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Block Printed Projects in Martha Stewart Living!

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cover of Martha Stewart Living, November 2016

We’re so excited to be featured in the November 2016 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine!

We were contacted earlier this year (magazines have such long lead times to production) and were delighted with the end result and seeing our wooden printing blocks and textile paints used in such a beautiful way!

The magazine reads, “Block printed linens are costly to buy, but surprisingly simple to make. With little more than textile paint, muslin fabric, and woodblock stamps, a personalized setting is close at hand. We went with a botanical motif, but choose whatever appeals to you.”

Artistic Artifacts wooden printing blocks and textile paints used in a Martha Stewart Living project, November 2016

Artistic Artifacts wooden printing blocks and textile paints used in a Martha Stewart Living project, November 2016

Artistic Artifacts wooden printing blocks and textile paints used in a Martha Stewart Living project, November 2016
Source attribution, Martha Stewart Living magazine, November 2016

Project designers Silke Stoddard and Tanya Graff used a palette of our Transparent Textile Paint in 15 Colonial Gold, 45 True Blue and 403 Indigo. These paints have a thick, pudding-like consistency, making them ideal for block printing. They used our foam printing mats to ensure the best prints, and printed on muslin (see sources, right)…and here’s a tip for you: we sell Nature’s Way™ by Roc-lon® muslin at just $4.00 a yard!

Blocks used in the magazine project, which includes instructions, are:

  • WB111 Fern Wood Block
  • WB369 Thistle Wood Block
  • WB371 Lotus Flower Wood Block
  • WB400 Triple Leaf Sprig

Pick up your copy of the November 2016 Martha Stewart Living to share in our “grateful spread” as well as for the usual wonderful recipes, decorating ideas and more. For our own tips on block printing, please see:

  1. Block Printing Intro
  2. Creating and Embellishing Block Printed Textiles
  3. A Sampling of Block Printed Art Quilts

Hello from Quilt Market in Salt Lake City!

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Artistic Artifacts booth at Spring 2016 Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, UT

Artistic Artifacts presents during the Schoolhouse SeriesI’m at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City! Above is a view of one of the Artistic Artifacts’ booth walls, featuring our gorgeous Batik Tambal Exclusive Batik and a handpainted batik panel by Mahyar.

I was able to post some set-up shots on the Artistic Artifacts’s Facebook page, but once it all gets started, you simply get too busy to keep up… check out the show’s Instagram feed for some serious eye candy!

I was proud that my topic, Hand-Drawn Batik Panels was accepted for the International Quilt Market’s popular Schoolhouse Series! The Schoolhouse Series took place on Thursday, the day before Market opens, and  is a forum for manufacturers, publishers, and retailers to present new products, techniques, and books to quilt shop owners throughout the world.

 Mahyar Cats in the City art quilt by Christine Vinh

The above quilt by Christine Vinh of StitchesnQuilts was completed in time for me to use it at Market as an example of how our Batik Panels, handcrafted by many of Indonesia’s finest batik artists, can be used  in art or traditional quilts, or any form of fiber art. Because we’ve learned that many of our customers are afraid to cut into or sew the panel they’ve fallen in love with, I’ve scheduled Create a Batik Panel Art Quilt for Saturday, May 28. I need a few more registrants to ensure this class running, so I hope some of you will plan to join me!

Valori Wells’s booth at Spring Quilt Market 2016

Here’s a sneak peek of a beautiful new fabric line that Artistic Artifacts will be carrying…but we ALL have to wait until this fall to receive it. I fell instantly in love with Marks by acclaimed  quilter, author, fabric and pattern designer Valori Wells, collaborating with her mother Jean. Marks is her new line for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. which notes “the designs are a combination of their love of block printing and textiles.” Block printing…so no wonder I fell in love, right?

Marks fabrics in the Indigo colorway, designed by Valori Wells for Robert Kaufman Fabrics

It’s going to be a tough wait! Below is Valori’s “Plus Mob” quilt.

Plus Mob quilt by Valori Wells at Spring Quilt Market 2016

Fabric Woven Wire Basket

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I get asked many times how I created this fabric bowl that has been on display at the store for a couple of years.

Fabric Woven Wire Basket by Judy Gula

This began as an experiment that I thought I would duplicate, in order to sell the final creations. Yes, I purchased many wire baskets in preparation for this retail launch. LOL!

I have gotten as far as the sample!

This project draws on my love of upcycling as well as my experience as a weaver.

To begin, I took what I felt was ugly painted fabric and stamped on it with the same paint color, purple with bubble wrap. Then I tore strips, approximately 1&#34 wide or so. I did not sew these torn strips together, but left them different lengths.

I wove them in plain weave loosely: over, under, over, under the metal that formed the wire basket. (You can see the vertical wire structure of the bowl in another photo below.) As I reached the end of one strip, I added couple hand stitches to attach the next strip length. I found doing so easier than beginning and working with a very long length of fabric.

After weaving for approximately 2 &#34, I scrunched the fabric close together to hide the metal of the basket (see photo below).

Pushing the fabric strips closer together
Adding feet to the bowl

Working in this manner, I kept going until I reached the top. At the top of the basket I whip-stitched (so to speak) around the top with another strip of torn fabric.

I also added feet, created with some wooden beads that were painted to coordinate, by wrapping and twisting jewelry wire.

In the above photo as well as below you can see the bits of sheer fabric and beads I added to embellish the bowl both inside and out. (Disclaimer: This is a purely decorative piece. I would not use it for food!) The purple roses were added to the finished bowl quite a bit later…they seemed to belong together!

Embellished fabric woven wire bowl by Judy Gula

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

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Hillwood Estate is located in Washington DC and was home to Marjorie Merriweather Post. This is a fantastic Estate, wonderful place to visit and home to a special exhibit: Pret-a-papier. Crumpled, pleated, and painted, ordinary paper becomes haute couture in the hands of the Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave. The exhibit will be in residence until December 30, 2012. It is very worth the visit!
Enjoy my photos!