Tote Bags

For the past month or so, I've been working on teaching myself how to screen print. Not an easy task, I have to say! I chose to use photo emulsion to create my screens, as opposed to stencils.

Sensitized photo emulsion is picky. First, I had to coat my screen evenly to provide a smooth surface for spreading ink, but still thick enough to prevent holes in the screen that could ruin a print. This has to be done in a low-light environment.

The next step is what took me the longest - exposing, or "burning", my illustration onto the screen. When exposed to light, photo emulsion hardens. Areas not exposed wash out with cold water. The design I chose has some pretty thin lines, which made it more difficult to get a good burn. Under-exposure causes holes when the emulsion is washed out, over-exposure means that light leaks under the transparency and prevent my design from burning. After my emulsion dried, I placed two transparencies with my design on them over the screen. This part took some trial and error (a loooot of error, actually), but eventually I found that using a 200 watt incandescent bulb for 25 minutes gave me great results.

After that, it's easy-peasy - all you have to do is flood the screen with ink and print away! This is the first bag I have to offer, and they're up in the Etsy shop now! Take a look.

Lace

Here's a quick picture of my latest project, a lace shawl knit in handdyed merino. This photo's a little old, now I'm  almost done with the body, then it will be time to do the border.

Sunday Night Interview

Just a quick post, I did an interview with my long time comrade and one of my best friends, Brandy Cupcakes, over at Paper Cupcakes and Milk on the Rocks. Check it out! Thanks again for this opportunity Brandy, your questions were so much fun.

Hot Stuff Coming Through!

Well, the holiday season is behind us (for now.) I've spent the last several weeks holed up in my apartment working on various projects; Some for Etsy, and some for myself (I never knit for myself anymore!)

Here are snapshots of some of the food-themed trivets I've been making -



These trivets are available in my Etsy shop, No Prob Bob.

Using permanent ink, I freehanded my designs onto a 6x6 inch heavy ceramic tile. After that, I finished them with a porcelaine glaze to preserve the image and make it heat resistant. I first started making them with rubber feet on the back, but have since started using natural cork. I like the finish product so much better.

Several of these trivets went to White Rabbit, a local arts consignment and vintage resale store here in Iowa City. They were well received and sold out the week before Christmas. I've replenished the supply, so local shoppers can stop by the shop to check them out (and get a cup of coffee, how awesome is that?)

Etsy Shop Launch

Today I listed the eight first items in my Etsy shop, No Prob Bob. I put up a few rugs, some yarn and a pair of boot socks. That's all on the back burner right now, as I'll be busy cooking and baking as soon as I get off work for a dinner tonight. Happy Thanksgiving!

Clean Slate

I've been on Etsy for months now. I've been wanting to open a shop, and I had the idea to start a more flexible crafts blog rather than my previous knitting blog. I've only been seriously working on either of these things for the last few weeks. I use the term 'seriously' loosely however; I've actual spent more time prowling Etsy for neat things to buy. Knowing that if I don't make better use of my time this thing will never get off the ground, I became acquainted with GIMP to make some graphics for the site. This is an image for the product tags I'm planning. I drew the logo, scanned it, and then cut it out using a few different tools in the program. Let me tell you, it took forever. It became very apparent to me that when it comes to digital graphic design, I'm next to useless. Not that I mind; I like to take my time.