Spraying sari silk waste and tussah silk with a water and starch mixture.
The finished sari silk paper after ironing and drying...
...and a sheet made from green silk fiber.
Laying out the design...
...and covering it with wool roving.
After drying and trimming...
...and 'in use' from the front...
...and the side.
When my friend, Linda visited me recently...
...she showed me a beautiful scarf that she had made with silk paper and wool roving.
She explained to me that silk paper is surprisingly easy to make...
...you merely place layers of silk fiber onto a piece of parchment paper...
...spray them with a mixture of liquid starch and water...
...cover them with a second sheet of parchment paper...
...and iron them (on medium heat) until dry.
I tried it myself a few weeks ago for fun...
...and it worked like a charm!
Since I still needed to make a carrier for a gift bottle of wine...
...it seemed like the perfect time to 'test drive' this new technique.
I placed pencil roving 'branches' on the resist...
...and added leaves cut from silk paper.
I covered the resist with a few layers of wool roving...
...then felted the project until it was done.
After removing the resist, turning the piece right-side out, and drying it...
...I rounded off the top of the bag and cut a slit for the handle.
The silk attaches beautifully to the wool during felting...
...and retains its lustrous shine and the intact shape of the design...
...making this a wonderful technique for intricate shapes that would otherwise 'spread out'...
...if made, instead, from wool pre-felt.
45 comments:
oh heather, i love it, and more: i love it double, becaus the wine is attempting too:)
Oh thats lovely, i have made silk paper before and it is a lot of fun, i love your wine bottle holder its very clever :)
Riet--I'm with you...receiving wine for a holiday always makes for a happy occasion! Giggle.
Karen--Thanks! It was a quick and satisfying project to make.
What a nice gift bag! It sounds as if the only thing holding the silk paper together is the starch. Is that true, or did I miss a step?
This is something I wil try out! Thanx! And the wine is, like Riet said, very exciting too :)) hugzz...peebee
Elizabeth--No...you 'have it' exactly! This kind of silk paper would not work as 'paper' by itself in any kind of journal, etc., because it only has the starch holding it together. For felting, though, it's perfect... since the wool fibers 'reach' into the silk and it becomes part of the felt, while the starch washes away during the process. :)
Peebee--It would be especially nice for those who can actually DRAW!!! I struggle with simple shapes, but you could really create something spectacular with a good design and sharp scissors!! :)
Love it! I am with everyone that wine and an awesome carrier is the best gift. I love how the carrier turned out. Beautiful work.
Andrea--Thanks!! It's no wonder fiber retreats are so much fun...we all love to 'get our wine on'!! Giggle.
Very nice Heather. You did it perfectly. You can always use patterns or tracing paper to copy something and cut it out that way but I think your leaves look great.
I keep a book of pictures cut from magazines or that I took for inspiration or to trace flowers etc for my silk cutouts. I love the wine carrier idea. Gosh I need to get felting.
what a beautiful thing! great idea!
Thanks for the "presents from the baby" idea too. Will put it in practise!
Linda--Great idea about the tracing paper! I have some Dover books with flowers and different designs in them. I'll have to pull them out and take another peek!! XXO-
Mariana--Thanks so much!! Yes...you'd be surprised how it puts the focus back on the older child for a bit at a critical time..not to mention that it gives them something new to play with while you're so thrillingly distracted!! :)
Oh wow, anyone would be over the moon to get that wine carrier (and wine ;) as a gift. I am really impressed with how lovely that is.
Thanks, Andria! I guess sometimes simplicity has its place! :)
Really beautiful!
You definately make me want to learn how to felt. :-)
Kathryn--Thanks! Yes...you should try it! :)
That is absolutely amazing! And I love your wine carrier. It's just perfect and so pretty too. Whoopee!!!!! :)
Lovely, Heather - it's worked really well!
Thanks, Sandie and Rachel!!
Oh my gosh, what a cool technique, I will be thinking of ways that I can use that in my art! As always you've created a really gorgeous project!
What a great idea, can't wait until I get my felting table back to try it .
Melissa--I thought it was a lot harder than it is, so I was delighted when Linda shared this technique with me!!
Krex--Yes--I think it would look great in some of your 'otherworldly' pieces!!
Wow....that silk paper is awesome. Might have to try some myself on some mixed media items I'm working on.
Beautiful work.
Beautiful! I had no idea one could make silk paper.
Melissa--Thanks! You may want to google other ways to make it, if you don't plan on felting with it. I think there are other solutions (like a thinned wallpaper paste) that produce a much more 'mixed-media-ready' piece of silk paper.
Kate--Thanks!!
I really enjoyed reading your silk paper making process. Part of the Chinese character for "paper" is "silk", and in the ancient days people used to write on "silk paper", before real paper was invented.
Vivian--How interesting!! Thanks for sharing this bit of Chinese history with me!!
So nice to see your beautiful creations!
Amazing!
Very clever!
Love that bag (and it's contents!), and love the silk paper instructions. I, too, will probably try making it (but maybe using a different method) for some mixed media things in the works. So, like, thanks for the inspiration!!!! :)
Such a lovely bag and for such a great purpose too. Thank you so much for sharing your great talent, you are an inspiration.
Very nice, cheers Marie
Trudi, Beth and Lois--Thanks!!
Denise--Hahaha...(did I tell you that, thanks to you, I've been enjoying cider lately??)
Ally--You are a darling. Thanks!!
Marie--Thank you!
Just amazing - what an absolutely beautiful effect!
Anna--Thank you! I do love silk in felting. It gives a shimmer and 'brightening' effect that is really special.
WOW! That is pretty cool!
Great bag Heather, it's beautiful! Thanks for sharing the silk paper process. I'm going to try it and see what happens. :)
Thanks, Ginmn!! :)
Becky--It's fun to do. I let mine dry a day between 'making' and 'using'. XXO-
Wow, your creations are so beautiful!! I envy all the beautiful wool felt surrounding you :)
Sunshine Mama--Thanks for visiting!!
Very clever, and so beautiful!
x
Deborah--Thanks! I'm so happy that my friend, Linda, was kind enough to share the silk paper-making process with me!
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