Chapter 6: Use of Bonding (Transfer Adhesive) in Applique

9th May 2009

I worked on Chapters 5 and 6 at the same time, as I got bored with the printing, so went on to Chapter 6 and then went back to do some more printing.

One thing that has given me fresh impetus is starting a beginners' pottery evening class. The tutor asked us to bring a source of inspiration, so took my Distant Stitch sketchbook. It was so interesting to try to interpret the same designs in another medium. I was using a newspaper template to cut out my bird shape in clay and so later bonded the newspaper shape in a Bondaweb sandwich. It has given me fresh ways of thinking of my design source.

Flying birds 1

This was the first time I tried the fold and cut technique in fabric. I liked Sian’s suggestion of putting a third transparent bird on top of and between the two others. It works quite well, I think,and is very subtle (not quite so subtle in real life as it appears in the photo). The only drawback I thought was that, after using exciting hand dyed papers with lively varied colour, the bought fabrics looked a bit flat with the colour too regular and even. In the next samples, I’ll try to get around that, maybe by dyeing my own fabrics or maybe printing them.

Flying birds 2

This was my first attempt to break up the flat colour that I didn’t like in my first example. I used a variegated chiffon for my first bird shape. For the second, I painted Bondaweb, then printed it before folding and cutting the bird shape. (The idea came from Chapter 3 Design Sheet B new shape from old.) The double technique was quite hard on the Bondaweb and broke it up slightly, giving a worn look that I really like. I might explore distressing the painted Bondaweb before bonding it if time allows. A layer of very sheer gold chiffon is bonded on top.

Flying birds 3

The first, pink layer, I coloured with transfer crayons by scribbling a cross hatched pattern in pink and mauve on paper, then ironing it onto pink polycotton. This just broke up the regular surface without being too patterned. After folding and cutting the bird shape, I ironed it onto olive green polyester satin.

The second green layer was one I had printed in a very yellowy lime green on a pale lime green fabric. I wasn’t very pleased with the placement of the print, so ironed it onto Bondaweb and cut and folded it into a bird shape before ironing it on top of and overlapping the pink shape.

The third purple and pink layer was painted Bondaweb, folded and cut into the bird shape then ironed on. I was pleased with how the light coloured Bondaweb holds its own even on top of a dark background while being transparent enough to show the shapes underneath.

Flying Birds 4

I tried colouring the pale pink fabric and the mauve fabric before bonding them onto the background. I did some rubbings with transfer crayons. Unfortunately, when I applied the Bondaweb, I ironed it on to the patterned side of the fabric! So, I realised I would have to attach it to a sheer fabric, so the patterning would show through. I chose a dark pink polyester chiffon with silver dots. It has worked well for the pale pink fabric, although the pattern on the mauve fabric was too subtle to show through. I then ironed Bondaweb to the right side of a dark pink polyester satin, peeled it off and ironed my sheer sandwich onto that. One more bird shape in metallic gold chiffon was then ironed on to the right side of the whole thing. Although this composition came about because of a mistake, it was a very happy accident and I think it works well.

Flying birds 5

This sample is maybe a bit too busy with too many bird shapes piled on top of each other. However, I like some bits of it so have included it with my samples.
Bird 1 - (top left) pale pink polycotton
Bird 2 - (middle left) Bondaweb painted yellowy green then printed mauve v shapes. I really like how the printed Bondaweb works
Bird 3 - (bottom left) dark pink chiffon with silver dots. I like how the selvedge has made an accidental pattern down one wing.
Bird 4 - (top right) little samples I had been playing around with, using pieces cut out of other samples on gold chiffon. They didn’t work very well so I recycled them. Bondaweb applied to right side then folded, cut and ironed on, so only the reverse seen. I quite like the relief effect.
Bird 5 - (bottom right) a very vulgar looking shot irridescent fabric, too overpowering usually, but layered over dark complementary fabrics is toned down enough to work quite well.