Earlier this week I was at lunch with Joe Morgan and Carole Lassak, and, as usual, we were talking about crafting. We work together at our “real job” (Delphia Consulting) and have lunch together every day. And because we all love to craft, we inevitably talk about ideas, projects, products, etc. This time the topic was Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA) from USArtQuest and fabric.
We knew from Susan Pickerington Rothamel’s demonstrations that PPA works great on Studio Cloth – a soft, durable, triple laminate, non-rolling canvas, that does not curl, and does not fray when cut. But I wondered about “regular fabric.” What would happen if I tried to collage with PPA on an ordinary household fabric?
Luckily for us, there was Goodwill Thrift Store right near where we had lunch! So, we ran in and I picked up an old gold tie. In it’s prime, it must have been pretty special because it had the original price tag – $49.50! Now, at $3.90, it was a steal! LOL!
Once home, the project began. I applied PPA Matte on the tie in small sections. The silk really absorbed the PPA, so I had to put it on pretty liberally. Then I collaged the napkin pieces just like I’ve done on wood and chipboard (here’s a video showing how). It worked really well. I noticed the PPA did darken the silk a bit, so I was sure to cover any PPA areas with napkins.
I wasn’t sure how stiff the PPA would be when it was dry, so I decided to only do the bottom portion of the tie. This project really was an experiment – a way to learn.
After it was dry, I painted over the design with Perfect Pigment Pure Liquid Acrylic Paint. I wanted to brighten up some of the flowers, the birds and the cages. Joe Morgan lent a hand and added some turquoise flourishes and sponged some paint at the top of the collage with a Texture Sponge to help it blend better into the tie.
After the paint was dry, I applied a finish coat of PPA Matte and sprinkled it with some Crystal Effectz while it was still wet.
The collaged area isn’t stiff at all. It’s very flexible and feels somewhat similar to the finish that’s on a vinyl tablecloth. Best of all, it’s water resistant! If I spill anything on that portion of the tie (very likely!) I can simply wipe it off!
I’m thrilled with the transformation of an old gold tie and learned how well PPA works with fabric! Now I wonder what else I could find to collage on…. hmmmm
You can see more of my projects on my blog at Create & Craft.
Happy Crafting!
Joe
