Friday 29 January 2016

Studio Series: material explorations

Pop tab sample © Karen Thiessen, 2016
On my long list of things to do in the studio this year is to make time for material explorations. As a textiles student at Sheridan College, I was expected to create all manner of samples: dye, print, stitch, and more. I made the pop tab sample for my Material Explorations class while I was a student. The textile pattern is my thumb print enlarged. I dyed the blue fabric and then screen printed my thumb print pattern with pigments. The stitched pop tabs followed. At the moment I'm in UFO (UnFinished Object) completion mode and I hope that I balance that with at least some material exploration–– I finished three textile projects since my last post!

2 comments:

Claudia said...

Really like the use of various coloured threads to moor the tabs. Did you ever make the pull tab "beaded" curtains in the '70s (when I think of it now, it was probably a bit dangerous, all those soda can pull tabs bent together, still with their sharp edges - what were we thinking?). Also, the thumb print textile is nice; the enlargement of it adds a great depth to the project. Rock on with your UFOs! I believe!

Karen Thiessen said...

Claudia,
Thanks for the UFO completion encouragement! No, I never did make pull tab curtains. Pop was a rare treat in our house and we never had it in cans, only glass bottles. I just found my thumb print acetates and may reprint the design on paper.