A new project! (Part 2)

I pondered for a while about how I could improve the look of my blocks.  One option was to unpick all the fabric I wasn't happy with, and replace it with a different, more muted colour.  However, I hit upon a solution that meant I didn't have to go to all that trouble.

I really like how the quilt that inspired me was made with all patterned fabric - not something I usually do.  Also, I have fabric paint for screen printing, so decided that I would screen print designs onto the fabric triangles  I wasn't happy with in order to tone them down.  Here's what I did:

Firstly, I taped up my screen so that the visible part was the same size as the fabric triangles. I am going to work on the Butterscotch triangles first.

 Then I mixed black and white fabric paint.  I wasn't too worried about it mixing perfectly.

Then, I cut little bits of Contact paper into shapes and stuck them on the screen.  Other colours will have other designs.  This design only has to screen print the 12 Butterscotch triangles.

 Here's the sample I did.  Too much paint, but apart from that, I was happy with it.  However, my first attempt on an actual block wasn't successful.  It was very hard to see through the screen to line it up properly and I ended up with paint all over the edge of the batik fabric.  I had to wash it all off.  This was a case for registration marks!

I measured how far my screen triangle was from the edges of the screen, and marked that.  I also marked the outline of where the screen would sit. I tested this again before using a block, and it worked fine.  The fabric was fastened to the background with flat quilting pins.

 Here's my first attempt.  I am not concerned about irregularities or smudging - batiks, by their nature, often do not have precise patterns.

And here are the 12 printed pieces.  I'll use different colours and designs for the Rust Orange triangles and probably also the Navy.  Photos to come of these later.