Monday, October 11, 2010

Ink Tests & Final Fabrics for Bodies....



I will be inking my design for Marguarite's jacket by hand, with a metal nib. I'm not going to use an actual quill, cause honestly, I cant cut them at a consistent angle to get the same width of a line. They work well on a smooth paper, and in an up to down motion, but nothing else! HA! I have drawn on fabrics for years, so it doesn't bother me or make me nervous about messing up...but my normal India ink I always use, has recently been """"improved""", and is total crap as a result of said improvements. No more shellac used, and they have gone to a .....(gag) plastic base. blek I ordered a couple of bottles to try, actually the only two India inks that I could find that were being sold as WATERPROOF & PERMANENT. Well, as is normal these days, things are not what they are advertised as.....


I did both samples at the same time, on the same day, with the same pen, on the same fabric, a cotton muslin. Used the same nib. Everything was the same, except what I drew on the doodle, and the ink of coarse. After I finished and let both dry for 5 minutes, I ironed the heck out of them with a dry iron on highest setting to 'set' the ink. Let them cool and sit for half hour, then dunked them in the water. While they were below the surface, I massaged the piece in between my thumb and fingers, to see if any ink would run......well, as you can see~ it did! The one above is "Calli Jet Black India 010" by Daler Rowney. It is supposed to be both permanent and waterproof. This stuff smeared instantly , NO rubbing needed. As soon as it hit the water the ink lifted~ absolutely unacceptable. Cost for this 1 oz bottle, 5.00

Next was an ink from just up the way from me here in Golden Colorado~ Dr. Ph Martin's Black Star Waterproof India HICARB. Now when I dunked this one in the water, nothing happened....so I scrubbed the heck out of the sample, and still, nothing lifted, as you can see. So this is the ink I will be using, and its got a higher carbon content than most India inks, so is a bit blacker, much to my liking. 17th c inks had a very high carbon content as well. Cost of this 1 oz bottle, 9.00 ....and worth every penny
I have also made my final decisions on the fabrics I am going to use for Marguarite's bodies...and I am SO excited about them! Ya I'm a bit nerdy about it, I even made a little 3 min video for you to see. This is them below~ a goldenrod yellow silk shot with lavender for the outside, late 19th c 100% cotton sheeting for the backing of the silk on the front, and a FABULOUS mid-late 19th c handwoven fustian for the inner lining~ this stuff is so thick and heavy, its really awesome. I am going to stitch in the blue 100% cotton thread, and am pondering using the antique whalebone stays I have amassed over the years as a stiffener....I may use bents or reeds, haven't decided on those yet. Ill will be stitching up a sample soon.








1 comment:

Sandra said...

Loving your inked jacket fabric. Did you use India ink for your inscriptions and drawings on your amazing Baltimore Album that was juried into Houston?
Nice to meet you here in blogland, I'm an AQS certified quilt appraiser and 19th c. quilt collector in Moab.