Poppies for Sale!

A long while ago (in grad school!) I printed yards and yards of these poppies for a bigger project.   I've been carrying all of it and the screen I printed it with around ever since.

 

In a New Year effort to get rid of a lot of excess stuff (for a laugh, see previous post), I cut it up and packed it up with a lot of other printed and vintage fabric scraps and listed all of it over in the shop. Each set includes a big piece of the poppies, printed on cotton flannel, as well as lots of other goodies.   They're all packed up with pink ribbons and heart shaped tags for Valentine's Day.

Dish towels

Because she knows I love pickles and old dish towels, my friend Rachel brought me back this towel from the Brimfield market for my birthday.   Not only do I love both of those things, but I also love red gingham, and I happen to also really love those canisters (which she knew).  Check out the detail of this print, made a few years ago, that includes the very same pattern, printed here in black textile ink on hand dyed cotton.  It sure makes me miss printing. 

Studio Clean-Up & Stoop Sale

I spent the better part of the weekend cleaning out the studio.  It felt good to uncover things that I had given up on ever finding and to sort through heaps and turn them into better organized piles.  All the pencils are with the pencils, and all the pens have found their way back to the pens.  The reds are together again, and so are all the greens.    One of the reasons I wanted to clean up was to make way for a desk space.  I turned one of my racks into the perfect spot for my laptop.  I cut a premade countertop into the perfect workstation using my scroll saw, attached it with clamps and viola!  A fourth work station dedicated to my computer in the studio.

 

 Rearranging always makes me feel brand new, like I've magically moved into a new home.  I love it.  After the desktop was in place, I spent yesterday afternoon tackling a huge basket of fabric that I hadn't sorted through since September.  Which means, if you're paying attention, that it was packed and moved across the country as a total mess.  Whoops.  HOWEVER, it is now organized! There was lots to throw out, but there was also lots that I can't hold onto but is too good to throw out.  So, in the spirit of Brooklyn, I'm hosting an online stoop sale to get rid of it all and share the love.

Photographed on a real Brooklyn stoop!

There are eight bundles of fabric, roughly organized by color and or pattern, including hand printed and dyed cloth, new and vintage commercial fabrics,  embroidery, misprinted samplers, and more surprises.  All the pieces included in the stoop sale bundles are big enough for projects, and perfect for adding a fun burst of handmade color to your summer.

Each bundle comes wrapped up in a small flat rate envelope, packed to the brim with goodness.  You won't be disappointed!  Check out the dropcloth facebook page for more pictures of the stoop sale goodies, or to buy one, head on over to the shop.

Mera Mistry- Sunny Days!

While my work is primarily drawn and embroidered, for seven years a big part of my job in Chicago was teaching screen-printing.  While those prints rarely make it into my artwork, I've got to say that I really miss the printing process.  For me, printing is a lot like drawing- it feels loose and free and fast in a way that embroidery never can.  As much as I try to convey a sense of immediacy in my stitched pieces, they are slow going.  I sometimes miss printing and being able to assemble a composition within a few minutes or hours.

All this has been on my mind this week since I got an e-mail from a friend and former student Mera Mistry about her new etsy shop.   These bold, geometric, effortless patterns really brightened my grey winter day.  

Each towel is printed seamlessly with an all over pattern using professional grade thickened textile dyes, as well as liquid dyes to create beautiful layers of color.   Her bright, sunny palette is so great right now- a blast of sunshine for the February doldrums.   I hope you'll stop by her shop and look at her other stuff- Hooray for Mera!

Faster!

Last Sunday  I taught an afternoon workshop on Printing with Thickened Dyes at a local art center.  I had a great group of students- they were not shy in any way and jumped right into the layering process like old pros, even though only one of them had ever screen-printed before.  Since then,  I have really been enjoying pouring over the photos that I snapped.  In my embroidered works, I work to create dense layers of imagery and texture, and in screen-printing I  do the same thing.  While I don't often think of my screen-prints as finished pieces, I love the opportunity to work really quickly.   I am certainly a candidate for president of the Society for People who Love Tedious and Monotonous Tasks,  but it sure feels good to mix it up every now and then and make some quick marks.  Check out these prints (the first and last are my own, and the middle prints are student work).

A New Sampler, and a Winner!

Well folks, after an evening spent screen-printing, I am pleased to announce that the new sampler has arrived!   The new image, inspired by vintage cake decorations, is printed on 100% cotton with a cantaloupe colored textile ink, and comes with a stitch suggestion sheet.  Of course, feel free to go off the map and invent your own stitches.  I love an improviser.

It is literally hot of the presses this morning (and boy is it hot here in Chicago!)   The new samplers are freshly ironed and ready to go out to a mailbox near you.  It's so new that I haven't had a chance to stitch up the sample yet, but fear not!  A new  image of a work in progress will be coming your way this week.

 And now, we have a winner!  For posting an image of work in progress on the first sampler,  and having his/her sampler chosen at random S Hart 1 will receive a free copy of the new cake sampler.  Please send me your mailing address within 24 hours, S Hart 1!  Congratulations!

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed.  Stay tuned to the blog this week for more images and another giveaway.....and if you can't wait to try your luck, the samplers are now available on etsy.    Since next Monday is Labor Day, I'll be doing two mailings this week, on Tuesday and Thursday.