Scrim and gesso, sample 3

For my third sample, I used Tyvek as well. I traced the pattern onto the Tyvek and sewed over the lines using the machine.

The book I am using as my inspiration, exploring creative surfaces, by Linda Monk, recommends that you pull threads out of the scrim to distress the fabric and give further texture. So I did that.

I also ironed Vliesofix to the scrim so I could attach the Tyvek.

I was using old, small pieces, so they didn't join together perfectly. 

Then I ironed the Tyvek to make it shrink. The sewing tends to inhibit the shrinking somewhat, and 'control' the shrinkage. You have to be careful because it appears that nothing much is happening and then the shrinkage is huge!

I then attached the scrim, which had the Tyvek attached too, to the adhesive interfacing.
I used gesso, watered down a little again.

Once again, I used the acrylic paints. As I am half-heartedly working on a fossil theme, I don't mind the muddy colours. Perhaps they are even opalised!

Playing with gesso and textiles.

I have been considering trying a new technique. I saw an interesting chapter in a book: exploring creative surfaces by Lynda Monk.
My machine embroidery group at the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, had the theme water, and I thought I would try to use a new technique, seeing it was a small piece and was just for play.

The chapter I came across was Creative Surfaces with Scrim. I love scrim!
I started with some white scrim and ironed it onto some adhesive interfacing.

Then I put Gesso over it.

Then I painted it with acrylic paints.

I didn't really have much of an image in mind, I was just playing. And I don't have a lot of acrylic paint, so just used the primary colours and blended them. (I do have black and white too, of course.)

As the textile was rather thick, I wasn't game to use my machine on it. I hand sewed a little bit to make it fit our Water theme.

This photo was taken at a different time of day and is rather murky. The actual piece does look a bit better than this!

I have some rather ancient silk dyes. I thought I might as well get them out and see what happened. It seemed to be much stronger colours, but I also seem to have smoothed the gesso out a bit more.

Then I decided to paint the interfacing (why not?) with silk dyes.
I also played with a small bit of Tyvek (I got it in a kit many years ago, I only have a small piece.)
I adhered the Tyvek to the scrim with Vliesofix .

The heated Vliesofix (I used an iron) shrank and pulled the scrim a bit more.

 I then ironed it onto the adhesive interfacing, as I had done with the other pieces.

At this stage, there was no gesso, so I smeared a small bit next to the Tyvek and it took the silk dyes a little differently.

You can see that I have painted some Tyvek too, the piece on the left. I haven't done anything with it yet.

I haven't played with it since October.  I have been tidying up - a little bit and I came across this in my visual diary and thought I might give it a go again soon.

Secret Garden continured

Ok, the date 6/9/12 deserves a post!  (Oops, got excited about the numbers, forgot that it is now 2016.)

I have been working on my Secret Garden idea. I had done the background.

Then I did a free motion piece on soluble fabric. I thought I had made it the right size but when I dissolved the fabric it shrank. I seem to make this mistake often. But … it was the right size in one direction.

We had a day learning about Tyvek at the Embroiderers Guild play day recently, so I used that inspiration to try making a wall.  I knew I had a pack of it somewhere, I bought it at least 5 years ago but hadn't even opened the packet. After some wondering where it could be now that I have tidied my studio and knew I hadn't seen it while doing that, I remembered where it was.

So, Tyvek painted, some rough free motion sewing, a bit of heat from the iron and voila - a wall.

Inspired by Others - and doing it all at once.

I seem to remember reading that someone whose blog I visit (I can't remember who) was weaving a tapestry and just developing it as she went.  I was very admiring of that.
Then I saw Misha's blog and was inspired - he mentioned an assignment in which one of the things to try was distressing the work - a change from getting distressed myself when weaving. (Actually, I can't find where I thought he said that but he did talk about using man-made yarns.)
Anyway, I had played around with some Tyvek, painted it, covered it with PVA and then embedded some words from the newspaper. This was one of the ideas in Mixed Media Explorations by Beryl Taylor. I was thinking of developing some fabric for an art quilt or wall hanging, or something.

I took it along to a group I am working with, with a view to having our own show later in the year (stress, stress!! - my very first group show that is not part of the textiles course). It was suggested that I could cut the Tyvek up and weave with it.  Blank look from me - then, oh yes, possibly.

Tyvek responds to heat - I am always thinking of doing some heat distressed art quilt work and have the supplies, just haven't done much with it yet.
So ...
I decided to combine these ideas.  I am using fabrics that will react to heat - I hope.  I am designing it as I go.

The not very detailed cartoon - I took the large shapes out when I began.

Some of the painted Tyvek in the top left corner, unpainted Tyvek, synthetic fabrics and wool.

It seemed that I might be well advised to put in some wool with the Tyvek and synthetic fabrics so that not all the work will disintegrate - if it does anything at all.  I am a bit worried about the feathery bits of yarn, I might have to cover them and see if I can keep the heat away from them, I don't trust them not to actually burn.

Then I remembered that I have wanted to do a tapestry with holes in it, woven deliberately.

I'll take out the cardboard when I am finished, hope it doesn't fall apart.
Note the painted Tyvek, the weft shows very clearly.

So now it is all in the same piece.  It is supposed to be some sort of cocoon but I haven't done my maths properly and there is no way it will close (if I decide to make it 3D, yet another thing this is an experiment for).  I will worry about that at a later date, if it actually works. I am not sure if I want to heat all the fabrics, I am quite pleased with it as it is at the moment.
Maybe I'll have to do some more samples with the various fabrics and just see what happens, not put them into a design at all - if I can bring myself to do that.
Hmm, this all sounds a bit ad hoc - which it is. But it is also fun.

Semi-successful day

Well, if I am a half-glass full person, I could say I had a semi- successful day.  Not sure if I feel that positive.
It started with me deciding to play with some tyvek that I had, so I tried to remember what we did at the workshop with Neroli Henderson a few weeks ago.  I am glad that I haven't left it too long, as I often do.  I could actually remember most of what she told us.  And I cheated a little and looked it up in Hot Textiles by Kim Thittichai.
I painted the tyvek on both sides with Lumiere paint.  Then I ironed them all to see what would happen.

One piece had some small slits.

Another had some Angelina Fibre. 

The Angelina Fibre stopped a lot of the distortion (as the book had said it would).

One was was only painted.

One was sewn by machine before heating.

After that, I decided that I would like to continue playing with some of the Hot Stuff ideas.  The next thing I tried was to paint bonding web with silk painting dye.  I have had this dye for YEARS and am not game to try it for actual dyeing.  The book said I could use water soluble inks or dyes, so I decided to give these old dyes a go.
I had an old roll of Vleisofix that had started coming off the backing paper.  I thought that I could use this and it wouldn't be too much of a waste if it didn't work.  Old dye, old bonding web.

I painted several pieces and allowed them to dry.  The book said it would take ages, so I took the dog for her daily walk.  I took some more pictures of bark - I may have the world's best collection of bark pictures.  Perhaps I will post some of them later.

When I got home I was all excited about trying this technique.  I have some small pieces of kunin felt and the web just had to be ironed on and then I could use the heat gun to distress it all.  I carefully laid the sandwich paper over it all and ironed away.
The paper was firmly stuck to the felt!!  Obviously, we use the paper as a last protection, not the first.  I might have to invest in some teflon sheeting to do this.  I soaked the felt in water and managed to scrape off the paper.  The dye works.  The felt is now multicoloured.
I will have to try this another time.
Then I will have to decide what I am going to use these new techniques for, how I will use the new fabrics that I make. If I make any that I like.