Friday, June 10, 2011

Inspiration Avenue Challenge: Bake

I'm not sure what Lisa from Wright Stuff was thinking when she challenged us with "Bake" for Inspiration Avenue this week, but I know this has been the hottest week on record in Kansas, and we have either tied or beaten the all time heat record three times this week, including a freak heat wave that happened right after midnight Tuesday in which the temperature went from 85 degrees F to 102 degrees F in 20 minutes (and stayed at that temperature throughout the day). So for me, it was the perfect time to do a little baking outside. Of course, it took all week to "bake" my project. You might need to click on the photos to see the whole picture (since some of them came out quite large).



I started with my already rusty water, to which I gathered fabrics that I thought might take the rust well. The pieces in this bucket are from an old railroad track (railroad ties and nails), and are not decorative. Be aware of the gloves I have on top of the fabric. This is something you will need ANY and every time you work with rust. If you don't, the rust attacks the hemoglobin in your blood and does a bunch of nasty stuff to it (I will leave the scientific details to the chemists).



The first day I wrapped the various fabric pieces around the rusty iron railroad ties, then added more water to the bucket and set it in the sun of my driveway.



After allowing the fabric to sit in the rusty mix for two days,



I removed the fabric. At the same time, I discovered some can lids were in the water, so I allowed them to dry along with the railroad ties. Once dry,



I returned them to the bucket for one more day of wet fun in the sun, but the sun was gone and the next day (Thursday) it started to rain and produced back to back to back (yep 3) tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings, coupled with high winds and large hail.



In order for these pieces to be safe to use in any fabric related artwork, I washed them in vinegar water baking soda water to set the rust and allow the rusty fabric to be safe to use in my art. Because I wanted to dry these pieces without them being saturated with rain, I laid them out on my porch desk, instead of hanging them on my clothes line, and waited for them to dry. Note the gloves in the photo that I removed to take pictures. Once the fabric is dry, it will be safe to handle.



When the fabric was dry, I folded the pieces and admired my newly baked project. Note again the gloves I used until the fabric pieces were completely dry. This baked project took five days, but it was fun to "bake" some rust into various fabrics. Thanks Lisa for the challenge, even though my take on "bake" is a bit out in left field.

20 thoughtful remarks:

Unknown said...

I love how clever your take on rust is- WOW! I can't wait to see what you do with these. Would I be correct in guessing that they are for your "rusty art" exchange?
Whatever they're for it's a GREAT idea!
P.S. I can't believe the crazy weather we've been having this (and last) month! I'm so glad you were safe through all those storms!

Halle said...

I've got to get going on the rust! Great examples!

Maggie said...

The fabric came out of the "oven" just yummy! (I never knew about the nasty side of rust. Thanks for letting us know.) Will you show us how you will use the fabric? I hope so!

Your weather sounds like a version (a little more severe) of ours. I can't wait for summer to settle down!

voodoo vixen said...

Oooh Elizabeth, your baked goods look fabby!! Can't wait to see what you produce with them. It sounds like you are having some major extremes weatherwise... hope it all settles down to normal soon!!

Clare with paint in her hair said...

how cool is all that!! I want to have a go

Julia Dunnit said...

Ha, great take on baking! I never knew rust could be so harmful, although I've absorbed your advice about gloves - I just didn't know why! Your weather is all over the place, how extraordinary..I hope you're finding patches of coll to sit in. That lacey fabric rusted well!

Healing Woman said...

Good tips for baking! I remember when you gave a demo last year on rusting. I just love the way your finished product comes out. I wonder how you will use it?

Marfi-topia said...

wow! this is so cool!

Terri Kahrs said...

What an absolutely brilliant "baking project", Elizabeth! AND, I learned something in the process, as I was not aware that handling rusted items was so dangerous. Hope things are cooling off a bit for you and that you have a beautiful weekend! Hugs, Terri xoxox

Ohhh Snap said...

Gorgeous fabrics!!!! I didn't know about the hazards of rust. Is it just the liquid rust that is so harmful? The things I learn :D. Thankfully I haven't gotten to rust dyeing yet lol.

Steph said...

these are really beautiful...E...I'd love to trade...:))) what say??

Unknown said...

You had beautiful results! Thanks for the tip about rust too! I had no idea!!

gma said...

LOVE this. What a fun project and cool results.
Looking forward to seeing how you use them in your fabric art.

Dianne said...

wowzer! crazy weather for sure, but you definitely cooked up a great batch of fabric!

Theresa MacNaughton said...

That is really interesting! Thanks for sharing this.

PetraB said...

Love this! I just started to experiment with rust dying fabrics. And your project is so inspiring.

WrightStuff said...

Wow! That's what I call baking!!

Unknown said...

Great stuff! The fabric looks awesome!

Becca said...

Wow! This is amazingly beautiful...I just might have to try this soon! No shortage of sun here, and always dry, so that's good! :-)

Gez Butterworth said...

Amazing. Thanks for the warning and to use gloves..xx