Monday, July 12, 2010

Poppyprint(ing)

I promise never to take my daughter for granted. She is, and I believe always will be, the energizer bunny of our family; she's got endless enthusiasm and willingness to try new things. Ever since our giant poppies bloomed, she has been asking me "when are we going to print the poppies and make our own fabric?" Believe me, it's been on my mind for weeks, but other stuff just keeps getting in the way.

Well, yesterday at 5:00 p.m., I could postpone no longer. The seed pods are drying out rapidly in this heat and once the tops flip up, they are useless for printing because the velvety raised patterns are all hard and won't accept the ink. We set up outside on the deck got busy.

We worked with four ink colours: gold, white, red and brown. I pulled 4 solids from my stash: Kona snow, black and red and an Essex linen/cotton blend in lime green.

The Stampers:

stamp 3 stamp 5 stamp 1 satmp 7
poppypod stamp bouquet

The Process:

We used stamp pad ink that is colourfast for fabric (after you iron it) to print our fabric free-hand. I put a double thickness of towel under the fabric for two reasons; to absorb excess ink and to provide a soft surface to better complete the stamps because some of the pods have slightly rounded (convex) tops.

poppyprint process2

poppyprint process3

The Results:

poppyprint fabric

poppyprint fabric3

poppyprint fabric2

I've said it before and I'll say it again...the symmetry in nature is astounding. These are some of the most beautiful, unique shapes and they please my eyes tremendously!

If you are new to Poppyprint, now you know how this blog got it's name! This is our first effort on fabric, but it won't be our last. I have to send a thanks out to my dear friend L3 who made a special effort to save the small-sized stampers from her garden and bring them all the way over from Victoria!

29 comments:

♥Duff said...

ADORABLE! And the prints are super cute too! ;O)

Nina Lise@Mrs Moen said...

These are amazing, Krista; I cannot wait to see them in one of your wonderful projects!!

Dianne said...

Fabulous Krista! I can hardly wait to see what marvelous creations ensue!

paulette said...

OMG!!! Stunning!! I am (almost) speechless!! Now I HAVE to get my hands on some poppy heads...Fantastic!! I am going to be on the hunt while walking the mutts this evening!! Thanks for the inspiration!! So what are you going to make with the fabric??
Paulette

9patchnurse said...

Oooooo! Love them. What a great job, so pretty.

carol said...

Well, how cool is that!!! Wonderful and educational to boot!

Holly said...

Those are so gorgeous! I'm mesmerized.

retdairyqueen said...

WOW

felicity said...

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Absolutely incredible!

Unknown said...

They are absolutely gorgeous!! You used the Essex and it looks fabulous!! Just wonderful, and how neat is that, that your daughter was so interested in doing it too?

Unknown said...

that is the coolest! i woke up about two weeks ago in the middle of the night with the realization of where your blog name came from! weird, strange, kinda creepy, I know. but there you have it...

trudys_person said...

Soooo pretty! I'm looking forward to seeing what you make with the fabric!

Thimble Fingers said...

What a brilliant idea. They are just beautiful. Well done to your daughter for prompting you. Can't wait to see what you use the fabrics for.

Jennifer said...

Honestly this is - AWESOME - just gorgeous

Heidi said...

oh my goodness! I'm in awe. I love this idea and the fabrics are so beautiful! Next year I wanna stamp too.

pinksuedeshoe said...

OK, so I realize that everyone is telling you how amazing this is..... It's pretty much because this is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Like really! I can not believe how beautiful these turned out, absolutely amazing! I am dying.... and next year I am so doing this with my mom's poppies. Love it!

Helen said...

These look rally cool!!!

Rafael's Mum said...

That is so amazing!! Would have never thought of using poppy seedheads! It looks fabulous !!

Jamie said...

How totally cool! I love projects that can be done with the help of the kids!

Anonymous said...

It is so clever. I really have to get on top of the whole sewing and fabric situation so I can perhaps try to make something as beautiful(doubt it though!)

Annieofbluegables said...

Those are stunning. I cannot imagine poppies that big! I am inspired.
~a

myBearpaw said...

What a fantastic idea! The fabrics look amazing, and I love the fact I now know how you got your name!

Amy Friend said...

Goodness, I just love that white and brown combo! That is one eye catching piece of fabric. I love them!

marisa said...

Wow! Simply gorgeous!

rstogether said...

Stunning Krista! And kudos to D for her creativity and persistence too. Look forward to seeing them.

Tiffany said...

Awesome resourcefulness, it's a great idea. And what fabulously fun mother/daughter time too. I really like all the colors, but the green/white is a favorite.

henny said...

Hi, I'm new here...first time visit :)
Lovely prints and gorgeous idea!
So natural

karen said...

Wow - really beautiful I so want to try this

КолибрИ said...

Very interesting. I'll try different stamps with my daughter. Thank you.