handprinted: a fabric swap lll

 i'm trying to be disciplined and not sign up for a lot of time sapping swaps at the moment but this is one that is difficult to resist.

 handprinted:a fabric swap lll is organised by the lovely and talented leslie and she gets a whole bunch of people involved. i actually did resist last year, but apparently the same resolve couldn't be expected 2 years running.

the aim of the swap is to print an fq of fabric in any printing medium you like.

rather than just printing up one of my designs i do like to produce something original for this.

 obviously just printing up one of my designs would be a lot easier and quicker but where's the creative fun in that?!

i had been thinking about what i would do for a while.

actually translate that to "i had been thinking that i really must get on with this as the deadline is approaching.

to be honest until i sat down yesterday i really wasn't sure what i would be doing but apparently i'd be cutting stacking bowls out of a stencil and apparently i would be grabbing some designated fqs and apparently i would be printing them up in 2 colours.

this does sound like a rushed job, but i guess when inspiration arrives, you just go with it. no messing.

i hope the 4 members of my group jennifer, yasmine, ciana and ruth (it's not a secret swap, they all know) will like their pieces and i'm sitting excitedly awaiting to see what wonders i receive from them.

After the busy weekend I spent some time yesterday fulfilling my obligation to Handprinted: a fabric swap, that Leslie over at Maze & Vale had organised.

Calling it an obligation makes it sound like it was unenjoyable, which would be so untrue. It's more that I had signed up, I had committed, I had to fulfil that commitment come what may.

I had so many different ideas with what I wanted to do, but unfortunately time was not on my side. The pieces were supposed to have been mailed yesterday and actually, I'm damned pleased with myself that, only a day late, I am back from the PO having mailed them!

The 'brief' was to produce a Fat Quarter - or thereabouts - of hand printed fabric. Naturally I was planning on screen printing something, but as I said, time won on this one and I didn't manage the time in the studio.

After a failed potato printing experiment I opted for my second favourite fabric printing method - freezer paper.

With my die cut flower to hand I set to work with cutting out flowers on the freezer paper with my new Big Shot machine (more on that another day...including a fab giveaway...watch this space...)

Then it was a question of producing a piece to each of my group's preferred colours. I could have done them all the same. That would have been so much easier.

But when did 'easier' = 'more fun'?

So here we have 4 different panels heading off to Australia, Canada and the US, hopefully to be used in all sorts of crafting projects. I can see them being used as a big pillow front, or maybe cut into individual patches for embellishing.

Who knows? But it's going to be fun waiting to see ;-)

Check out what everyone else has been up to here.

I have just signed up for yet another swap.

It will be the last one this year and if you even vaguely see me hesitating around a sign up for another, you have permission to shoot me.

But this one I couldn't resist...it's a handprinted fabric swap for goodness sake!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of 'meeting' Nic, when she kindly left a message on my blog and in turn she introduced me to Leslie who is running this swap and she thought I may be a tad interested.

How right was she??

Whilst I promised myself, after signing up for this swap recently when really I shouldn't have (I know...I have ZERO will-power), I wouldn't sign up to any more this year - I have work to do for goodness sake - I really couldn't resist this one. Consequently I am very excited about it.

Now then , lovely readers, sign-ups are open until this Friday (21st) so if, like me, you have zero will-power and think it would be fun, do pop along here and sign up too. It's really going to be such fun. And if you don't think hand printing fabrics is your thing - too technical, don't have the right equipment - my mosaic here includes some fantastic fabrics printed with nothing more than a potato.

Yes, p-o-t-a-t-o, I tell ya!

1. block printing on fabric, 2. Wiksten Dress from Wiksten Tank + Dress Pattern, 3. 200/365, 4. Screen Printed Cotton