Lena’s Comments (group member since Aug 04, 2008)

Lena’s comments from the Q&A for Printing By Hand group.

Hi Claudia,
My friend Kristine wrote a wonderful book called : The Modern Natural Dyer. If you can make a natural paste of some kind, you could add any natural dye pigment. Good luck!

Best,
Lena

Hi Irina, Sounds like a great project. Wash your fabric first to make sure any residue is removed. Then print with any fabric ink- they are all meant to be waterproof and washable. And make sure the ink sinks into the fabric and is not just resting on the surface (it's more likely to wash away). Good luck!

Thank you, Joanne!

Hi Jamie,

Yes you can! Any ink/paint that is water-based and intended for fabric should be fine for babies.

Best
Lena

Hi Grace,
Speedball ink is a brand I often buy– is it available in the UK?
The screen printing ink can also be used for block printing.
I hope you enjoy screen printing!

Best,
Lena

Hi Brooke,
Sorry for the very late reply. Did you try using some linen/cotton blends instead? I've worked with many different kinds of linen and they all wrinkle differently. The heavy weight upholstery linen that I use for pillows doesn't wrinkle that much. I also dry it on high heat and then pull it hot from the dryer and press it with my hands. I hope you have had some luck since posting this! You could also experiment with not washing and drying it before printing.

Best, Lena

Hi,
Sorry for the slow reply. I followed instructions that I found online for using a front loading washing machine and Idye. I chose muted gray dye colors and just sort of went for it! I was very happy with the results but it was a bit of a gamble– very different than my experience using Procion MX dyes. But it's a fun way to experiment! I hope you tried it too.

Best, Lena

Hi Catriona,
My reply is late, but I wouldn't have been very helpful with your question anyway! You are best off going to an extensive craft supply store and getting a recommendation on a specific brand. I hope you did and were able to to find something good!

Best, Lena


Catriona wrote: "Hi Lena,
Ive been reading this script and have found it very insightful but there's something that I would like your advise on please: I am a designer wanting to print onto latex/rubber fabric and ..."

Hi Anayah,
General fabric ink will work on a variety of fabric types, but you can check the label to make sure. Sometimes natural and synthetic fabric require different inks. You may want to wash the printed scarves before selling them to get a softer touch (some of the rougher surface ink will wash out). Best wishes on your project!

Lena



Anayah wrote: "HI Lena

Ive recently been thinking of trying to block print with lino blocks on scarves-(headscarves which muslim women wear,as i am one myself :) ) Ive got a couple of designs in mind but i have ..."

Hi Vikki,
Thanks for your question– you are correct in pointing out my discrepancies! Since writing Printing by Hand, I have experimented more using screen-printing ink for stamping and found that it works quite well. So, I think you will have good results using it. I'm sorry, I don't know of an English book to recommend. Have fun!

Best, lena

ps: i covered every inch of the fabric with dye, until the scrunched up leggings looked completely saturated with color. there will still be white areas left when you wash it out so you don't need to leave any white visible.

have fun!

yup, i scrunched and tied the leggings a lot, and then used squeeze bottles with a lot of different colors.

hi lee,
i'm sorry i missed your question until now! did you find a solution?
my home dryer is hot enough to cure the ink. i've never heard that a dryer could be too hot- unless it scorches the fabric? i think a commercial dryer would be your best bet. using a dryer is much easier than ironing!

lena

hi tanpopo,
i'm sorry i missed your message until now. did you have any luck finding materials?

best, lena

hi kristina,
sorry for the slow response! yes, any paint/ink labeled as "fabric paint" should be permanent and washable.

best, lena

hi emily,
the tie dye class was taught by shabd simon-alexander, and she has a particular style of tie dying... i'm not sure i know enough about it to explain the process! she usually scrunches the fabric and then adds dye, starting with the lightest colors first. maybe you can achieve something similar with some experimentation. good luck!

hi sue,
i'm sorry to hear that- how frustrating! does the ink say that it's for paper? you shouldn't be having this problem.

best, lena

hi fán,
i'm glad to hear you like the book!
if you can't find foam with adhesive backing, you can also use any sheet foam with a strong multi-surface glue. look for a foam that is both dense and porous. in the book i explain pretty simple ways to start screen printing, so i hope you will give it a try!

hi ivana- i also teach classes in nyc, and you can see the list here:

http://lenacorwinstudio.blogspot.com/

happy printing!
best,
lena

hi kelly,
once your fabric is dry there isn't a way to completely remove it, but if you catch it when the ink is wet you can try to blot it out with a damp rag.

good luck!
lena

hi chris
did you ask picturemystamp.com?
as far as i know they still offer mounting on acrylic blocks.

best, lena