, and share some more fun tips, tricks, and resources. You all are encouraged to post photos from the lessons and ask as many questions as your heart desires. I'll be right there guiding you!

You can use coupon code PRINT20 to save 20% on the course, and I'll be giving away a free gyotaku rubber fish for printing on Facebook and Instagram, so make sure you friend and follow me there too!

Summer is the best time to Nature Print - head out into the backyard to gather some supplies and then come join me in class!

Tiny Beetles

Now that I've shown you my giant beetles, I'd like to show you some tiny beetles. Each of these beetles is 1.5" square and framed in a 4" square frame with a custom-cut mat.

A few of these tiny beetles have copper tape wrapped around one edge, all have stamps or "chops" on them, as well as a design stamped from a bit of metal screening material and acrylic paint, for texture. 

Each is $25 framed and an additional $5 shipping but I'm offering free shipping through the end of the year, so if one of these tiny beetles needs to live at your house, don't wait!

Swarm - new art cloth

Sorry about missing the last couple of days of blogging, there was nothing blog-worthy going on over here! Today I hung up a new piece, Swarm, outside my studio. It just returned from a show at the View Art Center in Old Forge NY.

The piece is art cloth (no batting or backing) that started as plain white heavy cotton. First I painted it with a diluted acrylic ink wash. Second I blockprinted with a mustard acrylic paint a series of geometric blocks that I'd made previously. Next I screen-printed a swarm of beetles with a thermofax screen and an opaque navy acrylic paint And finally I added some hand stitching with coral linen floss. It's 18" x 36" overall.

I've been on a beetle kick for a number of years now. I find their forms so intriguing, and they've come to symbolize how I feel about climate change. Beetles are at once formidable and fragile, much like the earth herself.

Tomorrow I'll show you my recent gigantic beetle piece - each beetle is over two feet long!

Lyric Kinard's new Thermofax 101 DVD + a Giveaway

Have you ever printed with a Thermofax screen? Have you wondered what all the hype among fiber artists is for these printing goodies? My friend Lyric Kinard comes to your rescue with her new one-hour DVD called Thermofax 101. I've had the pleasure of working with Lyric in the past and I can tell you that she is an excellent and patient teacher. She explains things in a very approachable way and this DVD is the next best thing to having her at your elbow while you learn how easy it is to screen print on fabric with a Thermofax screen.

Lyric walks you through the fundamentals of designing imagery for your own screen, getting one created (she lists sources - it's so affordable!), the supplies you'll need, and how to print on fabric. You'll be amazed at how much fun it is and how quickly you can print unique, original fabric, in just the colors and patterns that you want.

This is a bee that I printed with a Thermofax screen! So fun!!

To celebrate the release of her new DVD, Lyric is giving away copies at each stop on the blog hop (the complete list is below - enter at each stop for the most chances to win). 

Leave a comment here before midnight on Monday, May 11 and tell me what is your favorite imagery to print - mine is insects (quelle surprise!) And remember to add your email address so I can contact you if you win - Lyric is shipping prizes to international readers too, so c'mon Aussie friends! Enter here and at each stop on the blog hop, there are 17 chances to win!

This blog tour is chock-a-block full of so many fabulous fiber artists and I just noticed that my friend Judy Gula is one of them. Judy and I will both be teaching in a few weeks at the Quilters Unlimited show, the biggest and best show in the DC area. You can see a complete list of the classes that I'm teaching on the QU website. 

Here are all the fun stops on the Thermofax 101 Blog Hop:

April 24 Cheryl Rezendez  

April 25  Leslie Tucker Jenison   

April 28  Sue Bleiweiss  

April 30  Judy Gula  

May 1  Susan Price & Elizabeth Gibson  

May 2  Judy Coates Perez  

May 4  Linda Stokes  

May 5  Jane Davila  (You're here now!)

May 6 Melanie Testa 

May 7  Liz Kettle  

May 8  Carol Sloan  

May 9  Kathy York  

May 11  Susan Brubaker Knapp  

May 12  Desiree Habicht  

May 13  Jamie Fingal 

May 14  Deborah Boschert  

May 15  Sarah Ann Smith  

New Classes for Spring!

I'm SO excited to release a new class schedule for spring! I have new classes, including one with my friend Susan Murray of Finished with Style, who has a studio across the hall from me at the NEST Arts Factory. She does some wicked cool decorative finishing techniques that look spectacular on fabric (or paper!) with materials that fabric surface designers don't usually use. New toys and new tools to play with!

You can find more details and sign up for the workshops on my workshop page here. Class sizes are limited so you'll want to hurry to save your spot!

There are several printing workshops - Simple Screen Printing and Four-Color Block Printing, plus an in-depth Intro to Image Transfers. If class is being held on a day that isn't convenient for you, think about setting up a custom class. With a minimum of 4 students, I can arrange a workshop on a day that you're available, so find a group of friends and have a fabulous day of art, creativity, and learning.

Fun with Carrots + a Giveaway!

A few weeks back I reviewed a new book by Julie Booth, Fabric Printing at Home. Today I am back with a fun project from the book and a chance for you to win a copy of Fabric Printing at Home.

On page 53 I found an intriguing idea called Carrots Three Ways. I grabbed a carrot from the fridge, gathered some supplies, and got to work on one of the techniques.

For this project you need a firm carrot (preferably one that's got a section with an even diameter), a knife, and corn cob holders or bamboo skewers. Then you'll need some paint and a dauber or foam brush, and a surface to print on (fabric or paper).

Cut a section of the carrot that's as even in diameter as possible. This will result in a more even print. Eat the ends of the carrot or feed them to your bunny or guinea pig (optional).

Using the knife, cut designs into the carrot. The designs can be complicated or simple, regular or irregular. Have fun experimenting with this part! The cuts don't need to be very deep but leave a little bit of room between cuts for stability. Julie recommends peeling the carrot first for a smoother surface but I forgot that step in my excitement.

Insert the corn cob holders or pieces of bamboo skewers in the ends of the carrot to act as handles.

Dab on some paint and roll the carrot onto fabric or paper. It helps to have a cushy surface to print on, and it helps to print the first inking onto a scrap to test the amount of paint you've applied and to "prime" the surface of the carrot.

Fun with veggies! This has definite possibilities and I can't wait to try a whole bag of carrots with different designs cut into each one. Before I get started though I think I need to find the vegetable peeler and the corn cob holders…

There are SO many cool ideas just like this in Fabric Printing at Home! If you would like to win your own copy, please leave a comment below by the end of the day on Friday, February 13. Make sure to include your email address so I can contact you for your mailing address.

The blog tour continues tomorrow on Carol Eaton's blog, and the full schedule is below. There are 14 (fourteen!) chances to win a copy of Julie's lovely book, one at each blog stop on the tour. Julie has wonderful tutorials and additional giveaways on her blog each day of the tour, so don't forget to head over there every day.

February 2: Lisa Chin

February 3: Lynn Krawczyk

February 4: Jane Davila

February 5: Carol R. Eaton

February 6: Judy Gula

February 7: Susan Purney Mark

February 8: Teri Lucas

February 9: Jennifer Coyne Qudeen

February 10: Deborah Boschert

February 11: Lynda Heines

February 12: Cheryl Sleboda

February 13: Terri Stegmiller

February 14: Jackie Lams