Fabulous Fabrics from Saturday's workshop with Rayna Gillman

Here are some of the fabrics created in Rayna Gillman's workshop on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013.

 The two photos at right show "before" and "after" overprinting.

Workshop coordinator Arleen Kukua and EBHQ member Pat Bailey show off some fabric.

 Textured shading plates and stencils; "found" stencil; draftsman's circle templates
To use a textured plate, set it under the fabric, then use an inked brayer to roll on top of the fabric -- this will pick up the pattern in the style of a brass rubbing.

You can also use foam brushes to paint through a stencil (though it takes skill to avoid having any ink or paint get under the stencil and make the design less clear).

 Here's an inked brayer on top of fabric that has a texture plate underneath.
The center photo shows cardboard strips attached to the bottom of a silkscreen.  The last two photos show masking tape applied directly to the back of a silkscreen.

 This small hard plastic grid was a popular "stamp".  The center photo shows a rubbery grid set under fabric and used as a texture grid.  The right-hand photo shows a small roller-style stamp, which was most easily "inked" by painting it with a foam brush.  A foam dauber can also be a good tool.

 Found textures -- scotch tape roll centers, and slices of foam "noodles" -- were popular for making circles.  The center shows a commercial stencil set on the back of a silkscreen.  The right-hand photo shows results of another commercial stencil -- and you don't have to use the full square or rectangle of the stencil, you can just select PART of the stencil to ink.

 Hand-made stamps made of rubber or foam, glued to transparent plastic.  The center photo shows a stiff cardboard roll covered with various kinds of string; it's inked and rolled onto fabric to create designs.  The right-hand photo shows a stencil set on the back of a silkscreen, with the resulting fabric visible below it.

Always a good idea to wear rubber gloves when using inks.  An old credit card works fine as a squeegee for a silkscreen.  To create a waterproof work surface, cover a piece of foam core with batting, then add a pillowcase which you can remove and wash after each project.

-- Posted by Rachel Holmen