Under the Machine

Plant the seeds, Pick the Weeds is under the longarm now. Trying to finish to get to the next piece. I love most following the design I've printed. No roadmap needed, no pattern used.
 

The Family Gathers

I've started to cut into the fabrics, and slowly get this group to make sense. I am using a group of fabrics that speak to both commonalities and contrasts among them. Nothing too subtle for this composition. So far, I think it'll work.
 

Full Moon Wolfing In

Work on the longarm continues. I stop to remember that tonight is a full moon, one called the Wolf Moon. We've snow here, more expected. Can't think the moon will be seen, better to look at what is under my needle.
 

Under the Influence

I've asked the folks in my Printing Under the Influence class to take a snap of the "in progress" print, and one finished and washed. These are mine which started out as demos -- one of my favorite ways to loosen up and work without too much thinking. Top is the start, bottom the finish.
 

Refresh Your Memory

In October I printed these as demo pieces while I was live but remote from Portland. They got shipped home, but then haunted my design wall. So, today I cut into them. I'll let you know how it's going. Good thing my roll of wool batting arrived. Love to get this quilted up.
 

Is It Just Silkscreen?

At 43" square, this whole cloth is printed mainly in silkscreen images. But underlaying is monoprint and scraping. Texture from the quilting helps the areas surrounding the frenzy to be not so plain. It's faced, sleeved, hanging. Next!

The Lineup Waits

That whole cloth waits for its sleeve, and there is another couple of compositions cooking on the wall as well. But I'll need that space for a workshop tomorrow, so I better get a record of that,  store it away for a bit, and get the decks clear.
 

Half Baked

You've got to start somewhere, so I choose a recent graphic. I'll let this sit for a day or so, then add more. Sometimes it's best to let it simmer on the back burner. Meanwhile, I'm to find some different motifs to add and some to conflict. 
 

Smear Test

I'll start a five day class (held over two weeks) Printing Under the Influence. Since I'm using dye that was made a days ago, I'll scrape these on a yard to test the color strength. An easy way to see what is working before I make a dozen prints. I'll wash out in the morn and go from there.
 

How I Keep It Together

You see my new countertop with a generous peninsula. It's where I sew the facings. And I grab a kitchen tray to keep all the junk together to slide around. Even the tv remote rides there. My sewing kit is an old Tupperware style container. Had to be near what little daylight we get.
 

Back to the Longarm

It's a good day when the longarm starts humming. I've another whole cloth print on the machine which has a lock for the horizontal and vertical. Helps me to line up the top, which "floats" on the surface till I sew it to the batting and backing sandwich. Certainly makes quick work, no basting!