Here are a few photos of hand-printed clothing that was to have been (using that verb tense a lot these days!) in the Marblehead show. I had planned to exhibit a selection of women’s shirts, canvas bags, and black aprons. I printed most of what you see here last fall (before all the leaves dropped), but I’ve been able to print a few over the winter using leaves I dried and rehydrated. The shirts are between 60 and 100% cotton (to hold the ink) and the bags and aprons are 100 percent cotton. All are washable in cold water.
Yesterday I unwrapped my dining room table from all its protective newspaper…it’s been my inking station for almost 6 months, I’m realizing!
Many people have contacted me asking about my printing press. I use a home made walking press. A walking press is a printing press that you actually walk on, and it lets you make large prints even if you don’t have a conventional etching press.
It’s made of piece of plywood covered by two pieces of fleece blanket cut to the same size as the plywood. You lay the inked leaves face down on the paper and slip the paper between the blankets…and walk on top for about one minute! Then your print is ready.
I hope you and your family are well and continue so.
