It is amazing to me how much the journey of this dress is parallel to life. Today was not a good day for progress on this project! I started out at 8 am with my image transferred to batiste and fringed. Got this idea that I would iron on fusible backing, then iron it to the collage. Hmmm....when you reapply heat to the image...it transfers to whatever is under it - like the ironing board cover!!!
For my studio, I have this smaller board hanging on the back of the utility room door. Now it has my image on it! Of course, it's an odd size....and well, more on that later!
And the image was ruined because half of it transferred off to the ironing board cover!
So I went to print out another transfer, and my printer jammed. Then the paper would only go in crooked. I spent an hour online researching how to take it apart to clean the rollers. Finally had success....but by then, I had used up so much ink test printing....that it printed blue!
Got new ink and finally got it printed. Went in to iron it onto the fabric and since I was in a hurry by now, trying to make up for time, I used my big iron.....with steam. Totally forgot that transfers need to be done with dry heat. What happens if you use steam? Even the backing transfers off.....see the "Avery" label?
By now, the steam iron is clogging up and it's dirty, so I run to Boulder to McGuckins to get whink steam iron cleaner. Let me tell you - it works! I even cleaned out my big Euro-pro steam press! But in looking for a new ironing board cover - not even McGuckins had the right size.....and they have everything!
Came back home and finally got an image transferred perfectly back to fabric (but not fringed.) It was now 3 pm and I wasn't even where I started at 8 am this morning! A whole day and not a step forward!
And it's not like I don't have anything else on my mind! Kerry's spinal fusion surgery starts on Monday. Am I working on this to avoid thinking about that? Am I making mistakes (I KNOW you can't use steam on image transfers) because I'm not thinking about what I'm doing - I'm thinking about Monday?
But isn't that just like life. Sometimes we get to a point where we just spin our wheels. Or nothing is right. Or we make no progress. But we just keep trying. We repeat our mistakes. We do it all over. We try our best to make it right.
And by the end of the day, I had the photo stitched onto the collage. I used a pale blue silk ribbon, 1/4" wide to make the stitch around the photo. There's a tiny edge of fringe on the outside of this. It's coming together, it's starting to take shape!
Part of the creative process is to experiment, make mistakes, try it with something else, change it up, do it differently. I think it's what I love the most about being creative.
As for Monday, Millie reminded me of this verse:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your request known to Jehovah".
Thanks Millie for that reminder!
2 comments:
OH MY, I think I would have thrown my hands up and just gave up. It is coming so pretty Jen
I will be keeping Kerry and his doctor's in my prayers
Hang in there
Jen, You actually made many steps forward. On your project, no, but you cleaned and iron, decorated your ironing board, learned how to clean a printer and learned how what not to do with the transfer material. It also got you out of the house. You got some shopping in and ended up with a beautiful project. I'm glad you kept at it until you got it right and you taught all of us your lessons too.
Jodie
PS: you and Kerry are in my prayers. I met you only once in San Diego, but I think about you all the time. I was even talking about you at CHA to some Spellbinders ladies. (((HUGS))) Jodie
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