Last Friday I ran a conference at work. In the past I could bring my laptop and work near the event room, so I'm handy if needed. Sadly, that no longer works because they've removed Wi-Fi from the classroom area. I didn't learn this until Thursday, so I was very happy to have just received in the mail a lovely package from Pat Winter (Gatherings) with a surprise in it--Pat had taken the images from some postcards I'd posted in January and printed them on fusible fabric and mailed them off to me.So while the conference attendees were having serious discussions, I sat at the registration table in the hall with my Sharpie collection and some odds and ends colored pencils and had loads of fun with the photos.
I then sat and played with a couple of Pat's really cute sachet kits from her Etsy shop. I didn't stitch, I was too busy and interrupted, but I did some arranging and playing with the materials. I got two Christmas theme kits so I can mix and match the cool embellisments Pat sent.
It's finally spring in Chicago and Saturday we set off for the Dunes area for a day exploring around Michigan City.
I was pretty tired from the busy week and didn't feel much like stitching so instead I decided to make faux leather from paper bags, paint and shoe polish. This is based on a recent articles in Fiber&Stitch and Stitch magazines. I used materials that were right to hand so I didn't have to move from my chair.
This first piece is just shoe polish on plain grocery bag. I crumpled the bag and rubbed on cordovan color paste shoe polish. I let it dry a bit and crumpled again and added brown shoe polish. Antoher good crumple and a little black polish. I let it all dry and then ironed it and then coated it with a mixture of Golden acrylic matte medium and Quinacridone/Nickel Azo Gold. I didn't mix the medium and gold paint well so that the result is uneven.
The other two pages began with stamp pads brushed over the first two crumplings or stamp pad ink brushed on. I began with pink and added some gold and, I think, some brown. Then I crumpled the dried paper again and brushed on cordovan shoe polish.
I pressed the paper and then brushed it with the medium and gold paint mix. I used much less of the paint but still didn't mix it well so it's mottled.
I'm not sure what I'll use my new paper for. I added Wonder-Under fusible to the back last night. I have thought about fusing it to felt, cardboard for a book cover, or heavy pellon to make a box or vase. I'm still having fun thinking about it.
I used heavy-weight grocery bags so I'm not sure about stitching through it, except perhaps by machine. I love the something-out-of-nothing aspect of this project.
