Saturday, June 9, 2012

9 June 2012: Jo Mabbutt – “Mixed Media in Textiles”

The workshop with Jo Mabbutt was very well attended. It was a fast paced day in which we explored various methods of applying metallic foil and real metals to different surfaces.
The first thing we did was colour small pieces of bond-a-web with water soluble paints. While they were drying we prepared a variety of materials – textiles, plastics, Lutrador and Tyvex – with adhesive and size and set them aside so they could also dry. When the coloured bond-web samples were dry we ironed them onto a separate piece of fabric and applied metallic foil over the coloured surface. The foil adhered to the bond-a-web so there was no need for additional glue or size. We then applied the gold foil to the fabric painted with adhesive and over laid some of those samples with reserved pieces of bond-a-web.

Jo Mabbutt

After lunch we got to use the real metal foils. These were applied to the materials we had prepared with size.

Jo Mabbutt

While most people thought that they would experiment further with the techniques we were shown and some hoped to use it within their own work, a few were put off by the 'messiness' of the adhesives. However, I think everyone enjoyed the day and felt they had learnt something. We certainly all enjoyed looking at the Jo’s gilded lace jewellery and cards during lunch.
Jo Mabbutt