Our long awaited for Fiber Junkies 3 day retreat has concluded.....and it will certainly be one of the highlights of all our fun times together. We'd been planning to it for the longest time.
The members of this small group are all extremely talented and generous with their knowledge, time, and materials. We are fortunate to have one member who has a fantastic huge studio...complete with the ability to house 6 friends. Believe me when I tell you....this was heaven.
Member Judy Simmons has been marbling fabric for years. In fact, she authored a book on the subject! She did an excellent job of patiently guiding us through the process.
Here's an overview of what's involved....and believe me it is a process....time consuming, involved, but pulling out each print from the solution is like opening a new present. If this peaks your interest, Dharma has a good tutorial here with detailed instructions.
We began by preparing our print solution which is held in a large tray. Each of us had their own tray.....a luxury you can't imagine! With the aid of eye drops and other tools, paint is dropped on the solution and because of its chemical makeup.....the paint floats (like oil on water) The paint droplettes expand......
......and more colors are added....each magically expanding. You truly can't believe what your eyes are seeing as the designs develop. When satisfied with the color composition....you begin to mix them by running a variety of 'rakes' vertically....... ........ and horizontally through the mixture.
It's often difficult to know when to stop, as each 'pull' creates new and wonderous designs, depending upon the shape of the rake. Then it's time to 'print' the fabric which has been prepared by soaking in alum and dried ahead of time. This view shows a piece of mercerized cotton fabric floating on the dyes. Even from the wrong side you can see that the paint has been absorbed by the fabric.The fabric is removed, excess solution drawn out by running one's fingers down the length of the piece. We stored our prints in buckets of water....and when we got about a dozen completed, we transferred them to drying racks outside.
This is a very adventurous group of fiber artists, therefore a wide range of fabric was used....just to see 'what if'. I'll share more tomorrow.... I'm one pooped chick and it's time for bed.
