Today I have been making all the side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner, but… yesterday I worked in The Loft Studio creating the screens that I will need to screen print the leaves and flowers on the poinsettia hanging. It is a wonderfully easy process gleaned from Art Cloth by Jane Dunnewold. The supplies are pretty simple. Gather up:
Supplies: 2 yards polyester organza (any color, so buy what’s on sale); latex wall paint (leftovers are great); acrylic varnish (optional); broad brush-1″ or wider, angled edge brush, firm pointed brush; variety of embroidery/quilting hoops
Procedure:
1. Place a piece of organza over the bottom of a hoop and apply the upper hoop to make it taut; tighten screw and continue to tighten organza as needed.
2. Trace around the leaves and blossoms with a sharpie pen – any color; work from the “high side” of the hoop. After painting the shape, the printing is from the reverse or “flat side”, so if necessary reverse the shape, especially with lettering.
3. Paint over the lines so you have the shape outlined, using the pointed brush or flat angled edger; then fill in the rest of the space around the outside of the leaf or blossom shape. Do not worry if there are gaps that do not fully cover. You will need to let one coat dry and then do a second coat or you will get globs of paint on the bottom side from applying more paint than the organza can hold. Complete enough coats to totally cover the organza outside of the shape. Dry with a fan or hair dryer between coats, or allow to dry naturally and work on another shape if you have enough hoops. I like to add a final coat of acrylic varnish to the dry paint… but not inside the shapes. During the next step your paint needs to penetrate through the organza in those areas.
4. You want to fully cover the negative space, really just as insurance. It gives you space around the shape for “error” droplets, and splashes/smudges will not show through on the fabric receiving the screen print. If you want the “noise” of some areas coming through, you don’t have to be as thorough in your covering of the negative space.
Now I am ready for the next step…. printing the leaves unto fusible interfacing. We’ll see how that goes and I will report back after Thanksgiving. Hope yours is a happy day, celebrated in a fashion you enjoy!
Narrative Textile Illustrations 
Good Morning Mary , Al sent me your blog, very nice and very interesting. Your projects are beautiful, hope to see them when we visit next time. They are beautiful!!!!! My focus at this point of time is hardanger. Sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I look forward to more blogs, and thank you for a wonderful afternoon and a chance for Norman and Al to catch up on family.
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I have never tried hardanger, but I know it is lovely. The Loft Studio where I work on my projects is at the top of the stairway. It probably was a mess, so I didn’t take you up to see it. Next time you visit, perhaps? Thanks for visiting my blog!
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We know that you and your family will certainly enjoy all the delicious foods that will “adorn” your holiday table. Looks like there’s nothing like food to bring the family together and what a wonderful menu you will all be enjoying. Of course it would all be in vain if Norm did not POUR THE WINE! Bravo to him and Eric and Andrea for their participation.
Wishing you all a very Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving…
Angelo and Marie
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Marie, If you like to read blogs, you might enjoy the one written by Susan Branch. I’ve followed her for a couple of year, and she writes an entertaining blog. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard and writes about her life there. She’s very artistic, painting and writing books. Take a look. She’s just returning from a book signing trip all across the country, and so her blogs are about their drive home. It might not be your cuppa tea, but then again, you might like it.
http://www.susanbranch.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-on-the-road-snowstorm-booksignin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SusanBranchBlog+%28Susan+Branch+Blog%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail
Mary Ritter https://muniqueblog.wordpress.com
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You are a busy little beaver! Have enjoyed your latest blog postings. Happy Gobble Gobble Day to you and the family.
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Hi Dee!
After months of making bedroom enhancements, I’ve finally got some time to do something more creative. Lots of fun!
The four of us will be together. I am making the side dishes… whatever I want. Andrea helped with the lefse and is bringing a pumpkin cheese cake and a blueberry/cranberry sauce that she likes to prepare. Eric is deep fat frying the turkey and has all of his paraphernalia already set up on the back patio. Norm helped with the lefse, always does the clean up and POURS THE WINE! His is an important job. I’m thankful that we have finally engineered our lives so we can all be together so easily, we are all participating in the preparation.
Happy Thanksgiving to you! Hope your family is gathering!
Mary Ritter https://muniqueblog.wordpress.com
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