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Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

 

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day.  It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice.  Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle.  Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it?  I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning.  I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point.  Time will tell.  

This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. 
This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs.  It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday.  I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax.  The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out.  The glue's supposed to be applied, let dry, then the fabric painted.  That's let dry, then the glue's washed off,  I used unbleached calico, and the results were patchy.  I applied PVA with a brush, but couldn't apply it finely due to the glue's consistency.  I wasn't sure if I ought to water down the PVA to make the application easier.  But would the glue still act as a barrier to the paint if I did so?  I left it undiluted.  
I reckon you need to pour the PVA into a squeezy bottle with a fine nozzle to get any decent attempt at a pattern.  The brushstrokes were too clumsy.  
I used acrylic paint instead of actual fabric paint for the background colour, so when I washed the PVA out, a fair amount of paint was washed out too.  But funnily enough I quite liked the look of this, especially with the blue painted calico.  I've started embroidering into it as the mottled effect reminds me of water.  I'm aware it resembles a dish rag right now!  But I'm sewing on beads and couching on texture, trying to build up my underwater scene, and I'm hopeful it'll look good in the end.    Messing about in this way made me recall how I'd done 'proper' batik classes in the past, and to decide that I'll order wax pellets and a tjanting, and try that method again.
Some of the seed beads I'm adding to my embroidered piece came from this necklace, picked up for £1.50 in a charity shop yesterday, along with yet more books.  I thought the aquamarine colour was perfect for the task, and this kind of costume jewellery is ideal to pick up for very little money and deconstruct.  You get masses of seed beads on a single necklace, much cheaper than buying the same quantity from an online supplier.  As for the books, I'm really enjoying 'Dark Tides' so I snapped up another Philippa Gregory novel, and I'm looking forward to reading 'Black Narcissus', having only ever seen the Deborah Kerr film version.  

Okay, that's all for now.  I hope you're well, happy and healthy.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you nip over to my Etsy shop for a browse.  You might find something you like! 
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Comments

  1. Riverside Hermit 9 February 2024 at 00:54

    I do love seeing all your experiments and they sometimes become jumping-off points in my own work, so thank you! I too prefer to deconstruct jewellery rather than buy new - obviously it's cheaper and more sustainable, but it's also just so much more fun, isn't it?

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    Replies
    1. Valerie blogs at rubykittyruby11 February 2024 at 10:01

      Hi. Thanks for commenting. I do like it when people respond. I love trying out new methods of making things, and it's fun to share how they turn out, successful or otherwise. So I'm glad you're finding them helpful for your crafting too.

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  2. Vix9 February 2024 at 01:07

    Those sari scraps look lovely and great value, too. I'm sure they'll soon be snapped up.
    We've got very similar taste in books, I love Philippa Gregory and Rumer Godden, Black Narcissus is even better in book form! xxx

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    Replies
    1. Valerie blogs at rubykittyruby11 February 2024 at 09:57

      Hi Vix. Yes, I remember reading Philippa Gregory's 'Wideacre' when it was first published. She's such a prolific author. Wish I'd written that many novels! Am looking forward to 'Black Narcissus'. The film version is so peculiar (but in a good way.)

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