My kitchen is a mess. I have made the mess so cannot complain. I'm surprised my husband does not complain actually , especially as I have a large workshop cum shed up in the garden that I am meant to mess about in. The trouble is though that I like to have all my ongoing little projects within easy reach so that I can pick them up at random and play around as the mood takes me. I have a papier mache mask on the go and I've also got some small canvases prepared as part of my landscape painting course but today I was keen to play around with a piece of tyvek that I rust dyed last week. Now I've never worked with tyvek before but I know it can be of paper or material construction. The stuff I've bought is definitely paper but it still rusted OK in a couple of hours under the hot sun last week.
It's the top sheet in the photo above as the other piece is quite clearly an old piece of copper shim I've had for ages. A friend who is doing an MA in Surface Decoration told me that tyvek can be sandwiched with fabric by the insertion of a piece of bondaweb between the two. Put the 'sandwich' inside a non stick baking parchment envelope and iron heavily on a high heat. The tyvek melts and contracts and moulds into the fabric she said......
Well, I thought I'd have a go today with three different surfaces. I used some fabric that had already been rusted, some canvas that I had dyed in shades of blue.... and the copper shim.
The rusted fabric looks, well, more rusted but did not photograph well. The canvas came out a treat. I love the mixture of rust and blue at the best of times but this is gorgeous in close up. If I'd used the material tyvek I think I might have been able to subsequently stitch it but the paper is a little tough. What it has given me though is a great surface for printing on. As I have lots of this blue canvas I've already started to rust more tyvek sheets. I feel a book coming on....
Sometimes I wonder where I was when they gave out brains. Ironing metal makes it hot! This was not my finest hour and it has not really done anything special for the copper but that's why I love experimenting. Today I've had a naff result, a so-so result and a fabulous result. The canvas piece has so many possibilities it does not matter about the other things but now I want to try the effect on felt.... and velvet.... and linen.... and denim. Oh dear, looks like more mess ahead!
It's the top sheet in the photo above as the other piece is quite clearly an old piece of copper shim I've had for ages. A friend who is doing an MA in Surface Decoration told me that tyvek can be sandwiched with fabric by the insertion of a piece of bondaweb between the two. Put the 'sandwich' inside a non stick baking parchment envelope and iron heavily on a high heat. The tyvek melts and contracts and moulds into the fabric she said......
Well, I thought I'd have a go today with three different surfaces. I used some fabric that had already been rusted, some canvas that I had dyed in shades of blue.... and the copper shim.
The rusted fabric looks, well, more rusted but did not photograph well. The canvas came out a treat. I love the mixture of rust and blue at the best of times but this is gorgeous in close up. If I'd used the material tyvek I think I might have been able to subsequently stitch it but the paper is a little tough. What it has given me though is a great surface for printing on. As I have lots of this blue canvas I've already started to rust more tyvek sheets. I feel a book coming on....
Sometimes I wonder where I was when they gave out brains. Ironing metal makes it hot! This was not my finest hour and it has not really done anything special for the copper but that's why I love experimenting. Today I've had a naff result, a so-so result and a fabulous result. The canvas piece has so many possibilities it does not matter about the other things but now I want to try the effect on felt.... and velvet.... and linen.... and denim. Oh dear, looks like more mess ahead!
9 comments:
Can't wait to see the book! This all looks great to me and is something completely outside my sphere although some of my friends from the C&G Textiles course have used Tyvek I know.
I love the effect of the rust and the blue!
Rust...mmmmmm. I think you know where I am coming from!!
XX
Love what you have done with this... now I'm going to have to try rusting some tyvek!
Mess is GOOD! I worship at the alter of MESS...........
Rust has been on quite a few people's minds recently.....
Some gorgeous looking bits there....
I don't even know what tyvek is! I'll have to look it up. And how did you print the blue angel onto the fabric in your PK postcard this week?
Very nice and very interesting.
How I love experiments and always want to have a go myself, although experiments are on hold at the moment. However I would love to know how you rust dyed the tyvek and cloth, a little google research seems to come up with as many different methods as there are answers. I am 'watching this space for developments', you seemd to be on a creative roll Lesley. (I am sure I can fit a Tyvek sandwich in somewhere this week!)
mmmmmm, rust and blue, marriage made in heaven. But I think you'd better get yourself back into the shed my dear if you are continuing with the experiments.....!
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