Printed, Dyed and Stitched is an exhibit of all new works by Barbara Danzi, created with silk screens and other printing tools and techniques, thickened fiber-reactive dyes. After printing and dyeing the fabric, it’s layered and stitched with quilted lines that add additional meaning or context to the dyed compositions.

Printed, Dyed and Stitched is part of Handwork 2026, Craft in America's nationwide semiquincentennial collaboration showcasing the importance of the handmade and celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America.

The Artists Gallery (TAG)
5458 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles

October 28th - November 20th, 2026

Fiber Artist Talk Sunday November 8th 3 PM

Reception - Saturday November 7th 5-8 PM

These whole-cloth printed quilts begin in my studio with white cotton fabric and thickened fiber-reactive dyes. Using the silkscreens I create as well as relief printing, breakdown printing, and scraping techniques, I build layers of color, flowing lines, and organic shapes. I mix the dye colors and allow each printed layer to interact with those beneath it, creating compositions that balance intention with discovery.

Unlike paint or ink that sits on the surface, fiber-reactive dye chemically bonds with the cotton fibers, making the color part of the cloth itself. I use Procion MX dyes, thickened to a pudding-like consistency, which allow me to print expressive marks while maintaining the softness and flexibility of the fabric.

Once I’ve printed, washed, and dried the fabric I hang it on the wall and spend time studying the composition. What does it suggest? What stories might be waiting to emerge? I begin to recognize imagery in the abstract forms—an underwater reef, fragments of broken glass, a wall through which vines could grow. These discoveries guide the next stage of the work.

I layer the printed cloth with cotton batting and a fabric backing, then stitch through all three layers using a sewing machine and many colors of thread. Using the needle to draw, as though it were a pencil, I stitch plants and other motifs directly onto the fabric. The stitching adds texture, depth, and new layers of meaning, sometimes reinforcing the printed imagery and sometimes introducing something unexpected.

The finished quilts retain the softness and familiarity of cloth while inviting viewers to experience them as paintings made with dye and thread. Each work emerges through an ongoing conversation between the marks I print, the images I discover, and the lines I stitch.