printing Archives - Zeens and Roger

Screenprinting a granny square lampshade

Screenprinting Crochet Motifs

I love everything to do with crochet, and I mean everything! So why not make my own granny square lampshade?!

A few weeks ago, I went to Double Elephant, a printing workshop in Exeter, to attend a fabulous screenprinting day. I knew as soon as I signed up and handed over my money, that my printed lampshade was going to feature crochet granny squares. No surprise there….

And because I know there are loads of other crochet obsessed folks around the old internet, I thought I would share my day and show a few pictures of what was involved.

Yes, I made a granny square lampshade, but really, I think anything goes when it comes to screenprinting. If you can draw it, it can probably be printed onto fabric, too.

I deliberated about other kinds of crochet motifs that I could design for printing, like maybe I could draw lots of different kinds of crochet hooks and have them all lined up like dutiful soldiers. And I considered chart symbols too. But ultimately, nothing says “crochet” more than a gorgeous granny square, right?!

Designing a Granny Square Motif

The screenprinting workshop covered one full day, and the schedule was jam packed. There was only a finite amount of design prep, so there wasn’t much time to dillydally over details. I am glad I already knew that I was sticking to the classic crochet square, as it meant a decent head start. There were a few initial sketches for different aesthetic choices, but ultimately, it was a rush job as each “stitch” was hand-drawn.

I drew a quarter square template and would rotate it every few seconds to quickly scribble all four quadrants. That was done six times over, and there were definitely some “Eeek” moments when things didn’t quite align. Much like real-life crochet, I fudged it a couple of times and everything worked out fine.

Screenprinting Fun

I confess that I didn’t pay much attention to the science of screen printing. To me, the end result was the important thing. It’s always interesting to try new arts and crafts, but I wasn’t here to be wooed; I knew I was still loyal to crochet (TLA!).

But wow, it is pretty hardcore. There are many steps to create a perfect copy of that first hand-drawn design. There’s an intense vacuum machine for one thing! And special UV paint, which I smeared onto my screen and then blasted off with a jet washer, once it had been exposed to light. I had no idea that the workshop would entail such a detailed process. Fascinating stuff.

mixing paint to print my granny square lampshade — mixing colours for screenprinting, ready for my granny square lampshade

Screenprinting for a granny square lampshade.

One Step Closer to a Granny Square Lampshade

With my silk screen ready and the granny squares waiting, I mixed up a rich royal blue ink that I was going to print onto an ecru linen fabric. This was my favourite moment, but sadly, much like other good things in life, it was over far too quickly. I loved squeegying on the paint, it was very satisfying indeed!

Twice, you go over the silk screen with the thick ink and then carefully peel it away from the fabric. There were four of us in the workshop (the maximum number of attendees), and it was pretty funny to see us all standing there, hair-drying out prints (to work the second panel, the first must be dry).

granny square motifs printed onto fabric. This will be turned into a lampshade.

Granny square lampshade fabric ready for action.

Turning Fabric into a Lampshade

It is actually quite tricky to make a lampshade. I had no idea! It’s a fiddly business, and it took everyone’s full concentration.

Firstly, there’s the sticking down of the beautiful, newly printed fabric. It needs to be done slowly and with caution, placing it onto a sturdy, sticky rectangle of plastic. It must not be wonky! It’s fair to say I messed up a little bit and had to redo mine. Luckily, the fabric wasn’t harmed. Phew!

Then, two metal hoops need to be independently balanced onto two thin strips of adhesive that ran down each length of the plastic. Again, this had to be done accurately or you’d have a lopsided lampshade. Don’t forget all of this was done by hand – I had patiently attached the sticky strips of glue, it wasn’t pre-prepared…

At this point, you could have heard a pin drop. And funnily enough, there were pins involved (to keep everything in place). But I know that no one dropped any pins; I’d have heard them.

