Transforming Transfer - Art Van Go, 2 - 4 September

A leaf has been used as a resist and then turned over and printed off.

I am very late with this post - Life has been hectic and I have had friends from New Zealand staying with me. So to catch up . . . .
Transforming Transfer was a two day workshop that I very much hoped would run at Art Van Go. Transfer paints are actually disperse dyes. They were created in the 1920's to colour the new fabric made from nylon - which was synthetic. 
Disperse or transfer dyes seem to have fallen from popularity in the past ten years or so. It is one of my favourite printing processes and because you are printing onto synthetic fabric, it can be cut with a soldering iron and zapped with a heat gun!

'Procion' dyes dye cotton, silk and viscose. 'Acid' dyes dye wool and silk and 'Disperse' dyes dye synthetic fabrics. Because the disperse dye is painted or printed onto paper and then transferred to synthetic fabric with heat - the dye have become known as 'transfer paints'. The dyes look dull when painted onto the paper, but explode with colour when ironed with a hot iron and transferred to the fabric. If you have access to a heat press, that will really speed up the printing process.

The group working at the Art Van Go studio.

 . . . another view of the studio.

The disperse dyes or transfer paints come ready made up or powder form. We used the powder form. When mixed with water, the paints are painted onto copy paper (computer paper). Once dry, the designs are then transferred onto the fabric by placing the paper paint side down onto the fabric. The back of the paper is then ironed with a hot iron, keeping the iron moving slowly, for a good minute. It is highly recommended that you place baking parchment onto your ironing surface and between the paper and the iron. If any of the paint is transferred onto your iron or ironing surface, it will then transfer back onto what ever touches it next time you iron something.

We used a combination of disperse dyes and 'transfer' crayons to create different textures. The painted paper is on the right and the transferred design is on the left. You can see how the colour changes when transferred with heat.

Leaves have been used as a resist between the painted paper and the white synthetic fabric.

Cheap paper bags can also be printed with. The rollers that print synthetic fabric with disperse dye in the printing industry are cleaned with paper - that is then made into cheap flower wrap and paper bags. These designs can then be transferred from the bags onto synthetic fabric.

Disperse dyes are translucent and can therefore be layered to give a beautiful shadowed effect. Depending on how thickly you paint onto the paper, you will get two or three prints from each piece of paper.

This is Valerie cutting shapes out of transfer printed fabric that has Bondaweb ironed onto the back of it. This a great way to cut shapes for applique that can be ironed on to a back ground as soon as they are cut. (with baking parchment).

Valerie's cut shapes, ironed onto a transfer printed background and then she has started to stitch . . .

                   

                   Cut shapes ironed onto a transfer printed background.

Once the shapes have been ironed onto their background your work can be decorated with stitch.

 Some fab stitch . . . 

 . . and the start of more . . .

 . . . .  and more.

These samples have been cut and layered and then cut and layered again . . .

Just gorgeous.

And finally, one of three lovely samples created by Sharon Davies. This sample has also been cut, layered and then cut and layered again. Sharon has started to stitch into this one.

Great colour combinations.

x x x 

I have another workshop at Art Van Go on the 11th and 12th of November - Reclaimed Papers. www.artvango.co.uk/workshops

Art Van Go have an amazing range of workshops with fantastic tutors pretty much all year round. As a tutor it is great to teach there, all the tutors are so well supported by Viv and Kevin and the team and the students have the best time . . .  and then there is the shop . . .

                                        Have a great weekend . . . .