The one where she uses her screenprinting supplies

The one where she uses her screenprinting supplies, a photo by badskirt - amy on Flickr.

The morning started with me looking a bit like a smurf...

It was in June that I bought my screen printing supplies. I honestly and truly thought it would be less than 10 months before I used them. But well.... there you go... Maybe my commitment level was low? Maybe I wasn't born to screen print?

After reading Kim Kight's A Field Guide to Fabric Design on my Western Australia holiday, I got revitalized. Let me say right now. This is the best craft book that I've ever purchased in the last few years. Period.

Whether or not you want to design fabric, the book is a terrific resource. Kim talks about color theory, types of fabrics and the fabric manufacturing process. Buy this book. If you can't afford it, request that you local library get a copy. Regardless of the type of craft you do - be it home decor, quilting or garment sewing - I think you'll learn something by reading this book. I'll be adding it to MyBookshelf with my other fabric craft books.

Ok... so back to today's screenprinting. The morning starting with me looking a bit like a smurf. When you're 4'10" it is never a good idea to work with turquoise dyes. I had a very different design in mind and I cut it out of an x-ray as had been suggested to me in my lessons. That technique just didn't work for me though and the next thing I know, I'm blue up to my elbows. I would have been in tears, but the sight of me in the mirror just made me giggle.

I gave up and moved on to chocolate making. Clearly I need another expensive, creative hobby. I've decided to take up chocolate, candy and cake making with a half-hearted effort. It may well be like the screen printing and it will take me 10 months to produce anything.

After the chocolates, an idea hit me. I knew that if I didn't get up to try printing again, I'd simply sell my kit and move on. I had to get it right... now... or all of my handscreened dreams would be dashed. I'll confess the results aren't stellar or rockstar. We don't own a table and working on the floor proved a challenge in itself. We don't even own hard floors. But I kept at it!

Lest you think I'm starting some sort of trendy New York fashion house, CCNY; those are supposed to be e's. I wasn't brave enough to include their centers on my first effort.   Eeny. Meeny. Miny. Mo?

They aren't sale worthy, but the results are reasonable. That makes me one happy smurf.