Still Ironing but Including Play Time

I have still be ironing and ironing yards of dyed fabric.

However, I have wanted to try Rayna Gillman's soy wax batik. I had talked with her before and thought I knew what I needed to know but last night I decided I still had a couple of questions about her process. So I emailed her a long list of questions. Then she emailed back and asked for my phone number and called. We talked for a long time...she was still up late at night. So we discussed the topics on the Quilt Art list, what we were doing, what we were each writing, etc and also all about soy wax batik. Now, another friend, Gerrie Congdon, had taken Rayna's class this spring at Art Quilt Claremont and has been posting what she has been doing. I was taking Joan Schulze's class.

Well, Rayna and I got everything all ironed out (oh, that was bad) and this morning I went off to my studio with small pieces of silk and cotton that I had done monoprinting on in Joan's class. Heated up my soy wax in an old crock pot sort of thing and covered my surface with newspaper and had a grand ole time dunking various things in to the hot wax and then stamping my fabrics. At this time I was just playing with fabrics that I had monoprinted with paints rather than dyes.

So, here is a piece that I had monoprinted, then stamped with the neato test tube holder thingie and then over painted.

This is a detail which you can make larger. It is really neat the way the monoprint still shows but then takes on another look with the resist and over painting.


This piece is silk which was monoprinted with black which left lots of white areas. I stamped on it with another great thingie and then over painted with a blue. We have a recycle depot near by which has all sorts of wonderful things. Next time I go I will have to take pictures of some of the stuff....all sorts of papers, old calendars, unused cards from businesses, toilet paper roles, egg cartons, anything that can be recycled. There are lots of little bottles one inch high from some science place and test tube holders etc. Just too much fun!

And this is another black monoprinted which has been over painted.

At the studio I couldn't stand it and ironed out a lot of the wax but came home and washed them in hot water. There are about 20 pieces, some of which have come out better than others. But the really fun part of surface design is that I am not finished until I decide I am. These will probably get over painted again, and then stamped several times before I decide I am done. And then I get to figure out what to do with them but to let you in on a secret, I already have some ideas for collaging them.

I also waxed a couple of yards of over dyed cotton and will do some more on Monday and then start dye painting them. This is too much fun!