Kathy's newest creation

[Kathy]

So I did these "prayer flags" today for a friend's daughter's b-day.
They were LWI dyed then I stamped them with extra thickened black MX dye(Prochem's new black I think).
Anyways, the results were o.k. but it was slightly labor intensive i.e. cutting out the letters for the stamps(and sawing the wood blocks!), and taping down each individual square before stamping were the most tedious parts.

I zig-zag stitched the edges so it would have a frayed look but next time I think I might just use fray check to finish the edges.



Kathy

[steve]

Kathy--

Interesting post and process. Did you make a fabric paint like Elin Noble describes?

I wonder how it would work done with a brush--perhaps a Chinese caligraphy brush?

Wow! The work involved! Very cool though.

I have not used fray check. I assume you'd apply it after dyeing and washing.

Steve

[Kathy]

Hmmm...not remembering Elin's recipe off the top of my head. I just basically started off like I was whipping up a thickened stock as I would for tie-dyeing but used double the amount of alginate. So that ratio would have been 1tsp. alginate/cup chem water(my usual is 1/2 tsp/cup).

I thought about freehand writing but am not confident enough in the steadiness of my hand nor consistancy in size. Also, once I have the blocks all made out, they can be used over and over.

The Fray Check is a seam sealer of sorts. I've used it before on small pieces I have framed and wanted to keep that light weight feel to it. When I am done with everything I just "paint" it on in a very thin line along the edges.