Fuller Day

I have so much to do in the studio so I left at about 10 today after the cows were milked and the chickens let out (or more like after I got myself away from the Kindle and actually put clothes on and got out the door!)  I managed to finish up all the pre-sale stuff on the two pieces I sold-  re-blocked them, fixed anything that was needing repairs, mounted one on stretchers, made labels, and printed out the care-and-feeding sheets for both.  I wrapped a stick for the larger one with white duct tape because it has some splintery edges and that cleans it up nicely.  So they are both ready to be launched.

I haven't worked on Swamp-Thing for weeks it seems, but maybe next week I can do some more stitching on it.  I think I have about as much fabric as I want to deal with already on it, just have to get to the real work.

So, what I am struggling with is the commission piece.  It's for a family that is moving away and will be bought by several friends to give them as a reminder of their favorite golf foursome.  I am working with a bunch of photographs I have joined together, but I tried something new to me for these.  I decided I need to try digital ground for printing on fabric since my inkjet is dye in the studio, not pigment like I really should have.  (The pigment printer is up north and of an age that I didn't think it was worth transferring.)  But, back to the digital ground-  I coated some muslin as directed and let it dry overnight.  The surface turned almost gesso-like, a dull plaster white surface.  I pressed it and trimmed it for the printer and sent it through and am amazed at the quality of the print-  it's so bright and clear, not at all what I get printing directly on the fabric or using BJS.  So, the 'look' isn't what I want, it loses the fabric quality, but the color is great.  This is the piece so far.

I printed the building in 3 pieces after removing detail in Photoshop, cut out the background areas and just fused them down.  Then I removed background from all the men's photos-  these were taken separately- and resized them to scale, then printed them all out together.  I added fusing on the back and then cut out each piece individually and stuck them down-  I'm not sure they will stay where they appear today, we'll see before the iron hits them.  I looked at the clock and it was 6 PM-  the ENTIRE day was gone and I didn't even realize it.  But I got a batch o' stuff done.  Hopefully I will be able to finish it up tomorrow if I put in another full day.  I would love to get this one behind me and on to something more fun!

UPDATE-  Sunday morning Horror-Scope:   

You are so ready for a change that you could do something completely out of character today. But impulsive actions won't likely lead you to satisfaction now. It could take a couple more weeks before you begin to get clarity on what to do next. In the meantime, don't be close-minded; the more possibilities you entertain, the better your chances for success.

Guess I should maybe hold it back a little today.  Maybe I won't go to the studio until it gets over 40 degrees and my hands work without gloves...