Learning to batik

I am learning to batik.  There is so much to learn!  My most recent inspiration comes from here, but I have been interested in batik for as long as I can remember. My first attempt was when I was 5 years old and I still remember how the hot wax smelled!
Arjun and I are crazy about dragons these days and we pretty much do not want to wear any shirts that do not have dragons on them.  Kate made these shirts for us and we love, love, LOVE them!

 

At first, I washed them the moment we took them off of our bodies so that we could wear them again as soon as possible.  Since then, I have made us a few more dragon shirts.  Arjun needed a pink one right away.... 

I have been reading this book:

and this one, but I find that most of my learning is coming from experience.  Trying, failing, succeeding and remembering....
I've been doing a screenprint/batik combo for my new dragons.

I made a screen using drawing fluid (first time) and screen filler.  I wanted the dragon to look as much like my watercolor sketches as possible.

 I screenprinted the dragon, then filled in scales, whirly breath, spirally dragon hair, longer claws with wax.  Dyed several layers with procion dye (NOT RIT!) 

My very first try.

Arjun calls this one "The green dragon with the shiny eye."

I am happy with the results so far.

I am pretty certain that the Easter Bunny just passed through here....

 

Happy Easter!

Lil Blue Boo: Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Design Challenge Winners!

Lil Blue Boo: Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Design Challenge Winners!

Hooray for Arjun's sofa suit!

Polder Sofa Suit

My clothing designs are influenced by everything around me - and by some things that I wish were around me.  I fell in LOVE with this sofa the very first moment that I saw it.  I have a tendency to fall deeply in love very, very quickly.

It will be some time before this sofa is likely to find it's rightful place in my home.  In the meantime, I have decided that the next best thing would be to dress my son as a Polder Sofa.

The unexpected combination of greens is what attracted my attention to this sofa initially.  I used several different t-shirts in different shades of green to form the base of this little suit.

This sofa was designed by Hella Jongerius.  She is currently one of my very favorite designers.  Down to the last detail.  Check out the choice of buttons!

In an effort to mimic the lines and details of the inspiration piece, I used freezer paper stencils and screen printing ink to add details to Arjun's suit.

 He's a good sport.  I think if he were to choose........he would order the sofa in red.  With dragon pillows.

Dragon Shirts

Arjun and I each have a new favorite shirt!  Each one has a dragon on it and we can't get enough of them.  I've been trying to wash them as soon as we finish wearing them so that we can wear them again as soon as possible.  Perhaps we each need more than one?

Here's how we got them:

Somehow, I came across photographs of the beautiful batik work of Kate from Pink Bunny Batiks.  Most likely it was via the Dharma Trading Company website, but it could also have been through Etsy.  I cruise around both sites with frequency.  I ordered Arjun an adorable fish T-shirt - which he also loves - and asked Kate if she ever made dragon shirts.  She said that she hadn't ever, but that she'd be happy to try.

Hooray!

I stitched two white blanks for her and left the side seams and one shoulder seam open so that she could work flat.  Then I sent them off and waited impatiently for their return.  A few weeks later, the shirts came back to us and I stitched them up right away.  We are SO pleased!
Kate took pictures of the shirts as the work progressed.  I find them fascinating....

Here they are stitched together:

Arjun's shirt - front view

 

 

Arjun's shirt - back view

My shirt - front view

My shirt back view

We've been sick for a few days, with mucky weather so we have limited photos of the shirts in use.

We are both already planning our second dragon shirts.  I want an olive colored one and Arjun says that his next dragon shirt will be pink.

THANKS KATE!