A few years ago when ATCs were first in vogue, Quilting Arts hosted an ATC swap. Our Editor-in-Chief, Pokey Bolton, offered to send an ATC to anyone who sent one to us, and boy, did our readers take us up on that offer. Several hundred ATCs came in, and it became clear we would need to marshal our forces to fulfill our end of the bargain.

So Pokey instituted craft nights at the office: On Tuesdays after 5 we would throw a cloth over the conference table, put out some snacks and beverages, and gather around to bead, snip, stitch, and stamp. These evenings also provided a chance for those of us less familiar with certain techniques to learn a few tricks of the trade.

 

Once we backed and signed the last ATC of that massive swap, our Tuesday evening art salons dissipated. But recently, we decided to reinstate our evenings of fun and learning (and munching), and several of us gathered round the table a couple of weeks ago to make Thermofax screens. Some of us were skeptical, some plunged right in. There was a lot of trial and error (mostly error accompanied by laughter), but in the end, we learned a lot, and our art director, Larissa Davis, made a wonderful print from a photo of her hand-decorated boots (pictured).

 

If you're curious about Thermofax screen printing, Pokey has a great mini-tutorial on her Editor's Blog.

 

Want more info? See Jane Dunnewold's article in the August/September issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, or watch for our upcoming Quilting Arts Workshop DVD, "Demystifying Thermofax Screen Printing" by Claire Fenton, coming soon to our online store.