Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Fool that I am

This post is probably going to be the first in a series.

So, I'm incorporating paper into my artwork. I sew. My mother sewed. And so on. I have a small collection of sewing bits and pieces.

I used to make my own clothes. Probably the worst sewing experiences of my life. And I actually wore those "garments". In public. Sorry if I offended anyone.

Several months ago, I cleaned out my studio. I was quite thorough. I threw all of my sewing patterns away.

Today, having a couple of creative moments, I decided I would cut up some of these patterns and apply acrylic medium to them to prepare them to be included in future artwork.

Can't do that if they're no longer there.

Now, I'm cruising Etsy to find a handful of inexpensive dress patterns I can cut up.

Fool that I am.


p.s. Thanks to those of you who gave advice on non-smearing printouts. I purchased a highly flammable, potentially deadly can of spray varnish today. I will apply this first and then follow up with acrylic medium. If I am not dead from the fumes. Or flames.

8 comments:

Vicki W said...

Are you looking for specific patterns or just any pattern printed on pattern paper? If it's the later, I could send you a few!

julie king said...

decisions, decisions! keep it or throw it away? i've spent a life time with that controversy brewing in my house. i tend to be a bit of a pack rat but then will decide to purge it all away. and, alas, there are soon regrets ove something i wish i still had.

good luck with the sewing patterns. you might try your local goodwill or thrift shop as well.

lori vliegen said...

yes, this is why my middle name is "packrat". i'm sure i'll need all of this stuff that i've been moving around for the past twenty years....i just don't know WHEN i'll need it.....

i'm with julie....i would try looking at goodwill, or garage sales. also, sometimes joann puts their patterns on sale for 99 cents. :)

Kim Hambric said...

Vicki, Thanks for the offer. I think I'm going to try to find a couple of vintage dress patters. 60s perhaps. I think that if I had found my old sack dress patterns, I may have been disappointed.

Julie and Lori, yes I am a packrat too. Just every now and then I purge the wrong thing. Our Goodwill shop is full of the worst stuff. Since State College is full of college students, they pick out the best and then leave the rest. And then when they move on, the fill up the store with some of the nastiest stuff on earth. I might just take a look, though.

Chris said...

Oh, God. I have major plans this weekend to go through my attic. That means decisions will have to be made! Yikes. Will I throw out the wrong stuff??

noodle and lou said...

ooh man! hope you find some more soon:) i save everything too and am currently trying to clean out my studio. again:)

xoxo...jenn

amy said...

I have some patterns if you want them. I can't throw them away but I am also not going to use them. Let me know if you want them. :)

ArtPropelled said...

Me too. I keep things for years in case I can use them and within days after throwing them out I have a brainwave .... but too late.