'OMG OMG OMG' - such was the soundtrack I provided to the girls during the last two hours we just spent in the studio. There's really nothing more exciting than screen printing one's own design onto fabric. By hand. In one's own studio. And the fact that our very first run of test prints was almost perfect - was just the icing on the cake.
My funny 'concentrating' facial expression
Tegan and Bianca at work
My excitement was only somewhat diminished by my inexperienced use of the high pressure water cleaner that left me (and everything else within the 'Dexter' curtain) covered head to toe in yellow ink whilst trying to clean the screen. But lessons were learnt, and all worked out in the end.
Clean screen behind the 'Dexter' curtain
Birch Forest screen ready to go (a little larger scale than before)
You can not imagine how much of a burden has been lifted from my shoulders to have that first run turn out so well. There have been so many fretful moments over the last few months. We've had some great guidance from yardage printing gurus around Australia ... but the end result was a sort of mish mash of everyone's advice which I just had to cross my fingers was going to be okay. And it was!
One test repeat of the wattle - looking good!!
We'll start printing on some proper fabric soon, and once it's printed and heat set I'll have some new stock for the shop :)
47 comments:
Waw! Sounds exciting! I really like the wattle pattern...
Good luck!
Oooh it looks great! Can't wait til it's in the shop =)
congratulations!!!!
are you planning to offer a printing service to local designers as well? or just your own fabrics?
Congratulations - you must be so thrilled. How very very exciting!!!
congratulations Lara, looks fantastic (we knew you could do it)
Kerry
Ack! That is so exciting!! I really, really, really want the wattle print.
I am so excited for you! This is momentous. You have my deepest admiration!
The fabric looks great!
I have wonderful memories of screen-printing... and less wonderful of the high pressure water cleaner!
Yay!! That is so exciting!! Well done :-)
whoohooo. super exciting. i am so glad the first time through went so smoothly. i can only imagine what you are going to create in the future. whoohoo!
congrats, this is so exiciting!
Jxx
that looks great Lara, I know absolutely nothing about screenprinting but congratulations anyway!
How very exciting!! The wattle design looks fantastic too!!
OMG indeed!! Love the wattle print. Love that you girls are following your dream. Love how you tell it with such enthusiasm. Love it all. Congrats!
Well that was quicker than I thought! Well done girls.
That is so exciting! Congratulations on your first trial!
Wow! these are really beautiful. Love the wattle so much.
Wow, I have been reading your blog and the Ink & Spindle blog for a while and these prints look great. Speaking from experience here, getting it right first time is hard so you guys should be really proud!
I shall be eagerly waiting to see the first Ink & Spindle fabrics!
pretty freaking exciting!! congrats to you and the team.
Wow congratulations - it looks like it is going great. The wattle is looking salivating, truly beautiful.
Congratulations! Both screens look great at they made my "let´s screenprint-cells" itch. :)
Just the absolute coolest! Brings a whole new level of excitement to your work! Enjoy!
That looks like so much fun and makes me long for the day when I'll be able to set up my own silkscreening space!
So happy your first run went well! It looks like no small task with such large screens.
Neat to see this. Thanks for sharing. Those screens are huge! I like your work.
I never commented before but I really have to congratulate you for that whole big, exciting adventure. Good luck !
Oh, congratulations!!!
that's wonderful work!
your work inspired me to start working on my fabric printing.. :)
Oh, that IS exciting!
And it does make you feel SO much better when things work first go. Now you can squash all those little 'what ifs!'
Have fun :)
So exciting! Thanks for sharing the behind the scenes shots and sharing the journey with us.
You should be really proud of yourself! It looks beautiful. I will look forward to shopping!
congrats, very excited for you guys! the prints look great!
congratulations lara and friends
holy bananas - so good! you must be super satisfied and happy!!!! yayyyyy!!!
that's so great! congrats. was thinking half way through the post how clean your clothes were looking! the fabrics look fantastic :)
Woohoo!!!! I feel all warm and fuzzy inside for the 3 of you!
That pattern looks great! I'm so envious of your studio, too - imagine, a whole room for printing stuff in!
OMG this is soooooooooo exciting! Congratulations!!!
Eeeek! That's so exciting! Wow wow wow! Well done to all of you.
congrats! love seeing the process. it's like i'm almost there.
Wow! That is a big squeegee!
ooohh that is so exciting!
I never really enjoyed cleaning my screens after printing - those pressure washers are really really noisy, and so powerful too - you'll have muscles of steel in no time at all!
Monda
x
Jealous! Oh please tell me you're outsourcing the screen burning -- you're supposed to have weeks of frustration trying to perfect that process then even more weeks of frustration trying to get a good print.
Really though -- it looks so beautiful -- congratulations!
And P.S. I love power washers.
how exciting!
But,,wait,,,where are your in-house-design ink and spindle aprons...you look like you could use some cute splat protection there ;)
Oh! Looks like so much fun and beautiful too!
: )
Lara, this is SO amazing!!! I just cannot tell you how much I am applauding you all for making this whole thing happen...extraordinary! And, from one silk-screener to another, that mixer idea for the ink is AH-MAZING! BRILLIANT!!!
I clicked on the link to your blog and I am blessed. I loved seeing the steps you take to print fabric. you are inspiring. I'll sleep well tonight after viewing this process and your creative designs
Congratulations your first print run is wonderful.
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