Autumn…and problem solving

First, a bit of fall. Living as we do six flights above Broadway the signs of  fall are often a but muffled. A dear friend who has moved to Western Massachusetts invited us to her home for the weekend.

We have driven the same route often , but usually during the summer. During the summer the landscape is pleasant enough, but in the fall, it was mesmerizing. The leaves turn translucent as they loose their green.

My husband had to make a call for work while we were on the road, so we pulled off at a scenic outlook so he could make his call.

I know, this is so pretty it looks completely fake.

It looks like a cliché of New England farmland.

When the call was completed, we went on our way.

Today, I tried to solve a problem. I was asked to do a photo transfer onto a quilt square. I have used two methods to do photo transfers. One requires lifting the image off of a photocopy using iron on mending tape. Unfortunately for me, most copy shops now use much less tones than they used to.

 

The second transfer method I used to use, really successfully was Bubble Jet 2000. Bubble Jet is a mystery chemical. If you soak fabric in it and let it dry you can print images from your computer on fabric. You then ( and this is the weird part), soak the printed image in soapy water to set the color. It’s a great method, BUT it won’t work with my new printer.

 

I have to transfer  this image.

I realized that I might try something a little arty and see if it worked.

I posterized the image so it would be easier to see the contours.

Then I traced it onto pale yellow silk gazar  using acrylic paint and a fine tipped brush.

Here it is without the printed image beneath, on the black that will be the base of the quilt square.

And with a slight improvement of a painted silk backing.

I may end up machine stitching over the lines, or adding details with machine stitching. If you have any brilliant ideas, let me know.