More Stencilling!

There are certain names that I regularly return to in this blog. One of them is Melanie Testa, as you know if you've read my blog lately. Another name is Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin.

As soon as I finished my pretty purses I turned to another couple of projects that have been on my to-do list for a while. A couple of years ago I made myself a bandana according to the instructions in Chanin's book Alabama Stitch Book, but I've wanted to make myself a proper garment too. While I've been biding my time and soaking up knowledge, I've bought all three of her books, and have a whole Alabama Chanin library by now. I love all her books, and in the last one you get full-sized patterns for an Alabama Chanin wardrobe, along with instuctions, tips and inspiration. So the time is ripe to get started. I've also found it hard to just sit and watch while my friend Cheryl Razmus is whipping up garment after garment. Have a look at her gorgeous creations on Flickr.

I decided to start small and make a simple bucket hat and fitted top to try out the patterns before I embark on anything more complicated and time-consuming. So I dug out the good old 'Bloomers' stencil I used before for my bandana, and used it to print on the fabric for the hat

and for spray painting on the fabric for the fitted top.

The spray painting technique is what Chanin calls 'faded leaves' and the effect is created by spraying thinned paint onto wet fabric for a watercolour look. My paint didn't run as much as I expected, probably because the paint wasn't thin enough, or the fabric wet enough, but I'm pretty pleased anyway. I'll go for a runnier look next time. The main thing now is that I get an interesting fabric for trying out the pattern. I want to be sure of the fit before I invest all that effort into a more elaborate garment.

I'd just got rid of old, flaking nail polish when I got this new manicure. Oh well.

I didn't want to waste the paint that collected on top of the stencil so I flipped the stencil onto a piece of cotton and got this interesting texture.

I'm really exited about a new discovery I've made in the field of textile paint. Well, to be honest, I've known about these products for a long time, I just wasn't ready for them before now. I've mentioned the Finnish brand Emo Tuotanto's fibre reactive dyes before on this blog, but now I've also tried their mediums for printing on fabric. They have a thicker medium that is used for printing and a runnier medium that can be used for sun printing or spraying. The great thing about these mediums is that they come clear and you add the pigment yourself. So you can mix any colour you like in any consistency. I love it! Why haven't I used them before? (They also carry ready-mixed paints, which I have used until now.)

Liquid medium and print paste, along with liquid pigments to add to the mediums.

I realise that it might be difficult for my international readers to get hold of these products, but perhaps your own national brand carries something similar? Have a look around next time you are looking for textile paint! It's great fun to have the freedom to mix your own colours.

Thanks for visiting! To be continued... - Annika

Market Bag Finished

How satisfying it is to get things finished! After I'd had my breakfast this morning, I had the option of cleaning the bathroom or finishing the Alabama Chanin market bag I've been working on. Naturally, I chose the bag. Every seam in this tote is hand stitched, and I've made it in a raw-edge patchwork technique. I've only used old cotton t-shirts (5 long-sleeved ones were required), so it was a great way to reuse fabric that otherwise would have ended up in the bin. After I discovered Natalie Chanin's books I can never throw away old t-shirts again. Every patch (8 in all) is slightly different from the other ones, so I'll show you both sides of the bag. The directions for the basic bag type can be found in Alabama Studio Style, on page 107.

Side 1

Side 2:

 And a detail shot:

And now there's no getting away from what's next. I've had my fun. Now it's time to roll up the sleeves and do some housework. After that, however, it's back to fun and games again!

Have a great weekend! - Annika

Signals and birds

This week I’ve been working out of office and away from home, so my routines, activities and projects have been a little different. I miss my sewing machine and all the art and craft supplies I have at home, but I have by no means been idle. I tried to pack my bag cleverly, and I'm very pleased that, with less competing projects around, I've actually managed to work more in my Thailand journal. This is a detail from a page I made about hand signals used by divers to communicate under water. Head over to Flickr if you want to see more.

Another project that was suitable for taking with me was the slipover I started knitting a few weeks ago. By now I've finished the back piece. The yarn's a bit chunkier, so the work progresses nicely.

I wish I had cable needles, as that would make it easier to knit on the train journey home tomorrow. I wouldn’t want to poke my seat neighbour with the long needles, so I’ll just leave the knitting in my suitcase. To amuse myself, I’m probably going to continue on a small Christmas cross-stitch kit that I found among my UFOs. I didn’t have any suitable project to bring on the train this time, so although a cross-stitch kit isn’t my number one choice, I’d rather sew mistletoe and holly than stare out of a train window for four and a half hours. I tried journalling before, but didn’t feel comfortable drawing with a stranger sitting next to me. Mind you, with a Christmas cross-stitch kit around Easter, the embarrassment factor is just a question of degree…

Today I'd like to share a project with you. I've mentioned before that I sent one of my finished projects to a special person, who's going through some difficult times. She’s a great source of inspiration to me, and I wanted to show her my support and appreciation. By now the bandana I sent her has arrived, so I’m going to share some images of it with you. I made it following Natalie Chanin's directions in the Alabama Stitch Book, but with my own bird design. I really like Natalie’s techniques and would love to try making a bigger project, like a tank top or skirt covered in appliqué. But that’s for later. For now, I’m warming up with bandanas. I made one for myself too last summer, and found it very useful, so I’m probably going to make more of them in different colour schemes and patterns. Perhaps I’ll start one for my next train journey.