Showing posts with label muslin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label muslin. Show all posts

Friday, 12 February 2010

Boogie!

Following on from yesterday's post...

Now that Nilo is back to school, I am going to have to progress with my real design work! I've kind of been fiddling around these past few weeks, in all sorts of directions. Which is important too, of course. Play! I don't know about you, but that's usually where my best ideas are concieved of, even if the end product is nothing like the thing that I started out playing with. To me, good design could be defined as the successful outcome of a good What-If.

Ok, this is wierd for me... but I'm looking at these bright colored cotton scraps! Well?... Gotta try everything, right? At least one time! ;}















Bright colored cotton scraps from Boquete, Panama.



















This morning it occurred to me to try the confetti spiral again but this time as a donut, and I really like the neat little twist that's added to my initial idea.

I've been thinking about working with indigo and or upcycled denim for a while now. Looks like I'm not the only one. You should definately take a look at this and this. Both of which are fabulous examples of [re]using denim and of posts that have popped up recently that I really ❥ed.

Of course, one cannot mention indigo without drawing your attention back to this and this.

Ladies, I salut you!



















And following on from this, I'm still thinking about putting a new spin on things. I like this one alot!

Talking of making design progress... this is where it's all heading now.



















"Boogie": A neat little shoulder bag, from upcycled denim, muslin, calico, and cotton scraps and colored silk thread.

It's my project for the coming week. Something to be working on even though we'll have guests. I want to come up with something that is funky but chic. Something with a sense of fun about it. Watch this space!

P.S. And for Kaye's sake, you should know that only the best sketch with biros!

Thursday, 11 February 2010

Celebration!

I have never been one for bright colors. So with my move towards white, yesterday afternoon, I decided to try something different, using what I call confetti colors. Typically, for me, these consist of the following colors, which, ordinarily, I avoid like the plague, or at least, would never mix with each other!















The above image shows confetti colors... according to me.

confetti |kənˈfetē| noun small pieces of colored paper thrown during a celebration such as a wedding. ORIGIN early 19th cent.(originally denoting the real or imitation sweets thrown during Italian carnivals): from Italian, literally ‘sweets,’ from Latin confectum ‘something prepared,’ neuter past participle of conficere ‘put together’ (see confect ).

I continue to be fascinated with trying to find new ways - that is new to me, anyway! - to use simple/recycled cloth and threads in a slow and decorative way. It's actually rather challenging, but I'm enjoying it immensely.















Remember the fiddlehead muslin from the end of yesterday's post?... Well, this is where it was going. A simple twisted muslin spiralled wheel.















Being stitched down onto an un-bleached calico ground.















Then re-stitched with chain stitch along the ridge of each coil, changing the thread color as I went.















This is where it led me. That's interesting... but think I can still do better... Start again!

Take a strip of muslin, pin it at one end to your work table, twist, and when fully twisted, pin it to your work table at the other end...















... like so!















Next, couch, at intervals, the entire length of the muslin twist with alternating confetti colored silk threads. (I wonder how this would look if I used wool thread instead of silk???)



















Until it looks something like this... which reminds me of prayer flags, flittering in a clear Ladakh sky. Nice!















For me, this works really well in strings...















... and as a spiralled wheel. I prefer this attempt, it feels more like mine!

















Which version do you prefer?


Added later the same day: Looks pretty sweet with denim too! :)

Related Posts with Thumbnails