Sometimes you just need to weave. I made a bunch of woven batik wallhangings a few months ago (Basic technique here).
More recently, while rummaging through my silk stash, I found an assortment of cotton/nylon blend fat quarters, in gorgeous colors, with a hand-dyed look and a silken sheen. I cut strips. and wove them on top of a piece of muslin backed with batting. The resulting strip measured about 9" x 18"
I zigzagged over all the raw edges with holographic thread:
Cut the weaving into two pieces, each about 9"x 9".
On the first piece, I freemotioned spiral circles with holographic thread, and added a binding.
No, I don't know why my work always comes out wonky. The back:
Then I started playing. I stood it up...
...pinched the corners,,,
....flipped it to the reverse....
...Caught opposite corners with a button...
  '
...Pinched the midline and folded into a bowl....
...underside of the bowl..
...reversed it...
I'm still deciding!
Here's the saga of piece 2. After cutting the long weaving into two, it looked like this:
I covered it with a layer of medium blue irridescent tulle. It grayed out the colors, but created a nice consistency.
Next, an angular stipple with gold metallic thread over the tulle...
...laid floral wire along each edge, and overcast with variegated thread:
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...bent it like Beckham (whatever that means)...
...Bent it a little differently, with the four corners in the air. I really like it!
It's a sort of dish! I might add tassles or solo earrings to the corners. It can hold, um, my daughter's guitar picks, Jelly Belly's, spare change, and other dry substances. like acorns, if we had any around here.
Finally, piece 3. It started as a small weaving on muslin and batting. I used several very narrow strips:
Unlike the first two pieces, I did not stitch over the strips' raw edges. I tested sparkly gold tulle on top:
Perfect gift for Hansel and Gretel - everywhere they take it, the glitter leaves a trail. I hastily returned the sheddy tulle to its airtight pod, before it could infect relatives and medical devices, then sloooowly freemotion stippled without any tulle:
(Slowly because, if you move fast and there's no tulle on top, your presser foot will catch under raw edges.) Trimmed it square...
...pinched the side centers...
Tried only two midline pinches - an interesting asymetrical dish:
The edges are also overcast with variegated thread, but not wired. Tacking stitches hold everything in place (I took out the pins).
Finished with buttons:
Here's the bottom.
I lined them all up for a group portrait, and realized that I have an art installation here!? Ahem. It makes a statement about the joys of shrivelling. Growing shorter, grayer and more wrinkly is good as long as you keep vintage buttons and shiny fabrics front and center. Also, tulle does wonders for the complexion.
Embrace the texture and the wonky edges...OR, press and square up b4 binding and block after binding.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the useful tip, Eleanor!!!
DeleteOh, is that why women used to wear hats with veils? The tulle is good for the complexion!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun you have with your so-called "work"!
Great experiments Cathy. I have often thought of creating a weave pattern of my own cloth and I like the irregularity of it. Many more ideas springing from your images. You are clearly into the third dimension these days and so of course, I think you should embrace that but on the most practical end, I think placemats would be great! Also I think scale adjustments would be interesting. Teeny tiny weaves or go huge!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your work so generously, as always.
Daniela
Thanks Daniela, you are so right. This fabric is a synthetic/blend so it would be perfect for placemats! Much appreciated!
DeleteYou are SO RIGHT, Elana, I didn't even think of that! Veils are like a Photoshop blurring brush for the complexion!!! Thank you!!!
ReplyDelete