In my previous post I mentioned I was planning to make one of two table top installation 3D works for the solo exhibition of my recent fibreart in January ’26. In the last few days I’ve started, they’re easy and fun to do, and mine will eventually be embellished with stitch, possibly glass beads and other materials, perhaps even pearlescent sequins, depending on how those auditions go !
There are plenty of demos and ideas on these things – just google – here’s a really cute one – and another with a very clear simple description – giving all you need to know about making yo-yo’s, which in my view are not really “puffs” until they’ve actually been stuffed with something.
Someone recently asked me where I buy my fabrics. I’m sure she expected me to say I bring them in from Australia or the USA… but import duties are very high, and of three orders I made several years back, only one shipment actually arrived…. so apart from when I’m travelling ‘outside’ as they say here, I’ve found the best, most reliable sources for me are right here in Uruguay. My fabric rules are:
- I don’t keep a large stash.
- I buy something I love when I see it.
- more and more I work with basic colours (which never date)
- to create my art I will sew anything I can get a needle into.
- and sew with any thread I can get into that needle.
- I usually buy new, but also grab recycled fabrics from worn garments or household linens.
Beads – about 15 years ago in Egypt I visited a glassblower’s studio, and in addition to buying some small interesting vessels for some reason I felt it absolutely necessary to purchase about half a supermarket bag of glass beads 🙂 OMG, it must have been the heat. Mike and I needed to buy two additional large suitcases to pack in all the stuff we bought in Egypt (which in fairness did include two 2m x 2m tentmaker wall hangings– large and heavy) However, not one bead do I regret. Years ago I made a bead necklace and wore it once, but it was way too heavy to wear for more than a couple of hours and I think I must have given it to someone. Anyway – I have plenty to use as weights within most of these forms to give them some heft that feels appropriate to the size. I’ll also stabilise it with some velcro while it’s on its plinth.
Thread – Even if you always use cotton thread to sew with, in this case I recommend the strongest polyester machine sewing thread you can find – or an upholsterer’s thread, so it can be firmly pulled and fastened off without breaking. Unless you plan to show the gathered area on the front (2D) or top side (3D), the colour of that thread is irrelevant.
Stuffing – this is a great recycling or repurposing activity, too, as I’ve always saved offcuts of both fabric and batting/guata, and more than once have found just what I needed to add to a piece when I was just a little short. At this rate the “batting bits” storage box will soon be empty! However, I also have 3 large bags of small fabric scraps from my many pieced works.
As in the pic illustrating my previous post, I mentioned that embellishments would be easier before stitching all the units together – so I’ll be working on that next.