I finished my vase made from a “silk hankie” (un-spun silk fibers) and hardened with Paverpol, a fabric hardener from the other Holland.
First I took the already dyed silk hankie and added various decorative threads scattered across the top. It was sandwiched between water-soluble stabilizer and then stitched in a manner I would call diagonal, curved, semi-parallel stitching. (Mathematicians are gagging–we know who they are).
Then I made the mold. This is a vase thoroughly covered with kitchen plastic wrap. The Paverpol apparently sticks to everything except plastic. Because I wanted a narrow bottom and a flared-out top, I wrapped quite a bit of plastic wrap around the middle of the vase to support the flare.
Then I painted the silk hankie with the Paverpol. I wore plastic gloves and used a plastic bag under the silk hankie. I shaped the hankie over the mold and left it to dry in the basement for three days.
Then it was time to remove the vase from the mold. I thought it would just slip off. No. I pulled out the plastic wrap supporting the flare and cut out as much as I could around the vase. From there it was just brute strength, of which I have plenty due to my rigorous exercise regimen.
This class has been too much fun!
Marty – I’m a bit baffled by this one. How big is the vase? Is if functional, i.e., can you put water and daffodils in it? (Sorry, but I am into functionality. Obviously I am not a true artiste.) And finally, and most important, why is the final vase so much darker in color than it is in the next to last photo?
1. The vase, or perhaps I should say “vase,” is about 5 inches tall and 5 inches wide at the largest part.
2. Is this where we debate whether art is functional just because it’s art? In other words, the “vase” by itself will not hold water.
3. Part of the difference in color is a function of photographic idiosyncrasies. The first photo of the flat fabric photographed light. The middle photograph shows the “vase” covered with the white Paverpol, which dries clear. The final photo shows darker than the actual object. However, it is darker than the original fabric. The teacher did not know why. I consider it an artistic feature. But then I am an artiste. (Or should I say “artiste?”)