Sunday, October 28, 2007

Denim Dressels

This isn't really the route I want to take with these 'Dressels' but as I seem unable to get the chance to be very creative during the week and have had a lot of other commitments this weekend I just needed to do something to keep up the momentum.

So, I took an old denim skirt which had really seen better days, cut it up and saved as many of the pieces I could: the fabric, the seams, tabs, buttons, zip and even the threads!

I then tore the fabric into 3cm wide strips.
Sewed them with the seams on the outside, and came up with these two.
The tall one stands 18 inches high and 11 inches round and the smaller one is 14" high and 8" round.
Thought they looked pretty run of the mill though, so started off with this one..
..out came the emulsion and I was away with the VCH treatment!
Next came the writing ink - red mixed with black.
And then of course, the bleach! This photo and the close ups below were taken almost as soon as the bleach had been applied.


And this photo and close ups were taken once the bleach had dried.



When the bleach was thoroughly dry I applied a Royal Blue writing ink - and hey, back to denim almost!


Then I started on this one.
I covered it with Paverpol (purchased from ArtVanGo) mixed with an antique gold paint.
This colour didn't seem to do anything for me though, so I got out the Golden Acrylics and started at the bottom with Quinacridone Burnt Orange, then Nickel Azo Gold mixed with Coarse Interference Gold near the top.
I then wrapped around with some coiled aluminium wire.

And at the end of it?
Well, ink and bleach being one of my favourite techniques I do like the first one but I think I preferred the smaller one as just plain denim.

I have been busy though building up a journal with notes, sketches and cranky ideas for future dressels! More of that later.

38 comments:

Unknown said...

Love them, once again you prove you are 'Mistress of the Inks and Bleach'
I love the top one, but I also liked them both in their denim stage as well :)

Susan D said...

Who would have thought you could do so much with humble denim!!! Must admit I like the first one at the stage where the bleach had dried.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see what you could do when you DID feel really creative...*L*....Good Goddess

I have a whole bunch of old denim jeans here. I want to do a rag quilt sometime, but now I have some other projects to work with, don't I?

I need to get some of that Paverpol. It looks really fun to work with. Oh, and I love the 2nd one best. It just glows, even on my screen here.

Vicki W said...

Amazing! And this was a "slow" day??

Unknown said...

These look great Lynda, Never knew you can do so much with normal denim. I like the shapes too!

Carol said...

Oh my god! Words fail me, what a body of work this is, man i hope you have a gallery lined up. I am staggered Lynda, they just keep getting better and better. If this is not the way you wan to go, well i can't wait for the one when you have gone the way you want. Stunning!

Donna said...

I'm amazed at how wonderful the dried bleach layer looks! What a difference from when it was wet.

JannArt said...

Fabulous! Your work is great. As I read down your blog I kept thinking I was looking at the final piece but no - you kept pushing the limits and that's what I love about your work. Keep it up.

crafty pam said...

If thats what you can do when you don't have any time Wow, whatever will you do when you do!!! words fail me - fantastic - the ideas seem just to flow - what is your secret - if its edible let me know
Great work. puts everyone to shame - well at least me.

Leanne Hurren said...

Gorgeous Lynda - loving the 'dressels'. Really loved the colours when the bleach had dried - yummy! Can't believe this is what you create when you don't have much time!!

Doreen G said...

Fantastic Lynda I love the bottom one.
I have about 50 pairs of denim jeans in my garage (that the op-shop gave me) waiting to be used --imagine 50 little dressels.

Barbara said...

cool,cool,cool! In Italy (I think so:)):bravissimo,bravissimo!!
I have no other words!

Unknown said...

These are just amazing!

sharon young said...

Brilliant! I love the colour that the bleach leaves behind, there's nothing else that gives this effect in fabric or paper. My favourite has to be the stage before you painted back the Royal Blue.
Your photos are terific, I'm just trying to work out the best method myself.
The Paverol looks interesting I haven't heard of it, will look it up!
Hats off to you, I don't know how you fit it all in.

