Natural printing fun play with family 植物印染樂

     

  

I'm  happy to share the fun play of fibre arts with close friends and relatives.  This weekend couples of my nephew came to do natural prints.  They never heard of such creations and was their first time of playing.

   

 

 After my brief intro they worked on placement.

   

Not only the couple interested in making, Mogi was trying to help.....

 

 Placement done then rolled up for a bundle.

 

 After an hour boiling, two pieces of each bundle of silk scarfs were made.

 Video of their fun play of scarf printing and paper printing as well making a wool felt flower ring.

  

I'm happy for their interest of this kind of natural contact prints.

  

 Though it's their first time of making they're very creative in layout and placement.

 Also the young couples are thoughtful and "heart" each other.  They put the cinerea eucalyptus heart shaped leaves together and the fern for their names initial " A & H ".

 

Opening bundle is excited

Golden yellow from onion skins in alum mordant and red hearts of euc cinerea.

 

 Prints from cosmos, fern, willow and scattered onion skins

 

They made prints on paper with iron mordant fabric scraps for leaf outlines.

 
 

Butterful from leaf of morning glory.

 

Set of paper prints on different sorts of paper.

 

 While the bundles were boiling in the pot, I taught them wool felt making of flower ring.

 

Set of silk scarf with flower ring.

 

 Very creative boys and girls.  One of their prints from "A&H - Alice & Hei"

Happy Chinese New Year 開開心心又一年

 

Can't believe time flies in a blink. It's already a month past in 2019. Chinese New Year falls on 4 Feb this year, i.e. tomorrow all of us are celebrating the spring festival. First off Mogi and I wish you no matter afar or near you feel our happy atmosphere as the new year blessing behind Mogi writes "Wish all goes well as expected".

The month of January was filled with lots bad and good happenings. I got twice flu in a month, almost lost voice, bed rest for a few days.  In between I have overseas visitors and student coming.  Blessing in disguise I was able to manage all and spent some time with them without interruption.  The good thing also I got an order from overseas client for bespoke natural printed silk scarfs, an order for 30 pieces.  The client is very nice to let me do my style. So in the later part of January I went biking and picked some plants to do........

日子怎麼飛快？一年容易又到農曆年了，過去的一月份有樂事有病痛，怎我常運動的竟在一月間两患感冒，病得呆呆，幸也能度過且有朋及學生自遠方來，也應接自如，剛接獲海外訂單做30件植物印染𢇁巾，一一在過農曆年前完成，也做了好幾個皮革印染小包包，正好「收爐」過一個靜年，祝願你萬事如意！

This is the area of Kam Tin, New Territories I usually do biking. Now cosmos are blooming.  The fragile flowers are my favourite for prints.

On my way back I already immersed in the festival ambiance in the villages and ....

back to town in the "lanterns sea".  My sickness seems over though still coughing.  

The scarfs printings are with some eucalyptus for the bright and cheerful effect.

A pile of 30 pieces has done.

Still have some flowers to do my experiments on viscose and leather.

 

This is how the prints made on leather.

I made a few testing on the leather my friend Debbie Leung gave me. The material is so soft and delicate. My last experiments on other leathers was quite hard after boiling. So for the batch of testing I mounted the desired pieces around a metal plate to minimise shrinkage.  I know this may not be a proper way of doing botanical imprints on leather but no harm to try.  Printing on leather is fun but there seems no free tutorial of making it.  After trials and errors I figured out myself to do mordant and covered by tannin fabric.  Some plants works.

Then I started cutting and sewing the simple leather purses with botanical prints.  

The prints of "Before & After"

I made a few purses. I don't know what to do with them. I just made use of the swatches. Perhaps freebies for good friends.

Prints of leaves of passion fruit and morning glory as well cosmos on leather and fabric.

Leather purses for cosmetics or anything as you like. 

Perhaps a purse for lucky money as during Chinese New Year we give red packets to people with good wishes.

My task of making batch of silk scarfs completed and ready for shipping after New Year holiday.

And we are ready for a holiday and enjoy with family reunion.

Wish you a healthy and peaceful year.