A tale of 200 yards of white fabric – Part 1 of 3
Great Expectations Creativity Center – My painting studio.
Ok, I’ll be honest. I really didn’t think transforming 200 yards of white fabric would be that much work. Fun, but not too hard to do considering I had the whole month of February. But, really, what WAS I thinking?
Step 1: Fabric Prep
I had 200 yards of 60″ wide Kona PFD bleach white cotton fabric shipped directly to Texas. It came on two rolls: one 164 yards and one 36 yards. So I tackled the big roll first. Just de-rolling it was interesting. I finally put it on the plastic-covered floor, braced it against a table leg and pulled until my arms were tired. Then I tore that length off and repeated (ad infinitum). Then I took each length and tore it down the center to make 30″ wide pieces as that width fit perfectly on my painting table. This process made so much lint that I took the whole operation outside. And who wouldn’t want to do it outside with this view?
I covered the little table with plastic, made a pile and measure off an arm’s length, snipped and ripped. I ended up with approximately 400 one-yard pieces of fabric, all about 30″ wide. Here is a SMALL portion ready to be painted:
Step 2: Trained Monkey Phase
I like to put down a base coat of paint before adding additional surface work. Usually I use a brayer about 90% of the time for this layer (fast!) and sponge brushes for the rest. But either the fabric or paint had technical issues (I’m thinking the paint formulation changed a bit or the paint was exposed to too much cold during shipping) and so brayer painting didn’t work. Off to the only local shopping venue (a big box we will not name) where I perused the paint department and bought a painting sponge-type thing with a handle. Problem solved. Here’s a selection of Layer 1 fabric laid out on plastic to dry:
I actually kept quite a few fabrics from this first layer of paint phase as I have so few “solids” to work with usually:
Three multi-colored fabrics, but still Layer 1.
Mostly Layer 1 fabrics with a few notable exceptions.
Unusual for me – very light fabrics.
Once Layer 1 was done, I repaired to my very spiffy ironing area to heat set the paint. Pam, the ranch manager, had Hollis and JR move a padded ironing table outside so I could iron whenever I wanted with lots of fresh air to combat any fumes from heating the paint. Technically, ironing isn’t required before adding another layer, but I like to see what I have and think about what each piece might need.
Again, who wouldn’t want to do this outside with this view? The birds (hawks, bluebirds, mockingbirds, swallows, turkey vultures, chickadees, cardinals, etc.) kept boredom at bay as I ironed away on my 200 yards
Notice primo accessory – cup of java.
Tomorrow: The Fun Stuff that comes after the Trained Monkey Phase – screenprint, stamp, paint, repeat.
Part 3 on Thursday will be just stacks and stacks of fabric for you to enjoy.
Then I will wrap up residency week on Friday with some photos of Open Studio Day and the beauty of Texas.
Hi Virginia – didn’t we have a great weekend at the Ranch and isn’t Karey great for doing this for all of us!! The opportunity to meet so many people and to see your great work was phenomenal!!!! And weren’t we spoiled by Pam and J.R. I am really impressed by what you do, and apparently so are other people for you to be given a whole month to do it in. You give so much to so many groups and people that it is great to see you getting something back. You have discovered the great secret to success in any field: that it isn’t all about “me” and that to get you have to first give. Some people are so full of themselves, but you go on your merry way, not tooting your own horn overly much and giving so much to others. And look at the respect you have garnered. It is a privilege to have gotten to know you a little. The world needs more people like you and Hollis C. to make it go around a little better. GOOD ON YOU GIRL!!!!
WOW-ser- great setup and ironing outside!! wonderful- like being at a spa for colorful delights!
We sure didn’t have this kind of weather when we were there! A big difference between blue birds and ice! Great work, Virginia! This will certainly give you lots of raw material to work with on whatever you decide to create!
I too am interested in what kind of paint you used. The fabrics are wonderful.
I am so happy that you are sharing this process with us. I am in awe at the amount of work you did and the beautiful fabric.
Hi Virginia, I’m enjoying seeing the photos from your retreat, and the beautiful fabric you created. It certainly gave me pause, however. I’m getting ready for a week, only a week, at a retreat in Florida. I had planned on taking a couple of days, maybe 3 days, to paint and screen print about 50 yards of silk organza. Your post reminded me of how much work this is, and that maybe I should reduce my expectations just a tad. I have a couple of other projects in mind, too, and I see that I’m trying to do way too much. So, your post is helpful to me, in addition to being interesting. Thanks for your post. I’m going to try to enjoy the presence of other artists, and not be a trained monkey in work work work all the time. I can do the trained monkey gig at home. Rosemary
I love seeing how you work. It is very inspirational. What kind of paint are you using? I am utterly impressed about the amount of fabric that you were able to create in a month, and such a beautiful assortment. I am so glad that I could make arrangements to come to Open Studios to see you and your major accomplishments!