Author: Lee Thomson

partner, parent, artist, knitter, sailor, cyclist, sketcher, house painter, set designer, safety officer, itinerant equestrian, kite flyer, questions?

comparisons are illuminating

January 5, 2014

At least, I hope they are illuminating. Because I wanted to clarify for myself how differently the light-fabric and dark-fabric transfers worked, I printed the same image on each kind of transfer sheet. And then I realized I had failed to reverse the printing on the light-fabric sheet, so it would be backwards. (* headdesk *) This is the side by side comparison, on light and dark fabric, of the two different transfer sheets:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dancingcrow/11789460876/player/

Okay – from here on I am calling them opaque and transparent transfer sheets. On the left page, the left side is opaque, the right side transparent. You can see how the white fabric shows through the snowy parts of the image (it is mirrored around the center line) so it looks snowy. On the right page, the left side is transparent, and you can see how the image is nearly invisible against the dark purple page, while the opaque side still shows lights and darks, although they are muted a bit because the opaque sheets kind of melt into the fabric when you iron them.

My experience with this experiment seems to be that all transfers work better on light colored or white fabric. I imagine printing things onto tea or coffee stained fabric would yield interesting aged looks.

In other news, I rode two horses today, the first was the red mare, and we went out in the woods with a friend and had a great time. This is a picture of us afterwards, taken by Elaine who obviously loves us both:

Photo 2

And then I rode Brooks' beloved, ancient gray horse Nuada. We went out in the field, because it is lovely now, but the rain is supposed to come tonight and make the lovely snow vile and wet and then freeze solid so that walking becomes deeply hazardous and un-fun. So: canter cincles in snow = deep happiness.

moving in the snow

January 4, 2014

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dancingcrow/11765493486/player/

This piece is a mirror image of the view across the street and past Mac's barn to the big trees in the conservation area. I printed it onto the light-colored-fabric transfer sheet, and since I wanted it to show up, I ironed it onto white fabric and stitched it into the book.

It is still wicked cold out, moderated some from last night.

We helped Red Kate move into her apartment (here! in our town!!! Yay!!) at the top of 14 stairs. We know that number well. Arein and I went earlier and helped her dad get the trailer emptied and off the road. Then Al came and helped schlepp the things still in her van. We made the bed. We found her pajamas and toothbrush. Al and Aerin fed her supper. She is at her own place now.

Which is why I missed Timna's opening over ath the Jones Library in Amherst. I was delighted the opening was not on Thursday while everyone was freaking out over the snow, but I forgot we'd be helping at the new time. I will still go see it, and write in the visitors book (how is that pluraled and possessived, anyhow?) but I'm sorry to miss the cookies and the crowd.

 

 

tech specs

January 3, 2014

Jan 3

the specs;

7 pieces of purple fabric 5×10" stacked and stitched down the center to give fourteen pages 5×5" (two weeks)

The transfers happen two different ways – transfer-to-dark fabrics and transfer-to-light fabrics. To transfer to dark fabrics, the image is printed right side up (text reads correctly) onto the sheet. The thin white plastic that carries the image is peeled off the backing paper, and ironed, right side up, onto the fabric. In this image, I drew onto the transfer sheet, peeled that off and ironed it down – this is a freehand sketch.

To transfer images to light fabric, the image is reversed, and printed onto the transfer sheet. The sheet is ironed face down onto the fabric, and then the backing is peeled off, so the image is right way around.

The distinction between light fabric and dark exists because of the idea of background. For the reversed transfers, "background color" is the color of the fabric because the image carrying medium is transparent. When the image carrying medium is white, it forms an opaque layer between the image and the fabric, and allows for white and light colors in the image to show against darker fabric.

veils of snow

January 2, 2014

Jan 2

This piece uses image transfer to get the tree onto white fabric. I colored parts of the tree, an oak in Ellington, CT, with marker, and then put two layers of silk organza over it and stitched them all down to the page. I need some way to get specks of white onto the layers of organza – paint might work or might be too heavy.

I am unexpectedly fond of seeing the air full of shifting moisture. I rather like rain, especially when I'm inside, I love snow falling, and looking through mist and fog is an enduring pleasure.

Today was a banner day for seeing snowy landscapes with more snow blowing about. I went north to Greenfield for some horse supplies, and then back to the barn and rode the red horse, and then slowly home watching the landscape obscured and revealed.The snow has picked up this evening, and we're forecast to get a couple more inches. My mother, on the coast, is being hammered, and is slated for twice what we are.

The kids have today and tomorrow off from school, which is fine with me. It feels like a longer vacation, and I am happy to make use of it. More sleeping is a good plan.

Welcome 2014!

January 1, 2014

Jan 1 2014

I like printing on fabric a great deal, and I do it for various reasons.

I use transfer sheets, wherein I print on those and then iron the image onto the fabric, substantially less. The transfer medium – the image carrying medium – changes the hand of the fabric, making it feel more plasticky, and the surface becomes tacky as well. I thought I could experiment with some transfers in this little book because I am not stitching in it as much.

The images are trees I photographed a couple Januarys ago. I am exceedingly fond of trees.

Happy New Year

December 31, 2013

First night northampton

Have some fireworks.

Also 2014 is the Year of the Horse. Which I find cheerful news. Red Kate gave me a Starbucks card with a joyful red horse on it, because it made us think of Kaboose.

 

Photo a day, maybe

December 27, 2013

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dancingcrow/11584772623/player/752152b0d5

I'm thinking about a photo a day, for a year. Since starting on Jan 1 is intimidating, I thought I'd try it now, and see how things go.

Little Yolk is a hand stitched triceratops made from patterns we've (Alice and Red Kate and I) have been re-engineering from the Manhattan Toy Company dinosaurs circa 1986. My mother has Sunshine, who donated some DNA to help with the pattern. The rest of the dinosaurs are camped at our house until Red Kate is finished moving. There is a Nativity scene with them all – Yolk played the part of the Christ Child.