Getting started on JQs

CQ's journal quilt size this year is 6" x 12". I've chosen a theme of "grids and structures", based on the cage-like towers by Susan Hefuna that were shown in a gallery on Eastcastle St in December.

And I saw on her blog that Linda had done a monoprint of a circle each day for a month, and is now combining those fabrics in quilts, which made me think that if a person were to get rid of all her printed fabrics ... if ... then she could do something like this to build up a stock of fabrics-with-potential ... 

and then came thoughts in quick succession: How long would it take to do a monoprint, Could I do it every day, These would be good for my JQs ... and, What ink to use...

quick bit of internet research on fabric printing ink ...

followed by ACTION - into the studio, have a rummage, and what do I find but some Textile Screen Printing Ink - black - unopened! (At least 5 years old; you forget what you've bought...)

My intention was to do a monoprint using one of the cut-out road plans arising from the "monoprint and handstitch" course last summer, but I was too impatient to go looking for them so decided to use the edge of a credit card to make lines directly on fabric. And the first bit of plain fabric that came my way was the right size (and shape) for a JQ ... so my intention swerved into printing it as a base and a few fabric scraps for adding to it.  

Strange printing setup!

Lines from the edge 

The ink will dry while I'm in Edinburgh next week, and I'm looking forward to putting the bits together asap on return.

Another wonderful thing about JQs is that you can use those small scraps - some of the bits that came out of the scrap box during the rummage are thumb-sized but too precious to throw away, and those are what I like best to use to enliven the piece.