Printing on fabric - with the help of a gelatine plate

Happy New Year!
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Update on the agar agar & gelatine plates
Two weeks after making the gel plates I thought I would let you know how they are looking.
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​I am happy to confirm that they have been sitting on a shelf in my garage in a plastic bag and are in perfect condition. They have not melted or gone mouldy and are as good (if not better) as the day I made them. 
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Quilt Inspiration: Pinterest
Many thanks to everyone who joined the Pinterest board and already added to it - there are some interesting images that may be the spark that leads to a new quilt. Anyone can join at any time - all you need to do is drop me a message and I will send you an invitation to join the board.

Follow claire's board Quilt Inspiration on Pinterest.

​A slightly different way to use the gel plate

​As I had the gel plates out today I decided to use the large plate to help me create a piece of fabric for a new quilt I have in mind.

The quilt needs a long thin piece of fabric with foliage hanging downwards. Whilst I was walking through Sydenham Botanic Park this morning I collected a small bag full of organic bits and bobs from the ground. One of them was a small piece of twig from a beautiful Jacaranda tree which I thought would be perfect for the job. It was the right size and scale and was flexible enough to make the gently curving foliage.

I decided to use the Jacaranda twig to print the delicate little leaf shapes onto the fabric. As each twiglet (I don't think that is the real name, I just made that up) has 20 or more tiny leaves it was going to be tricky to ink up the whole thing for printing. Normally I would use a sponge or roller to put the ink on - but I knew this would probably damage the delicate little leaves - so I decided to put the ink onto the gel plate paint and then press the leaves gently onto the plate to apply the ink. When I pulled the ink covered twig away from the plate it was ready to print onto the fabric. 
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The Jacaranda twig I found at the park

The Jacaranda twig on the inked up gelli plate

Gently pressing the twig and leaves onto the plate with a moist sponge

The inked up twig pressed onto damp fabric

Covering the twig with paper allowed me to smooth over the whole thing without damaging the leaves or marking the fabric with mucky fingers

The first print from the twig

10 minutes later I had lots of prints across the top of the strip of fabric. Just what I had in mind!

I now need to work on this piece of fabric some more, to add more interest and depth. I'm not exactly sure how it will turn out yet, but that is all part of the excitement and fun!

​Thanks for reading.
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