white on white fabric

Deconstructed screen printing is the subject for the month; Diane here with more of my printing. Luann Fischer will be writing the posts for me next week.

I like to use unusual fabric for the printing.  I've had some good luck with white-on-white fabric. My friend Wendy in the UK was the first to point out the advantages of adding color to white-on-white fabric.  These are usually sold in the quilting stores - printed in white on a white background - used to create a very subtle texture rather than just plain white in a quilt.  When you dye or screen print on this fabric, the results are pretty incredible. The dots in this example play peek-a-boo with the screen printing.  I got the textural effect in the dye by using a torn piece of corrugated cardboard when I applied the dye to the screen.

The white polka dots really stand out because it was printed right side up.  There is a right side and a wrong side to most white-on-white fabric.  The design can be less visible on the reverse since it is a surface treatment and this allows the dye to creep in behind the white-on-white designs.

Fast forward about six months and here is that print covered in embroidery stitches.


And a close up of one of modules of the print. Each of the five rectangles is a different print from the screen. As you can see, the dye affected each dot differently. 



Here are a few other prints on white-on-white fabric.

If I am remembering correctly, the blue and green one was printed on the "wrong" side of dots so they are a little more subtle.  IMHO

I'm fascinated by the layers of imagery created by deconstructed screen printing on white-on-white fabric! Here's my latest purchase below - yet to be printed.  Isn't it going to be great?

 Diane - yarngoddess