Lastly, the two raw edges were pushed into place around the thin hoops. This actually took quite a lot of oomph. It was a tough job. However, the end result created a sleek finish to my new lampshade, and it was very much worth the time and effort. Yay!

I am literally so happy with my granny square lampshade!! It’s just what I wanted, and it looks amazing in my living room too!

My crochet inspired granny square lampshade in its new home.

Screen Printing Lampshades

Like I said before, if you can draw it, it’s almost guaranteed that it can be printed. One of the wonderful things about the workshop is that you get to see everyone’s different ideas. The other women I spent the day with all made beautiful lampshades; we would collectively gasp in delight when each other’s designs were revealed in ink.

I really enjoyed the workshop and would love to be able to print swathes and swathes of crochet-inspired fabrics. Alas, it’s something I probably won’t get around to doing, but it’s a nice thought.

Have you tried screen printing before? What do you reckon? Am I getting a bit too obsessed with crochet? It’s the tip of the iceberg, you know. If you can think it, I’m pretty sure you can crochet it….

As a full on crochet addict I am always on the look out for fun items that are related to my favourite craft. I’ve got a nice collection of project bags, buttons and pins, even mugs that are clear indicators of my stitchy status but sometimes there’s not a lot of choice out there. Instead, images and ideas often come flitting in and out of my head for ways to come up with my own creations. Most things end up as a bit of a dream, or the project gets pushed back to the bottom of the list. Crochet cross stitch patterns have been on there for a while (I WILL get round to doing these, they’re half made already!). Exploring different crafts, yet staying true to my first love pleases me greatly.

The latest bright spark of an idea are these printed greeting cards. I’ve shocked myself by actually pulling my finger out and sorting them out, ready for release! I did it! There are real life granny square print cards for sale of Etsy!! I LOVE them!! The link will take you to a set of four but they are also available individually.

If you’re a Patron you get a nice discount on the set. Go HERE to Patreon to find out more. x

I’ve had a printing kit for a while and have, over the years, half halfheartedly messed about with the carving tools without getting very good. That isn’t enough to stop me from having a go though. In my kit I have multiple blades for cutting, shaving and gouging pieces of negative space from small lino sheets you can buy online. There’s also printing ink and a roller. The intricate motifs you can achieve from hand cut prints is amazing. I’m pretty bad at it yet I still get results that make me super happy. I like the imperfections and (in my case) rudimentary qualities. It’s not supposed to be perfect, that’s not the point. Have you tried lino cuts/printing before? It’s very satisfying.

Because I couldn’t find anything to buy that fit the bill, over the Christmas holidays I started playing with ways of drawing, painting and printing crochet granny squares. This is when I dug down deep into the craft cupboard to retrieve the printing kit. It’s not easy, I sliced though parts of the lino I didn’t want to slice through, or hacked off chunks that shouldn’t have been hacked off. Also, being a lazy creature, I went for abstract crochet stitches rather than go for precise realism. The idea of hand drawing every single twist of a stitch, getting perfect symmetry throughout? No, thanks, haven’t got the patience.

There have been a few incarnations. The one below is one of my first attempts at a granny print. It’s OK. I like it but it’s a bit rough. I was going to sell those ones as originals but there was a needling feeling that they weren’t quite good enough. I tried again. Second time around and everything is sooooo much better, I’m tremendously pleased with the balance of inky silhouette granny and rainbow colours. I had learned from the first goes to get the paint smoother and pay a bit more attention to carving the print (whilst still being lazy of course). And this time I felt they were good. I’m really proud of them. So much so I took photos of my four favourites and ordered prints! Prints to sell! I added them to my Etsy shop yesterday and I’ve already sold a few. Loads of people have added them to their shopping baskets (come on people, please hit “buy!”). One person has noticed the silliness in the product description too, I was having a funny five minutes at the time…

This probably won’t be a permanent thing, there is actual crochet that needs doing, but it is important to learn new skills and have a go at different things, don’t you think? Is there anything you fancy having a go at? And have you spotted any good crochet merch? If so, please let me know!