Have you noticed with this project how we’re working with one shape but exploring it in different techniques? That’s something we love to do all the time and is a great way to bring variety to a piece of work without the project becoming too busy. Our final technique to complete the surface design is print.
Technique Two – Print
Using the template shape that you used for the applique, make a print block. This could be cut from funky foam, polystyrene food packaging, compressed sponge, or whatever your favourite print block material is.
Linda’s chosen to use funky foam to print her diamonds. The shape is quite small and tricky to handle so she’s made a little handle from some folded paper and glued it to the back of the foam. This’ll make it much easier to pick it up and dab it into the paint and then press onto the fabric.
We’re going to print shapes into the remaining space on the bookwrap. Think about how you’re going to place the prints and perhaps practise a few on some spare fabric to get a feel for how much paint and pressure you need to achieve a good print.
You can see Linda’s practise sample below. Notice how she hasn’t applied a lot of paint – if you overload your print bock you’ll get a splurgy shape. Less is more with this! If the colour of the fabric shows through your print that can look very attractive. But experiment and get a feel for the type of print and amount of paint that pleases you. You might aim to have some more solidly printed shapes in one area and some more delicate, fainter prints elsewhere.
You can use fabric paint or acrylic paint for this, either will work just fine. Don’t forget about your chosen colour palette and if you need to, mix the paints to achieve the right colours.
Have a close look at the photo above, can you see how you can use the printed shapes to fill in amongst the appliqué ones? You can use your printing to visually connect your pieced area to the appliqué shapes or to extend the ‘drift’ of shapes across your bookwrap.
Allow the paint to dry and fix if required (it’ll say on the product label or manufacturer’s website).
That’s it! We hope your bookwrap is already looking great, but it’ll start looking really fantastic with the addition of stitch. We’ll be back next time with Two Stitches.
Love
Linda and Laura
