Work Interruptus

Somehow in between snow removal, bird feeding, laundry and tree wrassling (i.e. the removal of the Christmas decs) I have managed to do a bit of slow work on the banners. Fabric printing is one of those things I love/hate. I love it when it turns out perfect and how I envisioned it and everything flows, and usually this is when I am working on a small piece.
BUT!
There is nothing small about this project, and each trip out here requires uninterrupted time and a lot of hand and shoulder strength to get the paint into the weave of the linen I chose. I still have a set of prints to put in between what you see here, and they will be of the richer gold that the bottom of the banners are printed with.


The full amount that was stamped


Close up of pattern---the space between each pattern is approximately 6" square

I started with a pearly white paint that went on a little splotchy, which was FINE due to the fact I wanted a somewhat aged/used feel. But then I got back away from it and.........WOW.........it just looked like a bunch of pure white polka dots, which was not even close to my *vision*!!!! (more like nightmare) This set of banners has caused problems from the start, and I accept the challenge and just keep moving forward with them. At any rate, the white polka dots just about did it; I was ready to e-mail the church and say the banners were shot and I quit. You know, sometimes you get to that point with things.
Instead, I did some of the other things listed above and kept thinking. On a trip to the basement to store items, I came across two bottles of a fine gold wash that spoke to me. I tried them on a scrap, but not enough gold. So I added some loose gold pigment to a bottle and tried again. Perfect!
Then I got out the monster stamp---7 " wide and of heavy latex foam, originally a stamp for walls---and began the slow task of reprinting and making sure the registration on each was close. *Perfect* is not attainable. What I strive for is *Acceptable*. This, too, printed with less than perfection, but over the top of the pearl, it looked good. It was what I wanted.
Today, providing I have time to just work and not juggle life, I'm going for the in between stampings. Will mix the paint and then stamp like a mad woman!
The mad woman part isn't too difficult....... ;)