So, over the past couple of weeks, I have begun block-printing. This is a craft which I have never tried before, but due to my love of fabrics, I felt that it would be appropriate for me to have some hands-on design experience. I began by reading up on block-printing and the various techniques and ways of doing it, including the type of inks that work best for textiles, the best block for carving, and the best way to heat-set fabric to keep the inks from washing out. Once I felt confident, I put together some sketches, ordered some supplies (from Blick), and got down to it! I sketched my design onto a rubber block, carved it out, and then I used a yard of basic cotton, teal-colored fabric and a Versatex brand ink in the color "Rubine" which is a very pretty reddish-pink. The results were a lot better than I expected, especially for my first time, and I have to say that I really enjoy the process of block-printing. There is a lot of preparation involved, such as washing, drying, and ironing all fabrics, then sketching and carving the blocks, applying the ink, letting it "cure", heat-setting, and washing, drying and ironing all over again. Although it is a long road to get to your final result, I find a strange comfort in the process itself and of course it is always great to see a finished product that you know you have put a lot of time into. Here are some pictures of my first block printing experience....more to come soon!!
