Thanks, Mishoga. Thanks for your kind words! Just keep working... I love the pieces you have posted, especially the brown yoga set!
This printing process was pretty easy compared to 'professional' techniques. I got stretcher bars from the local craft store which are normally used for stretching artist's canvas. I got some nylon curtain sheer material large enough to staple onto one side of the assembled stretchers. I stapled the fabric on in a way to make it taut, but not excessively so. I used Duck tape to tape over the stapled frame, then created a 'well' with duct tape on both sides of the sheer around the inside. Here are some pictures of the screen:
This view is from the top, the side that I will screen the gel through
This is the bottom, the side that covers the fabric
This is the squeegee I used to apply the gel
After 'preparing' the screen, I used a sharpie pen to trace the design onto the sheer. Then, I painted around the design and filled in the background with acrylic house paint, applying the paint from the side where I will be screening, then propped up the screen on some pieces of 1" by 1" wood to allow it to dry. The finished screen has openings where I will apply the bleach gel, and is solid to block the gel everywhere else. I pinned my pre-dyed fabric on a padded board, stretching it slightly to make the surface smooth. I placed the screen on the fabric. Then I poured a small line of gelin the 'well' of one end of the screen. Then, using a squeegee (not the window washing type, the screen-printing type), I spread the gel over the screen firmly from one end to another. When I got to the other end, I used the squeegee to 'scoop' up the gel, brought it back to the original end, and swiped twice more. Note: If you didn't put enough gel on the first swipe, it's okay to add more to the well. When I got done, I set the squeegee aside and carefully separated the screen from the fabric. I then repeated the process for the other images. Afterward, I gently washed off and dried the screen to remove the gel remaining, and also cleaned the squeegee gently as well. I hung the fabric to dry, then washed the piece to remove the gel.
This is soooo much neater than trying to use the chemicals normally used in screen-printing. I don't plan to print large quantities, so the screen should last a long time. Hope this helps!
Judy
