Saturday, December 10, 2011

"Resistance is futile"

No, it's not a line from Star Trek "Voyager." I couldn't resist this technique and it was torture waiting two days for the syrup to dry. Although this is a scheduled post since I am gone, I was no less excited about this project. And dry the fabric finally did and it was dry and hard to the touch on top. It wasn't sticky, either.


However, when I removed the trees I used as masks , they were quite sticky, and everything underneath them was sticky.

As an aside, I did an internet search after Elle asked what syrup brand could be substituted in Canada. The answers seemed to be both BeeHive and Crown. Apparently, you can buy both light and white and they are both the same as Karo. And yes, Karo is thick and very sticky. It's definitely not like pancake syrup. In fact, I took this directly from the BeeHive web site:
As KARO CORN SYRUP has come to define “corn syrup” in the
US market through the entire 20th century, so too have BeeHive®
and Crown® set the same standard in Canada.

BeeHive® Golden Corn Syrup was first registered for use in
1898 by The St. Lawrence Starch Company and has been a staple
ingredient in Canadian kitchen cupboards ever since. Corn syrup
usage in North America peaked in the 50’s when corn syrup was
extensively used as a nutritional supplement in baby formula
and an energy food.

Back to the fabric, I had a terrible time getting the two pieces away from the plastic because the syrup wanted to stick to both the fabric and the plastic. Yes, the plastic is very, very sticky and wet, as you can see from the photo. The reverse side of the fabric was gooey, too, as I showed above.

However, after washing in warm water, the goo came out quickly. A very easy way to remove resist. For that, I would give it two thumbs up.


On the other hand, I wasn't terribly thrilled with the resist. First, I left far too much white on the fabric, and the three tree masks are barely visible. In fact, I can only see two tree images and they have been colored by the Staz-on.

As you can see, I have scanned these two pieces, so I got the middle of each piece of fabric.


I did however, like the bottom piece and the way the fabric took the colors. Granted, there is less resist, but I think I prefer that. I feel the resist was a distraction and by not having fabric dye or paint, I may have missed the resist effect.

So I am off to find some suitable fabric paint (or dye) before I color the fabric where I dried the syrup. At least it won't be quite as sticky by the time I get around to adding the next color I try. Please let me know what you think of this outcome.

14 thoughtful remarks:

Nancy said...

Both turned out nicely. The bottom one, your favorite, could be easily used as is and I really like the mottled look it has. The top one, with more white showing, would be fun to modify even further with rubber stamping, surface stitching, or other surface techniques. But it's a messy process requiring patience I see!

Sue said...

Hi hun
sorry ive not been by for a while, not been on comp much last couple weeks, luv your work, you are so creative, fab colour, hugs, sue,x

Nancy said...

Gosh, I like both..especially the top one because, like the othe Nancy said, it will be fun to add to the areas untouched :)

Lynn Cohen said...

Love the results. Not sure I'd like the sticky mess though. More power to you for sticking through the wait! ;-)

Anonymous said...

I actually really liked how these turned out. The colors are amazing.

Julia Dunnit said...

My preference is the bottom piece, but you could probably achieve that finish some other less sticky way? What do I know! Am as ever, so impressed that you try out and research these techniques!

Julia Dunnit said...

Igot carried away and forgot to say that I think there was seepage under the resist, which is probably why I like the last piece, it seems..I dunno,finished.

Dianne said...

the results are terrific! not sure I would want to deal with sticky syrup, though. great job on the photos and process...

HeARTworks said...

Very nice! I don't know if I'd like to deal with sticky syrup to get it though. have to think about this one! Thanks for sharing! You are so adventurous! Patsy from
HeARTworks

voodoo vixen said...

I like the second piece better, the variations of the colour are nicer and less white. I would call that one finished but I await your opinion and see what you end up doing!! ;)

Dandelion and Daisy said...

Wow! I like both pieces, both could be used in lots of fun ways. I, too, admire your willingness to experiment...that was a sticky one, I'd say. We all appreciate your sharing with us these brave experiments.

elle said...

Thanks Elizabeth. Beehive is what I have and Crown I've seen. I think this will be great and I find flour drying on my hands so this will definitely be on my 'to try' list.

Rebeca Trevino said...

these turned out very nice. i can think of lots of kool projects for these . . . but it looks like a lot of work.
thanks for showing us the whole process though.

tell me what your plans are for these. how will you use them? stretched on a canvas? as fabric art?

ps: have you ever tried 'artists tissues'? these will bleed when moistened, the result reminds me of this a little.

Plush Possum Studio said...

After reading through your notes on this project, I have to tell you it's a stunner of a result. Even if not exactly the way we plan them, very often we get good results. I love your choice of color. Your mottled effect reminds me of light filtering through trees. Very lovely.
Thanks for sharing your very detailed notes and photos
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