Printmaking on Fabric

About a month ago, I signed up for a workshop called “Printmaking on Fabric.” I immediately thought of the videos of silk - screen printing that I had seen on Instagram and was excited. The workshop started on Friday and continued into most of Saturday. We started with creating simple templates by gluing string, rubber bands, beans, and cereal to pieces of cardboard. After applying paint to the textured surfaces, we created patterns on paper and scrap pieces of fabric. At the end of Friday’s session, I honestly felt childish. It was like I had signed up for finger - painting. I also felt guilty as I had convinced Steven, one of my best friends, to sign up for the workshop with me. Immediately after our classes were over (on Friday), we had rushed over to Walmart to buy T - shirts that we could print our designs on.

On Saturday we moved on to using other common items such as disposable plates, cardboard, plants that we had found outside, potatoes, and even cabbage. Once Steven told me how much fun he was having, I began to focus more on creating a piece that I would be proud of. The last few hours of Saturday involved playing with the silk - screen and making templates that created the precise patterns that I had been wanting to see. I now understand the uniqueness of items labeled “handmade.”