Rusting Reveal

Today is the day for the RUA Rusting Reveal. Here are a few selected shots from the reveal.

Wanda's Best of Class 

Wanda Again

LaVon's Horseshoe Wrap

Foil Flowers

9 1/2" x 7 1/4"

Rusting Info

Last night my friend and rusting collaborator, Sherry Drzal, and I gave a presentation on rusting to our mixed media group and I'm including some of that information in this post. First some websites for your consideration...

www.prairiefibers.com/Rust%20Dyeing.htm
www.hobbyfarms.com/crafts-and-nature/rust-dyeing.aspx
thenaturalsurface.blogspot.com
fabricfolliestwo.com/2007/02/14/dye-your-fabric-with-rust-tutorial/
naturaldyeing.ning.com/group/rustdyeing

http://rust-tex.blogspot.com/2008/07/question-and-answer-rust-dyeing.html
www.artvango.co.uk/products/techniques/iron-rust-dye.html

And now for safety considerations. We encourage you to give some serious thought to these recommendations:

USEFUL INFORMATION WHEN RUST DYEING

 WEAR GLOVES (Rust stains!)

 Rusted fabric is NOT ARCHIVAL. It will continue to rust. The suggestion is made that you need to spritz your projects made with rusted fabrics with a solution of 1 tsp baking soda to a quart of water at least once a year. Think wall hanging, not bed quilt.

Don’t use rusted fabrics in anything you plan to wash repeatedly.

Use old needles and old sewing machines. Rust will dull your needles and you don’t want rust to get started in your machine. Maybe hand sewing?

Use an old iron like from Goodwill. You don’t want to get rust on your good iron. I sandwich my fabrics with an old press cloth even when using an old iron. It could get scratched.Wear old clothes and an apron and gloves (Can’t say that enough). I learned the hard way. Rust is hard to get off  the fingernails and clothes.

Never use utensils from your kitchen if you don’t plan to dedicate them to your art after use.

Wear a mask so you don’t breathe in the dust. Hard on the lungs.

Check out websites for more safety information.  

Mixed Media Meeting

 This was the Great Paper Exchange 2012 and members agreed everyone had outdone themselves. We made ten packages with twelve sheets of all kinds of paper to be used in mixed media projects. Dyed paper bags, stitched sheets, stamped papers, painted papers, cut out images, decorative papers, more than we could ever imagine. Papers with Zentangles, flocked wallpaper, embossed toilet paper (my personal favorite), musical notes, old engineering magazines, architectural renderings...

This bottom photo is Diane showing us her Zentangles she is preparing to quilt. Such diversity amongst the group. I didn't know that little pieces of paper could be such fun!

RUA Rusting Day #2

Here are the early morning results from yesterday's rusting. Can you see the difference from just overnight? Can't wait for the results.

RUAQuilter Rusting

Today it is the RUAQuilters visiting Gypsy Studios to spend a morning rusting fabrics. Here is a group photo of the members at work preparing their fabric for the rusting process and the next photo is of the fabrics drying. We can't wait to see how they turn out! Stay tuned...

This horseshoe will be most interesting because LaVon did not just wrap the muslin around the horseshoe, she added coarse grade (#3) steel wool during the wrapping process and then used uncoated copper wire to wrap the muslin-coated horseshoe. This should make for a very interesting end result.

Notice the wine bottles sitting upright on the black plastic. What kind of pattern differences will we see between the upright wine bottles and the ones laid on their sides.

Anticipation....

Art Glitter Tattoos and Luggage Tags

Today Audrey (age 8) and Lindsey (age 6) made Art Glitter Tattoos and Luggage Tags so they could find their own luggage on the carousel at the Indianapolis International Airport when they arrive home this weekend.

Maritime Museum in San Diego

We thoroughly enjoyed the Maritime Museum on the harbor in San Diego. Enjoy these photos.

San Diego Zoo Visit

The world famous San Diego Zoo was a wonderful place to spend a sunny spring day.

Sea World San Diego

Today we are visiting Sea World San Diego with our son's family from Indianapolis. The rides, the whales, the dolphins, the weather all made for a beautiful visit.