FARBTUPFER said...

Hey, these Demin Dressels are so cool,
you have so excellent ideas!

Joanna said...

Wow these are amazing! Talk about recycling..I'm impressed. I'm thinking we'll see these in MOMA some day. Lovely.

Ruth said...

Lynda, these are both wonderful. I have to agree with everyone's comments so far. Are these really stiff when you get finished or do they still have some give to them? I liked them in all their various stages - the metamorphasis of a dressel!

Micki said...

And she just keeps amazing us with her creativity. These are fantastic and as Joanna said a great way to recycle.

Unknown said...

My favorite word lately seems to be stellar which these certainly are! Thanks for the inspiration!

Penny said...

I really liked the one with the bleached back look, but what a wonderful idea, and thank you for the tute's as well, lots to think about.

Pat said...

the "run of the mill" worked for me and then I started to scroll down!!
Amazing.

neki desu said...

i love the top one!still jeanny but jazzy

neki desu

Amanda said...

Wonderful - so inspiring, thank you for making me look at that pile of old jeans with new eyes. Amanda

Nancilyn (Fiberdabbler) said...

You got me again, Missy Purple! Just when I thought a stage was wonderful and complete, you do something else. The process of transformation is amazing, but because sometimes I prefer one or more of the in between stages, I get a little sad thinking they are gone forever save for your photographic capture. But then I think, well the process is the art, like you can reproduce it as a "slide show" and present it as
Metamorphosis of the Dressel or Blue Jeans in Morph.
BTW, what made the dressels free standing before you began the magic?
You've already taken your dressel idea (recycled clothing into freeform vessels) to yet another genre: Altered Dressels! How I wish I'd known about it before I gave away the ugliest "wearable art" vest I made and never wore -- it had those raggy seams from recycled jeans and cotton prints and made me look fluffier than I already am. It probably hangs in a thrift shop still, and if I can find it...

Sandy said...

You have really found your niche! All the vessels are wonderful. Sandy

Amy Munson said...

Your creativity is astounding and inspiring.

Julie said...

I echo all of the above. You are awesome Lynda! I like both the vessels for different and the same reasons - colour, texture and form.

tamaraiivana said...

Your work is gorgeous.Congratulations and thank you for sharing it with us.
Tanja

Anonymous said...

I liked the first one both before the blue ink was applied and after, but agree that the second one looked better as denim - although final outcome was still effective. My imagination would have stopped at just making them - if I'd even managed to get that far!

Gina said...

Wow!!! You are really doing some amazing stuff Lynda. Love these dressels.

Dianne said...

I LOVE your experiments!! That bottom "dressel" is fantastic. Love the colour and the wire embellishing.

Nancilyn (Fiberdabbler) said...

Addendum to my earlier comment:
What I love about your techniques and experiments is that they are so well documented you could go back and reproduce whatever stage you wanted, as could someone trying to immulate a particular effect.

Kim said...

Lovely work and thanks for sharing. I so admire your creative energy.(Do you sleep?)~

Becky Mairi Farrell said...

I love the way you show us all the stages your dressels have been through in your creative process. It's so interesting to see hints of the earlier stages in the finished pieces.

Anonymous said...

WOW !


I shall never look at a retired pair of jeans in the same light again !

Anonymous said...

I thought both "sculptures" were amazing. Who would have thought you could do all that with denim. I like the blue you ended up with on the first piece. I would have liked to have seen it done in greens because when I first saw it I thought cactus. It looks like a huge catcus. I am very impressed with all of your dressels.

Peggy said...

Wow, I`m speakless..............
Peggy

Kate North said...

Fabulous, Lynda - I really like the larger of the two with the vertical denim - I liked it as plain denim, and then even more as you distressed and changed it. The smaller one, I think I actually liked best at the green stage, but it's a well known fact that I sometimes have odd tastes...