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Misadventures in Fabric Surface Design

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I joined a group of quilters for a Surface Design workshop.

In case you are not familiar with the term “Surface Design” I looked for a formal definition, found many variations but essentially fabric “Surface Design” is creating original patterns and prints on fabric using various mediums which can include dyeing techniques, printing techniques, drawing, painting, embroidery, etc.

Little did I know this was not my thing and that I would be happy to continue purchasing commercial designed fabric after my MISADVENTURE IN SURFACE DESIGN!

The other quilters were very experienced fabric surface designers and their quilts made with surface designed fabrics have shown and been award ribbons at Quilt National, been show internationally, and have graced the covers or pages of Quilting Arts Magazine.

Here is an example of one of the quilter’s amazing collection of fabrics she has surface designed to use in her art quilts:

And then there is me who was totally clueless.

They threw me right into it and I was introduced to the equipment and chemicals involved in fabric dyeing, screen printing, and manual surface design including how to mix dyes and how to prepare your fabric with a soda ash solution soak. We dried our prepared fabric on the clothesline.

Here I am trying to “surface design” (but only making a “hot mess” on fabric):

So I failed at surface designing but perhaps I will try it again someday like in a formal class and not with a group of expert surface designers, ha! For now I will stick with commercially purchased fabric that someone else has designed!

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Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

30 thoughts on “Misadventures in Fabric Surface Design”

  2. Oh wow, this is so interesting, I would love to learn this technique, I sometimes battle to find the right fabric for my projects, would love to make my own. I also think yours looks pretty good for a first time effort.

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  3. I have never tried surface design, but would love to! I actually like your piece, and am curious what it looked like after the wash. What a fun experience – You know some interesting people!

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  4. My first exposure to this idea was in the late 1990s, early 2000s during an Artist’s Open Studio weekend in the town/county I lived in at the time. I loved Sarah Rockinger’s home & studio in olde town Lafayette – and even better – digging through her baskets of free ‘reject’ pieces of altered fabrics she had experimented on…I still have a handful of pieces I want to ‘do something with’ and scraps from those I did use, but the remains are mostly out on view for inspirational motivation! HA! I’ve tried my hand at Indigo Dying as it’s a local point of pride here using the SC native plants. Yes, I like altered fabrics, the process, even a few of my own pieces – but like yourself, it’s not for me. In my case, just too labor intensive! BTW: your post prompted me to google her and turns out she is currently involved with creating social justice (he)art (thematic gun control focus) threadscapes and ‘unwearable’ art pieces. You might be interested as she’s still based in Colorado.

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    1. Thanks Laura I really appreciate your comments! One of the art quilters has a breathtaking piece (could not share it as it has been submitted for a national show) made with her hand dyes that you could never get with purchased fabric, and I am just going to admire it from afar 🙂
      It was not my calling. Thanks for the info on the Colorado textile artist 🙂

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  5. I loved your interesting post but there’s something so fun and satisfying with finding a great print wrapped around a bolt in a fabric shop that I can take home and cut into right away…..😂

    But I can understand those that need their own colors, designs, etc.

    Too many projects- too little time…..

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  6. I loved your interesting post but there’s something so fun and satisfying with finding a great print wrapped around a bolt in a fabric shop that I can take home and cut into right away…..😂

    But I can understand those that need their own colors, designs, etc.

    Too many projects- too little time…..

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  9. First of all your piece was not hideous! I liked it. Plus if you actually used it, you would cut it up and mix it with other fabrics and the spaced repetition would make it look even better!

    But I am with you — when I tried dyeing my own pieces, the amount of work for the poor results I got, made me pledge to just support the professionals. 🙂

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  10. I don’t think your first piece was that bad. That said I don’t think it is for me either, I don’t have the patience for documenting process so I can figure out how it ended up like it did and how to do it again :-). Though my experiments in home dyeing fabric did open my eyes to how much water gets used in fabric production.

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  11. I work at ASU and they have a semester long class in creating your own materials / fabrics that I’m seriously considering taking, esp since I can take it for $25! Haven’t had time to this point, but it is hopefully going to happen before I retire.

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  12. Honestly, I liked your first piece! It has a lot of movement and energy, and I like the effect of it! I hope it grows on you as you look at it 🙂 In any case, it sounds like lovely days with friends, and some lovely cats and dogs to love on included!

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  13. I think you learned a lot that might show up in unexpected ways later on, and if nothing else, I bet you will have extra appreciation for all the commercial designs we luckily have! By the way I really like your first work, I imagined it much larger scale and I thought it would make a Great Wall hanging all on its own. Even smaller scale I liked its complexity and color scheme.

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  14. I always found that surface design only worked if I approached with an idea to develop. The times I came at it too experimentally and without a clear plan I always failed dismally. Forgive yourself and move on! 😊

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  15. Looks like you had lots of fun, and that’s what counts.

    I too have tried, and failed at, surface design. I love the effects and originality of hand dyed fabric. Luckily one can buy it! Much easier and less messy

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  16. Pingback: Okay a reveal on the surface design piece…. – tierneycreates

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