Tuesday 13 December 2011

Let me introduce you

Hi All,
Sorry to have been awol for a few days. I can see that there's been lots of back and forth, mostly about bats. I think the license is just if you need to post one. Hopefully you won't. I do remember that should you need to pick one up then you must wear thick gloves in case they bite!

I should explain why I've been quiet for the last couple of days. We've just taken delivery of our new fabric printer. It is extremely exciting and it's a wonder I've left it alone long enough to type this post! To introduce you, here it is along with Jamie, my partner in crime for this venture and chief technician.
As you can see the printer is a bit of a monster! It can print up to about 1.50m wide on pretty much any fabric you can think of from chiffon, organza or voile to corduroy, canvas or velvet. In this photo we're just running some tests onto some cotton poplin. The colours are amazingly vibrant and true. So far I've  experimented with digital photos, but also scans of sketchbook pages and we've been printing them much enlarged.
It may well only have been 5degrees C today with a threat of snow, but that didn't stop us getting the first run washed and out on the line. I may be biased, but I think this butterfly fabric might just be the most gorgeous thing I've seen in ages! It's a photo of one of Linda's butterfly collections that she acquired from a college. It's printed onto silk chiffon that's as light as a feather. I only have a few fabrics to play with at the moment, but I'm sure that this chiffon will become a favourite for scarves or for shadow applique projects.

So to finish the introductions I will tell you the name of our enterprise and give you the first peak at the logo...


As time permits I'm working away on the website for Fingerprint and needless to say we'll be producing more samples to show how versatile the printing can be. I have a feeling I'm going to need to order more fabric!
Bye for now,
Laura
x

13 comments:

  1. If you want to see a few more of the prints Laura made today I've posted a few on my blog - there's a link at the right hand side of this page.

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  2. Wow!! How fabulous is that? The colours look amazing....can't wait to see what else you print. I shall definitely be saving my Xmas pennies so I can treat myself to something gorgeous when you're up and running.

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  3. Wow wow wow wow wow ..... that is so fantastic Laura. I'm not surprised you are excited and distracted with that beastie - what fantastic avenues she (so amazing, must be a girl) opens up for you. Can't wait to follow progress - you lucky girl x

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  4. Congratulations. I'm excited along with you.

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  5. I saw some of the prints/photos on the other blog. You are right! The butterfly is beautiful!!!! Can't wait for the web site to be up and running!!!

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  6. Um, excuse me jumping the gun somewhat when you've only just started playing with this wonderous machine, but if you end up taking commissions for printing, do you think it is possible to make a collage of irregularly shaped images on one piece of cloth?? Just thinking out loud you understand, but I have a large piece in mind, and I love the way all the marks come out on the cloth and that could be very useful and save heaps of time in screening, stamping, painting etc.

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  7. Hi Annabel, We'll definitely be taking orders for print jobs and we'll basically print any image you want onto your choice of fabric. You could have a single image or a collection of images across the width and they can be set out however you wish, larger ones, smaller ones, gaps between, no gaps, different angles, etc etc. The sky is the limit!
    I'm going to do some test runs and when they're done I'll be able to send you some samples so you can see the type of fabrics and quality of the print. I'm sure it'll suit your work brilliantly.

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  8. Ecky thump, but that sounds good! Look forward to seeing the samples when you're ready. Don't forget to stop for a little bit on the 25th will you? :)

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  9. Excellent stuff, very exciting.

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  10. This looks amazing - I don't know when you two ever sleep.

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  11. I'd like to do use your printing genius for Life (3) Switching Off please! It'll save me hours of time and will be worth putting on hold until you're ready. I still want to paint and stitch afterwards in the same way I ususally do, but it's an art quilt and using a photo to do the background quilts will speed the process no end for me. Your timing is perfect Laura :)) xx

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  12. Hi Annabel,
    I'd love to print the fabric for your next quilt. We're working on some samples at the moment and I'll post you some so you can feel the fabric and see the print quality!
    Talk to you soon,
    Laura

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