DIY screenprint Christmas ornament

Do you, like me, have too little things to put in your Christmas tree? No?! Well, I’m not very good at decorating at Christmas so I don't have too many ornaments and bling to put in the tree. I decided to try and make some new this year. I bought a lot of freezer paper and it’s fun to work with. Freezer paper it is!

I made a cracker, which I think is a traditional shape for Christmas. I think they are fun to make.

This is what I did:

1. I made a drawing of the cracker on my computer and printed it on paper.

2. Traced the ornament onto freezer paper and cut it out. Since you get two stencils, one that of the paper you cut out and one of the cutouts, Created by Malin and me made one each.

3. Choose some fabric and iron the stencils on to it. Make sure the edges really stick to the fabric.

4. Paint with fabric color and remove the stencils directly. Let dry.

5. Cut out (if you want) and sew together. We did it by hand.

6.When it is a few centimeters left, stuff it and close the ornament all the way around.

7. The green one got some string bows at the end.

8. Finished!

This is an easy project, I would say, even though you both print and sew. It took me about 45 minutes to finish.

Enjoy! Love Ann-Charlotte

DIY Book clutch

I was scrolling Pinterest and found this tutorial about how to make a clutch out of a book. I really liked the idea so I went to a second-hand shop to find a book. I chose two with empowering titles "A good mother" and "The successful". I decided to do the successful one first.

What you need

• a book

• scalpel

• cutting mat

• glue (I used Karlsson klister)

• fabric, about 30 centimeters

• scissors

• zipper, a bit longer than the three sides of the book

• acrylic paint, the color of the cover

• ruler

• sewing machine

• patience for letting everything dry in between the steps

Here is how I did it

I didn't follow the tutorial all the way. They chose to cover the book covers with fabric, I just made the lining.

Step 1: cut out all the pages of the book so the covers are left.

Step 2: make the zipper part. You need this part to be 1,5 cm wider on each side than the book when it´s finished. Cut 4 times 5 x 5 cm big squares of fabric. Sew them to the end of the zipper. Iron them flat.

Step 3: Cut two strips of fabric as long as the zipper and fabric are. Sew them on. Iron them flat. Now the zipper has a frame of fabric.

Step 4: Since I didn't use fabric on the whole covers I wanted to paint the inside of the cover the same burgundy ad the outside. I mixed up some acrylic paint in the right nuance. Let it dry.

Step 5: It's time to glue the fabric to the book. Start with the end of the zipper and follow the book around a centimeter from the edge. Let it dry.

Step 6: Open the zipper and glue it to the other side a centimeter from the edge.

Step 7: Make a lining inside. Cover the inside spine with fabric.

Step 8: For the inside covers I cut a vlieseline square for each side and ironed my fabric onto it, folding the fabric around to make a nicer finish.

Step 9: Let it all dry and then take your clutch out on the town.

This project was mid-level, I would say. Mid-project I got a bit too attached to the idea of a nice clutch that I almost didn't finish it. I was afraid to screw it up. But once I got going again it was fine. I did have my good mother book as a back up too.

A good thing that came out of this project is that I now have a lot of book pages to use for other projects. I've been Gelli printing and making notebook covers, for example.

Keep up the good work, and see you out there!

//Ann-Charlotte

How to block print

Block printing is an excellent technique for producing something that is truly handmade, and that can be easily replicated.

One of the advantages of block printing is that it can be done on a surface of almost any size and texture and you don’t have to worry about fitting it through a printer or a press. Carving the block is time consuming and requires a lot of patience, but once you have the block you can use it hundreds or thousands of times. The style of printing is called “Block printing” and it is one of the oldest types of printmaking and has been around for thousands of years. It has been done around the world, with roots in India, China and Japan.

Lino cut by Katharine Watson

Block printing is essentially using a carved material covered in ink to transfer an image on to paper or fabric and it can be done with wood, linoleum, rubber, or many other materials. Images that are printed with this technique are typically much bolder than other types of printmaking: since the blocks are carved by hand, there is often less detail and more texture to the prints.

The technique is one of the easiest printing methods to get started with, since the materials needed to start are relatively inexpensive, and you don’t need a lot of equipment for printing. It’s a great way to get into printmaking!

The process includes sketching the design, carving the linoleum and finally printing the design.

The Printing Process

Sketch the design

Start with a simple design or drawing that doesn’t take a long time to cut. There are many different techniques for applying the design on the linoleum. You can sketch directly on the material, transfer the design using carbon paper. The important thing is to reverse the image. Make an outline of where to carve.

Useful info on image transfer

Carve the lino

Carving the lino takes a lot of practice and patience, if your hand slips, you can ruin the whole piece. You will most likely use a range of knives, from very small-tipped knives to larger one for cutting the background. You should always carve away from yourself.

Carve away the parts that you don’t want to print, as the ink will be applied to the raised surfaces to print the design.  Whatever surface is untouched will be what prints onto the paper.

When cutting hold your arm at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. It is advisable to practice on a blank piece of lino before you start carving your stamp. Slow down on bends but do not let go, if needed use your other hand to rotate the lino. Try to carve out from the narrow end to the wide one , from the edges to the middle: controlling your movements.

After the main lines have been carved clean the unwanted parts of the design, those parts that should be empty  when stamping, for this procedure you can use other tools with a wider blades. Do not tear or pull or pluck protruding pieces of lino, you may end up simply wrecking your work

Print

Squeeze a small amount of ink onto a piece of glass or plexiglass, and roll it out with a roller (also called a brayer).  To get a thin, even layer, it’s important to apply the ink evenly to the block. The most important part is applying the pressure evenly, since the color will be stronger in some areas of the print than others if uneven pressure is applied.  This is also a step that takes some practice and perfecting. Make sure there is a thin but even layer on the whole design. Then I take the block and press it down onto the paper or fabric.

Resources

Check out our Pinterestboard with Block printing inspiration

Artists of interest

Wies van der Velde/ Sowiesowies

Katharine Watson Andrea Lauren Jen Hewett

Thanks Wies and Katharine for letting us showcase your beautiful work! 

Photo Credits: Wies and Katharine