A Little Cleverness is a Dangerous Thing, Part One
It’s been a busy year and I have hardly gotten any projects done. When I finally had a chance to get into the sewing room, I thought it would be best to use up some supplies I’ve had for years, and work on some UFOs (UnFinished Objects).
A few years ago, I set aside time to try out all kinds of materials I had read about. One technique was to fuse fibers into a non-woven fabric with textile medium. I tried it, I was not happy with the results, and said I would not do it again. But as the years went by, my memory faded.
This practice piece I had made was sitting out on top of a bin of fabric, and I kept looking at it, thinking that the fused fiber cloth I had used for the edges was the best part of the whole piece. I kept thinking, “The color is good, it has a nice crisp finish — why didn’t I like that technique?”
A practice piece from December 2014.
I still had a bunch of the fiber (and still no spinning wheel to spin it up), so I cleverly decided to use up that fiber by making fused fibers again.
Basically you lay out a thin layer of fiber on a window screen, place another layer at right angles to the first, add another layer in the same direction as the first, spray the whole thing with water, and then sponge with textile medium.
One layer of fibers laid out for fusing.
Place the second layer at 90 degrees from the first, and repeat one more time.
I was really layering the fibers evenly, in thin sheets, and having fun, but quickly my thoughts turned to, “Why is this coming out so unevenly? I have done this before! How much textile medium is this going to take? Man, this is an expensive piece of fabric!”
When it dried and I carefully pulled it from the screen, it was puckered and cratered. I pressed it using parchment paper, but it didn’t look any better. The colors are okay, but the texture is not exactly something I would want to use. It’s uneven and stodgy to handle. I think I could use it to make a journal cover or Kindle cover, but it is not worth the time and effort it took.
The finished piece is lumpy and much duller than the fibers in their pre-textile-medium state.
A close-up of puckers, wrinkles, and craters.
I was so puzzled as to why it had turned out better the first time, and finally took a closer look at the edges of the dragonfly piece.
The back of the “fused fiber” edging, showing that it is just printed on cloth.
I had run the original fused fiber through the scanner and photo editor, and then printed it on cloth! I even wrote that in my post back then.
Oh well, I can still use the photos of this batch and do the same thing, print them on fabric and use them that way. But never again! I mean it this time!
Next up: More craft complications with a quilt.
The first piece is lovely. Best just throw that medium in the bin! Not something I have come across myself. Good luck with the printing.
Yes, computer printing fabric is one technique I am happy with — not very messy! 🙂
I hear you about the cost of that medium. One teacher blithely recommended that for mixed media collaging. I figure she got hers free. As to your results this time around, maybe you could sand it down for a smooth finish or use it as a backing to sew a small quilt to. The uneven edges might be fun.
Yes, it cost me about $12 in medium to use up some free fiber I’ve had for about 20 years. And since I now have the finished pieces, it’s not like I even gained any space in the fiber closet! Oh well, live and learn. And re-learn. 🙂
Why is it that we “forget” these little(?) pieces of info????!!!!!!?????? Even when they’re staring us right in the face…….sigh!!
It must be because our minds are filled with more important things, like “I want to try quilting a vintage table cloth like Doreen does.” “I need a Juki.” 🙂
You are so very kind!! My curiosity (“if I do this…..” or “what if I….”) drives my days (and nights!) and, at times, has a tendency to ‘drive’ DH crazy!!!!! I hope that my pieces do inspire others to try……go for it. Really, what’s the worst that could happen??? Hugs…………………….
I love the experiments even though I never get to the expert stage! I am always full of the “what if”s too. 🙂
Hi,
Though I am not into this zone you are talking about but I could sense your emotions going through your words. Loved your write up and your work looks beautiful to my eye 🙂
Best Regards,
Kalpana.
Thank you, Kalpana. I can sense your emotions in your writing too and you always give me a new insight!
Ha! A similar story- when I was working with hair years ago and researching hair jewelry and mourning necklaces made from hairballs, I dreamed up the vision of widows casting the necklaces out to sea once the year of mourning was over. I wrote about this so poetically in a sketchbook that a few years later on rereading I wondered what culture the tradition was from and spent ages on the internet looking for a source before realizing I had made the whole thing up…Details and memory- so important!
Gosh, it would have been a wonderful tradition. It’s so evocative, it does seem like it would have been a tradition somewhere. Maybe someday you will become a fiction writer and write a sci fi/fantasy novel and include it. It would be a very original detail! Although now that you posted about it here, some other writer may “adopt” it. 🙂
Agree! There are lots of things I want to do, but fused fiber (at least of this type) isn’t one of them. Gotta set a limit somewhere 😉
Yes, I am trying to work through the multiple supplies and books I have, and then I will stick to just a few crafts. Weaving and quilting, plus knitting and crocheting because you can take those along with you, plus sketching. And that’s it! Well and natural dyeing because you can do that while you are doing something else. And bookbinding looks fun… 🙂
It looks like fun, but only if someone else led the workshop, purchased all the supplies, and told me what to do. 🙂
It could be a fun class, because it doesn’t require much thought. Lots of time to socialize between steps! 🙂
I have to laugh about the fact that you even blogged about the way you used the dragonfly fabric and STILL forgot. I do that all the time! I think “oh, I’ll write a post about that,” then I have a niggling memory and go back and find I’ve already written that post!
I am sticking to the story that we forget trivial details about past projects, because our brains are so loaded down with important facts and creative ideas for future projects. 🙂
You should rewrite the post anyway, and test the memories of your readers…
We’ve all been there. It’s nice to know it not only happens to me, but others have experienced the same. Thanks for posting!