Zed, new and improved

Honestly, I was so keen to finish the alphabet, I didn't even notice I failed to reverse the 'Z' prior to carving my zebra, until it was politely pointed out to me. RJH says now that my backwards Z for Zebra can be a 'collector's item' when I'm famous, hahaha. Anyhow, I was able to carefully re-jig the block and insert a new piece of lino to produce a new edition with the same zebra and a correct Z.

The instinct to draw letters in the right orientation is so strong that I really find it remarkably easy to forget to reverse them for block prints.

While I had assembled my quilt, I hadn't actually quilted it (or sewn the layers together) yet... so I was able to replace the reversed-z quilt block with a normal z quilt block.

Finishing the alphabet

with y for yak and z for zebra. I considered making y for yeti, to go with the mermaid and unicorn, but frankly, the sketch was too scary for a baby quilt (my ulterior motive for printing these monograms).

I've now completed the back and affixed the front, batting and back of the quilt. I still have to quilt it together, but the baby quilt should be finished soon too!

March: in like a lamb out like a lion?

So the Trans-Canada Etsy team has a challenge for the month of March: in like a lion, out like a lamb. In fact, I'm hosting. So, I knew I had better get on it. I half want to carve a lamb block (that sounds all wrong - out of lino, I mean) but I'm not really feeling it. So, I made another lion pillow.. This one is backed not with a lamb, or with an elephant, but with the zebras. I like yellow and turquoise.



I do like how the lion is sort of confrontational. I mean, this is the apex predator and my Mom, the photographer, was in his 'hood. I'm happy that that expressiveness of his face comes across in the print. The lioness looks more shrewd - like, "I see you there, but I haven't yet decided what to do about it." Cats. They watch, and consider.

It's very hard to get good photos when it's so dark and gloomy out. While the balmy 19 C weather is long gone, at least there is no snow. I can deal with light rain.



So it's a stripe of wild paisley with the dotted turquoise fabric with the leopards in the corner.







I was looking at the fabric, and you know, I think, I need to stop buying fabric.

There. I said it.

printmaking

I just bought myself a print by Alec Thibodeau cause he's awesome, and I can. I have one unicorn multimedia in Who's printsy this week (along with a Torontonian I really admire). I have a second unicorn multimedia in this teamcanada treasury and my Ox in this one.

Stripes and Spots pillow

So I made another pillow
yesterday, but it was too dark to photograph it.



This red and turqoise pillow is made of my lino block print of two zebras (Chevy and Burchell varieties) in black block printing ink on scarlet linen. It is in a patchwork with a contemporary print with a cheetah or jaguar, all spotted within spots.

I love how red combines with turquoise.



The back shows another contemporary print (ikea :) in red, orange and white with a stripe of brown suit fabric.

The pillow is 29.5 cm by 31 cm, or 11.75 inches by 12.25 inches.

Z is for zebra...

This is my lino block printed zebras (Chevy and Burchell varieties) in black water based ink on fuschia and red fabric, with a white impression of a letterpress zed, for my alphabet quilt-in-progress.

Letters remaining: Q, U, V, X, Y.

Zebras: Chevy's and Burchell's

This is a first edition lino block print of two zebras. The one on the left is known as Chevy's zebra and the one on the right is known as Burchell's. These are carved on a single block, and printed in black water-based ink on Japanese kozo, or mulberry paper. The sheets are 14 inches wide and 8 inches tall (35.6 cm by 20.3 cm).

Zebras are such an obvious animal to print - so graphic. They have differing anatomies though. As you can see, their manes, tails and striping depends on variety. I put them back to back to highlight this. Eventually, I will get to Z on my alphabet quilt...