Old Experiments

Clearing out the studio the other day an I encountered this remnent of an old experiment... a what if of sorts.

what if I take a piece of itajime dyed rice paper and coat it with acrylic resin?

I just never forsaw that it would become transparent!

I did a few of these but I think this is the only one that I still have. I was unsure of what to do with them and leery of the health risks associated with resins.

I still think that totally cool lampshades and lighting fixtures could be made with it but I don't really have the skills to make the nessesary armatures.

Who knows I may go back to it someday...

New fabrics dyed for the repair of my old friend.

This was actually a piece of my first ghi. I finally had to retire it when the bottom fell out (literally)

I used a soda soak method to dye it. The white fabric is submerged into a soda ash solution, wrung out damp, and manipulated after which unactivated dyes are applied and allowed to to do their thing. In this case the manipulation was what I refer to as a krinkle, a wrinkled, tightly compressed pancake about an inch thick with the dyes sprinkled onto it on both sides, you have to flip it over like a pancake too.

I like the idea of using the fabric from my ghi for this project. An extra layer of protection for my vulnerable childhood companion is implied.

Chris Gilmore

Just want to direct you over to Rag and Bone where there is a nice post and links to info on Chris Gilmore. Too good to miss. That is corrugated cardboard people!

Rag and Bone is also worth a looksie!

Can He be Saved?

This is Peppy. He has been with me since I was 7 or 8. My absolute favorite stuffed animal ever. He is made of cotton flannel printed with a sort of leopard spot. Given to me by a friend of my mom's who had stylish design-y taste, this little fellah has been with me through all of my life events since then: the divorce that shaped my childhood, puberty, best friends, high school, college, first apartments, rotten relationships and good ones... hes made it through all of them.

A few years ago I ill advisedly put him through the washer cause I noticed that all of those years had left a layer of grime on him. What came out was a ball of poly fill with a peppy shaped rag entwined. Apparently the only thing holding the fabric together was the dirt.

I patched him up and treated him gently for a few more years and then it happened again.

The dog got to him in a fit of pique (she was temporarily shut out of the bedroom while we were rearranging furniture and took offence) and ripped his guts out. Hes been languishing in my to be repaired pile for a few years now so I think its time to get him pulled together if I can. He is in pretty rough shape and his original fabric isn't very strong any more but I think I can save him ...

He deserves it.

All Done

I finished the pillow resurrection.

It kind of surprises me how well these two fabrics sit together. Perhaps it shouldn't, they have a similarity in the shape of the motif and in the coloring. Its funny but the way they differ and are similar reminds me a bit of the resemblence between me and my mom... the two makers.

A Bit of Yellow

Added some sunny yellow piping between the old embroidery and the new shibori...

I like the way the shapes relate between the two motifs

Sweet Sweet Candy

Just images today

a strange fungus found in the garden

leaves as landscape

origami flowers

a glowing rose

I didn't even know the spider was there until I downloaded!

sunset colors

Elvis here is the very first picture I took

I totally lurve this camera, and I'm still on the auto settings, Yowza!