I took another online class, screen printing with thickened dyes from the lovely Pat Pauly. She is offering several such classes online in the coming year. I recommend them. They are labor intensive but really fun and very professionally done.
I wanted to try the Wiksten Haori pattern so I purchased a huge painter's drop cloth from OSH (Outdoor Supply Hardware here in California). It had a lovely hand, loosely woven, it was a runner of about 20'x3' and cost only $18. I washed it in Synthrapol which made it even softer.
I traced the pattern pieces with a Sharpie, giving myself some extra room in all directions in case of shrinkage. Next time, I'll cut it out, it will save space on the worktable. I serge all of the edges carefully to avoid fraying during wash out.
I scraped grey over the entire piece of cloth in an uneven design...after all, I don't want it to look like I bought a piece of grey cloth to screen onto!
I used several screens of my own making. And some hand scribbling with a squirt bottle.
I really like the pattern. It's extremely roomy tho so be careful. I cut a medium and I think I could go down to a small on everything but the sleeves next time.
This garment looks and feels like it's been worn by someone at work for a few decades, which I love. The minute I threw it on it felt like a favorite old garment; soft and comfortable.
For the lining I used a heavy cheesecloth, or really shear muslin, not sure which since I've had it in my stash for years. I printed it with an old silk screen I created years ago. The weight works really well next to the drop cloth fabric.
One huge plus about this pattern is that it's almost zero waste, something surface design folks look for. Who wants to cut away so much of your hand printed fabric?
My next post will be another use of the cloth I made in the class. This time I'm trying several different pieces in one garment. Watch out...might want to put on sunglasses before you open the next post...just saying...
