resistance is futile...

...or in this case, its entirely the point.

I was looking through some Quilting Arts magazines last week and came across an article that Jane Dunnewold did on flour resist printing on fabric. She is the almighty surface design goddess in my mind. In Jane I trust...

So I took the article, and started figuring what I needed to do to execute this. I am always attracted to a lot of surface design techniques but I often cringe at what is involved in accomplishing it. Sometimes the chemicals rival those used in warfare or the steps involved are so complicated that standing on one leg while hoping across a tight rope seems easier.

But Jane made it sound easy. And I liked that it was flour, something that was not likely to kill me in the process. I had debated whether or not I really needed to make a print board like the article says to do. I asked one of my friends who does a lot of surface design and her exact words were, "Don't be a dumbass, make the boards."

Okay.

Point taken.

So I made them (directions in the article) and was a good girl and finished the directions to the letter. I didn't fudge a single thing. I think Jane would have been proud.

I'd tell ya every single thing I did but you know, its an article in a magazine so I'm thinking both the author and the publisher might try to hunt me down and kill me if I did that. Well, maybe not that extreme but you get the point.

So I'm brining you my flour resist printing experience in a photo essay:













**I added in an extra step here after the soaking step. The article says to soak it and then toss it into the washer. I opted to really scrub the flour resist out in the sink before putting it in the washer. There were tons of black flour boogers all over and I had the sinking feeling I would be shot on the spot should I put those in the washer and they wouldn't come out. It was more out of self-preservation then anything else but I still recommend it.



And after ALL that, here is the completed fabric:



I gotta say, it was fairly easy. But, oh boy, did it take a long time. I got all twitchy when, not one but TWICE the article told me I had to wait 24 hours before moving onto the next step.

Really?

Okay. (head hung low in a pout)

I did it and I'm glad I did although I did stand in front of the table trying to figure out if I could accelerate a step. I mean, really, 24 hours is a long time to wait. Surely a hair dryer or heat gun or sneaking it into the washer when no one is looking would be perfectly acceptable, right? I could think of no alternative so I left it and went about my business. (Good thing work keeps me out of the house ten hours a day or I wouldn't have been able to resist. Ha. Get it? Resist? I made a funny...)

I'm not sure how I want to use the fabric yet. It kind of fits in with my split personality of wanting to embellish the hell out of my fiber art and wanting to do simple things that showcase the fabric. This one falls into the latter category.

I'm understanding why this stuff costs so much when you see it at the shows.

Did I mention it took a long time and you can't skip steps? Yeah, that would be why.

Give it a shot, its way easy and there is a lot more you can do with it, I just did the basics. I see a lot more flour flying around in my future.