Experimenting!

Here is something I've been playing with lately. In Cloth Paper Scissors and Quilting Arts magazines, they have printed directions for making "paper cloth." Basically, you lay out a piece of freezer paper shiny side up and cover it with muslin or another plain cloth. Then you paint it with diluted white craft glue and cover it with various papers like pieces of old maps, fabric patterns, tissue paper, newspaper etc. When it dries, you peel it off the freezer paper, iron it, and use is as fabric - stitch it, stamp it, paint it, write on it, whatever. I've never tried it before, and I've always loved the effect of tissue paper torn, layered and glued in that way, so I decided to try it. The result is to the right. I still have a thing for that gorgeous aqua color, especially contrasted with peach and yellow. I am hoping it brings to mind caribbean beaches!

The FiberArts Northeast group I meet with monthly is planning a swap in September. I started cutting up the "paper cloth" at right into 4"x4" pieces for the swap. I embellished and finished three of them, below. I added metallic copper thread, as well as copper wire and finished the edges with copper acrylic paint. Right now I am calling the series "aquamarine dreams." I've added a few words here and there, something I don't often do, but am trying to do more. Some were written in black ink, others calligraphed on in a peacock blue ink that blends in better with the background and maintains the watery feel of the pieces. As I said, I'm experimenting! I like the freedom of not having to try too hard to make it look like something: whatever it is, it is!