Wooohooo! I finally started the 12th century printed silk tunic project for my sweetheart!
And you find me quite excited as I was preparing for this very special project for some time now.
You might have already been wondering about all the new 12th/13th century inspired block printing stamps which I created during the last months. After finishing the last stamp we were finally able to put the new block printing stamps to good use.
I am so excited! My third 12th/13th century inspired block printing stamp is finished! And now I have three lovely Romanesque stamps for my next block printing & 12th century garb making project! *very happy dance*
I had to wait for about two days for the glue to harden. This will make sure that the linoleum cut will not separate from the wood part in the future. And as you can imagine, this were the longest two days ever! But it definitely paid off. The glue I used will make sure that the wood or linoleum part would rather fall apart than the linoleum cut separate from the wood. Knowing that has some odd reassuring quality for me – I don’t know why but I really enjoy this thought. *lol* 😉
Well, it seems like the creative powers are still flowing as cutting my second romanesque inspired teardrop stamp for my new 12th/13th century block printing project didn’t take very long. 🙂
Like the first “teardrop stamp with Arabic letters”, this second “teardrop stamp with birds” was also inspired by an extant printed fabric from the Romanesque era. Actually this two stamps are inspired by the printed pattern on just one piece of fabric from the 12th/13th century. And now, that I made this second stamp, I am finally able to reproduce the extant pattern which inspired me. Btw. you can read more about my first teardrop stamp (with the Arabic letters) here: First 12th/13th century inspired block printing stamp finished! – Romanesque teardrop stamp .1
Sometimes my sweetheart can be very thoughtful. And after I got home from work today, I could tell that he had a very crafty day and weekend as he made some armor for his heavy fighting kit. But not only that, he also thought about my current block printing project and made another stamp pad – or however this thingies are called – for me. 🙂
…and so it finally begins – a new stamp for my next medieval inspired block printing project is cut and mounted! Romanesque teardrop stamp for the win!
And I already can’t wait to cut the next stamp as the 12th/13th century pattern which I want to reproduce and play with is calling for a set of at least two stamps. And not only that, I also have my eye already set on a third pattern which is quite similar in its outer appearance. I bet that this third medieval pattern would look lovely when added to this growing repertoire of what I started to call “romanesque teardrop stamps”. Yes, one can definitely say for sure that I’ve fallen in love with block printing. And this craft is so amazing and inspiring – I already found several inspiring medieval print patterns with which I would love to play. Yes, the possibilities of this craft appear to be endless. 🙂
I haven’t made anything for myself for over one year, as my dear sweetheart pointed out to me recently. And the good husband that he is, he made me swear that I would start working on a project for myself and my own amusement next. …or as I did put it: as soon as possible. 😉
However much fun it is to make things for other people, one has always to be careful not to work oneself to the brink of creative exhaustion. Therefore I find it really important to do a fun project from time to time in order to recharge the internal batteries. It feels to me like a creative recharge every now and then gets me beyond the point of “just making a thing”. It enables me to go one step further – to open my mind for inspiration, to allow myself to get creative and to execute techniques and patterns I haven’t tried yet. Yes, in my opinion inspiration is a very important part of every creative process and project but it is also a very fragile flower which needs some occasional pampering. And to work oneself into a burn out doesn’t really help anyone as the recovery process can take quite some time. I am glad that my sweetheart takes such a good care of me and reminds me to take a break once in a while. Continue reading