Self directed foundation course plus zoom session
A comprehensive course giving you the skills, knowledge and confidence to get clear crisp prints. A secure knowledge base from which to progress to more advanced techniques.
About me
How the course works
What you will need
What you will need in more detail
Fabric
scouring
Pots and poles
leaves
Making sure you have enough leaves for this course by preserving them
twine, iron, gloves
Barriers
barrier
testing fabric to see what it is
What is it in the leaves, that makes them print - or not
Leaves have two sides!
leaves
presoaking your fabric, and making your iron water
making your iron water
testing your water with pH strips
Making bundle 1 ( sampler)
making bundle 1 your sampler
I suggest you steam bundle 1 before you go on and make the rest of your bundles
steaming your bundle
steaming your bundle
Revealing bundle 1
Bundle 1, the sampler, looking at our results ( note, this is a different bundle from the one you saw me making in the video!)
Bundle 2
making bundle 2 . your composition
wrapping with bandage - an alternative to string
Bundle 3 . Ghost prints
bundle 3 reveal
ghost print examples
Experimenting with different iron concentrations
Bundling several samples on one pole
Varying iron concentration
washing
washing your fabric - video
Documenting your process
Every bundle you make is a learning opportunity
troubleshooting
spots and blobs
Introduction
Folding your cloth. Making mirror images.
Revealing the mirror image piece
Using mirror images
OPTIONAL EXTRA More folding options
Carrier cloths or blankets
Iron blankets 1 the materials you need
Iron blankets 2 bundling
Iron blanket, reveal and explanation
OPTIONAL EXTRA - experiments with iron blankets
Mordants - what are they and why do we use them?
Other chemicals, or 'assists'
Mordants and other chemicals - suppliers
weighing fabric before mordanting
mordanting part 1 - soaking your fabric
mordanting part 2 - basic mordanting method and mordanting silk
mordanting part 3 - discussion, and mordanting cellulose
Mordanting method and recipes - written notes
Experiments with mordanted cloth
Mordanted fabric- analysing our samples
another example - comparison between mordanted and unmordanted cloth
another example- comparison between thin silk and thick silk, both mordanted
bundling with a blanket on mordanted cloth
revealing the bundle on mordanted cloth with blanket
printing a scarf.
Rolling a scarf - simplest method
rolling a big scarf with an iron blanket
unbundling the big scarf
What next ?
feedback
Bonus content!
june zoom
may zoom
Caroline Nixon
This was my first ever experience of printing on fabric and I was not disappointed. The step by step course was easy to follow and Caroline was so helpful all the way through. Having the FaceBook group to connect with other students was a wonderful support, and it was a joy to see how everyone was progressing and to share images and methods. Caroline commented and offered advice on every question asked and image shared. I began having no knowledge of eco printing on fabric, but ended by printing a wearable piece of work. I can highly recommend this course.