Fragments And Paint

Today, I am cleaning house. I like to clean before I leave on a holiday so the house is fresh and shiny when I get back and I don't have to think about it. Maybe in the past I went straight back to work but not anymore. When I get back first, I'll be a lump on the couch, and then spend a few days in the studio, and then my daughter and grandsons are coming to visit for a week. 
 

In the studio, there's a lot of fluff to clean up. I made thread lace with denim remnants. For this first one, I took the thread out of the serger and used the blade to cut narrow 1/8" strips and then layered them between soluble stabilizer and stitched all over with a variegated denim thread before washing out the stabilizer. 

I didn't measure the finished piece however, it is long enough to pleat and scrunch like I've done on the left side or drape like on the right. The areas of denim that are not thoroughly stitched down will continue to fray and soften. 

 

For another section, I stitched serger strips to a background fabric with soluble stabilizer underneath. At the start and stop of each row, I left the threads long so they become part of the overall look when the stabilizer was washed away. 

This piece is particularly drapey and I really like the way the serger strips curl and twist on the ends. They could also be individually knotted for a firmer look. These too will continue to fray.

This is just a small starter sample to see how it looks. With the part in the left image, I stitched between the holes and with the part in the right image, I stopped and started for each hole. Neither is wrong; they are just different. The dark fabric showing through the holes is the reverse folded underneath. 

When the piece is held up to the light, it comes through the holes. In a garment, it could be see-thru or a contrasting colour could be placed underneath. The cut outs become potential for another project. Of course. Once you start to see potential, it is everywhere and so hard to keep under control. 

I wanted to explore monoprinting on fabric. The purple scrap is painted canvas with a lot of texture making it hard to get a more defined print. The best ones used a lot of dark paint with clear lines drawn in them. I did the printing on a glass plate. 

I also like the look with just a touch of a lighter colour. When I get back, I'll try more prints with different types of fabric perhaps combined the printing with stamping and stenciling or... 

...to use in collages. One thing I'm really good at is creating all over prints. I'm also good at combing parts and pieces to make an interesting whole. What's different about collage and textile art compared to painting is the amount of auditioning that can take place. With painting, if I decided to paint over what I just did, that's it - it's gone. With collage, until I add the glue I can keep changing my mind. With textile art, there have been times when I've unstitched what I just did and changed it. Of the three, textile art provides the most options for change and yet each has different possibilities. I'm intrigued with combining them. 

I left a few projects to work on in the studio today and tomorrow to help me wait to leave as patiently as possible. These samples started with some bad prints well worth hiding and then I used gel medium to add collage material. I will try stitching them by machine and by hand to see what happens, one with batting underneath and one without to see how that enhances the stitches. These are all small bits. Just sample explorations. 

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - all my class supplies fit in one suitcase which is good because that still leaves a sewing machine, a serger, a small folding table to set the serger on, a mannequin, and a desk chair. Sigh. And that's packing light.