So life seems to fly by and I’ve realised I haven’t blogged in a really long time!
This past weekend I have been in Valencia exploring the city and soaking up the spanish sun so I will post a blog soon about my findings!
Other than jetting off on a mini break and being in the shop I have managed to start printing my latest Christmas collection. Due to time I have only managed to design one print compared to last years organisation of 3 prints! This collection is my super sweet Rudolph and his pal the Robin! Very Picasso apparently….
Last year I screen printed the designs and used a technique called foiling in which I screen printed foil glue onto the fabric and then using a hot heat press melted gold and silver foil onto the glue. Screen printing is my all time favourite technique but it is time consuming and you need space to produce large quantities. You also need to be super organised and go to a specialist printing company to expose the screen (unfortunately the machine is too expensive and too big for my dad garage 😦 one day… ) I go to a local printing company called Handprinted in Bognor Regis where they stock all the supplies I need and also have a huge workshop area which allows me to expose my screens.
So this year I decided to use another technique called Block Printing. It is quick, simple and doesn’t involve as much mess/space. My Print was produced by The English Stamp Company which I have had the pleasure in purchasing many other stamps from shows and online. They also produced my design of my logo for my bags in the shop, and for my graduation portfolio. It is a easy process of just downloading your print onto the website and within 1-2 days your design is on a block ready to be used!
I couldn’t wait to get started so decided to start experimenting on brown paper to maybe try and create a Christmas wrapping paper.
I then moved onto fabric. I wanted to continue using foil from my last Christmas collection so decided to experiment with a repeat pattern and ‘spraying’ foil glue around the print so the fabric was extra christmassy and eye catching!
Unfortunately due to space and money I can only do maximum cut of half a metre. I hope to have it on the bolt so customers can purchase my fabric per metre. AGAIN ONE DAY!
Another experiment was inspired by printing onto Michael Miller’s Fairy Frost which we stock in the shop. Instead of heat pressing foil onto the fabric I thought it would be interesting to see how my design worked on pre printed fabric. The print works well with Fairy Frost but I personally would like to experiment to see more defined lines with a darker ink to create a bold outline of my print.
Once I have decided on a colour way and fabric base the world is my oyster… Christmas decorations, place-mats, napkins, table runners, Christmas cushions or just sold by the fat quarter or half metre to let creative customers decide themselves.
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Sarah-Louise Xx
