PaintingPrintmakingQuilting

Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the prints): Part Two

As promised, today I am sharing some photos of the fabrics I made in Pat Pauly's "Glorious Prints" class. 

From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two

I didn't have the space to take photos of the big pieces of fabric, so these are all close ups of the details:

From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two
From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two
From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two

You can see many of the same shapes and motifs repeated over and over again with slight variations.  Lots of x's and o's.

From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two
From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two
From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two
From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two
From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two
And here are some photos of just some of the fabric, folded up and laid out:

From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two

From the Balzer Designs Blog: Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the class): Part Two

Some observations about working with dye:

  • Dye is more like watercolor paint than like acrylic paint.  It's transparent.  There is no white.
  • The dye is less "crisp" than paint.  For example, Thermofax prints are slightly more blurred.
  • The dye colors are rich and vibrant.
  • All of the rules of color mixing hold true with dyes — with the exception of tinting….sort of.  To tint a color I would normally add white.  With dye, I have to use more thickener and less pigment because there is no white.
  • You can't achieve an opaque color.
  • The color of the fabric you start with always effects the outcome because the dyes are transparent.
  • You must wear gloves because the dye stains your skin for days…ask me how I know.
  • There is more prep work in preparing fabrics to be dyed than in painting fabrics.  There is also more work in the laundry/washing out phase.
  • The dyed fabric feels just as soft and lovely as the fabric did the day I bought it. 
  • There is no dimensional aspect to the dye.  It isn't raised off the surface in any way, as paint often is.
  • Dye is not as complicated as I thought.  A little bit of know how goes a long way.  

If you'd like to learn more about working with fabric and dye:

Can't wait to use my new fabrics! Thanks for stopping by!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a mixed-media artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops, her online classroom www.balzerdesigns.com, and through monthly membership at www.MyArtPractice.com.

42 thoughts on “Glorious Prints with Pat Pauly (the prints): Part Two

  • Stunning fabrics… I hope you were true to yourself and took them to The Barn this week. I worry for you here – being a lifelong quilter and knowing you.. I want you to get the most out of it but just like your history as an artist prepared you to get the most out of that dye class – I suspect the teacher there was thrilled at seeing you throw all that out there and get it done! However, this weeks situation is different. I hope you are thriving, learning good technique and ripping up that 100 yards of fabric!!

    Reply
  • Stunning fabrics… I hope you were true to yourself and took them to The Barn this week. I worry for you here – being a lifelong quilter and knowing you.. I want you to get the most out of it but just like your history as an artist prepared you to get the most out of that dye class – I suspect the teacher there was thrilled at seeing you throw all that out there and get it done! However, this weeks situation is different. I hope you are thriving, learning good technique and ripping up that 100 yards of fabric!!

    Reply
  • Stunning fabrics… I hope you were true to yourself and took them to The Barn this week. I worry for you here – being a lifelong quilter and knowing you.. I want you to get the most out of it but just like your history as an artist prepared you to get the most out of that dye class – I suspect the teacher there was thrilled at seeing you throw all that out there and get it done! However, this weeks situation is different. I hope you are thriving, learning good technique and ripping up that 100 yards of fabric!!

    Reply
  • Stunning fabrics… I hope you were true to yourself and took them to The Barn this week. I worry for you here – being a lifelong quilter and knowing you.. I want you to get the most out of it but just like your history as an artist prepared you to get the most out of that dye class – I suspect the teacher there was thrilled at seeing you throw all that out there and get it done! However, this weeks situation is different. I hope you are thriving, learning good technique and ripping up that 100 yards of fabric!!

    Reply
  • Stunning fabrics… I hope you were true to yourself and took them to The Barn this week. I worry for you here – being a lifelong quilter and knowing you.. I want you to get the most out of it but just like your history as an artist prepared you to get the most out of that dye class – I suspect the teacher there was thrilled at seeing you throw all that out there and get it done! However, this weeks situation is different. I hope you are thriving, learning good technique and ripping up that 100 yards of fabric!!

    Reply
  • Stunning fabrics… I hope you were true to yourself and took them to The Barn this week. I worry for you here – being a lifelong quilter and knowing you.. I want you to get the most out of it but just like your history as an artist prepared you to get the most out of that dye class – I suspect the teacher there was thrilled at seeing you throw all that out there and get it done! However, this weeks situation is different. I hope you are thriving, learning good technique and ripping up that 100 yards of fabric!!

    Reply
  • Stunning fabrics… I hope you were true to yourself and took them to The Barn this week. I worry for you here – being a lifelong quilter and knowing you.. I want you to get the most out of it but just like your history as an artist prepared you to get the most out of that dye class – I suspect the teacher there was thrilled at seeing you throw all that out there and get it done! However, this weeks situation is different. I hope you are thriving, learning good technique and ripping up that 100 yards of fabric!!

    Reply
  • Lovely designs. I knew the large circles had to be yours from the other class post. I look forward to seeing how you use them. Looks like yummy journal pages. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Lovely designs. I knew the large circles had to be yours from the other class post. I look forward to seeing how you use them. Looks like yummy journal pages. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Lovely designs. I knew the large circles had to be yours from the other class post. I look forward to seeing how you use them. Looks like yummy journal pages. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Lovely designs. I knew the large circles had to be yours from the other class post. I look forward to seeing how you use them. Looks like yummy journal pages. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Lovely designs. I knew the large circles had to be yours from the other class post. I look forward to seeing how you use them. Looks like yummy journal pages. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Lovely designs. I knew the large circles had to be yours from the other class post. I look forward to seeing how you use them. Looks like yummy journal pages. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • Lovely designs. I knew the large circles had to be yours from the other class post. I look forward to seeing how you use them. Looks like yummy journal pages. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  • I would know your “O”s anywhere,

    Reply
  • I would know your “O”s anywhere,

    Reply
  • I would know your “O”s anywhere,

    Reply
  • I would know your “O”s anywhere,

    Reply
  • I would know your “O”s anywhere,

    Reply
  • I would know your “O”s anywhere,

    Reply
  • I would know your “O”s anywhere,

    Reply
  • These fabrics are stunning and so personalized! I don’t sew or quilt but your posts and photos on Pat Pauly’s workshop make me want to learn and worry about having a stack of fabric later. It’s inspiring to read about your fabric forays some of which appear to be new creative endeavors for you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great summer of learning, traveling, and adventuring!

    Reply
  • These fabrics are stunning and so personalized! I don’t sew or quilt but your posts and photos on Pat Pauly’s workshop make me want to learn and worry about having a stack of fabric later. It’s inspiring to read about your fabric forays some of which appear to be new creative endeavors for you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great summer of learning, traveling, and adventuring!

    Reply
  • These fabrics are stunning and so personalized! I don’t sew or quilt but your posts and photos on Pat Pauly’s workshop make me want to learn and worry about having a stack of fabric later. It’s inspiring to read about your fabric forays some of which appear to be new creative endeavors for you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great summer of learning, traveling, and adventuring!

    Reply
  • These fabrics are stunning and so personalized! I don’t sew or quilt but your posts and photos on Pat Pauly’s workshop make me want to learn and worry about having a stack of fabric later. It’s inspiring to read about your fabric forays some of which appear to be new creative endeavors for you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great summer of learning, traveling, and adventuring!

    Reply
  • These fabrics are stunning and so personalized! I don’t sew or quilt but your posts and photos on Pat Pauly’s workshop make me want to learn and worry about having a stack of fabric later. It’s inspiring to read about your fabric forays some of which appear to be new creative endeavors for you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great summer of learning, traveling, and adventuring!

    Reply
  • These fabrics are stunning and so personalized! I don’t sew or quilt but your posts and photos on Pat Pauly’s workshop make me want to learn and worry about having a stack of fabric later. It’s inspiring to read about your fabric forays some of which appear to be new creative endeavors for you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great summer of learning, traveling, and adventuring!

    Reply
  • These fabrics are stunning and so personalized! I don’t sew or quilt but your posts and photos on Pat Pauly’s workshop make me want to learn and worry about having a stack of fabric later. It’s inspiring to read about your fabric forays some of which appear to be new creative endeavors for you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great summer of learning, traveling, and adventuring!

    Reply

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