a crash course in soft sculpture
patchwork, pillows, and the meaning of it all
I have been obsessed with making patchwork since I started sewing six years ago. I have made quilts and pillows and clothing, all by combing little bits of fabric together. I think what I keep coming back to is the ability of patchwork to exist as a 3D element. I find it fascinating. In soft sculpture, the hard and rigid become flexible. The same principle extends to clothing as well. Both exist as tangible elements that have shape and form.
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SOFT SCULPTURE
COLOR: how different fabrics interact when placed beside each other
I find picking a color palette to be a very intuitive process. Oftentimes in my work I will pick a main color that is bold (red) and I will work off of that. I usually go for a very similar color that is one or two shades different from my main color. I like viewing a piece of patchwork with slightly different colors right next to each other. Then, a very dark version of that color (maroon) and a few very light versions (pink or purple).
One great thing about working with fabric is that you kind of have to make do with what you have. Colors are kind of limited and “zoomed out” to their most basic forms. I thrift almost 100% of the materials that I use for projects, and I love working with what I come across. It is almost like a surprise. So, if you are worried about what colors to use, try using them all or just two of them. Do what makes you feel something; that is all that matters.
TEXTURE: the contributions and feeling that each fabric piece makes to a single composition.
I love mixing textures when I am making patchwork. Knits and corduroy and denim and cotton and linen. When I am making clothing, I tend to use fabrics that are similar in texture to each other, but with pillows and soft sculptures, I mix textures as much as I want. I usually put differing textures next to each other, in order to give contrast to a piece.
PATTERN: the shapes and repeats that develop when pieces are added and taken away from one another.
Seeing a pattern develop in a piece of patchwork is the reason!! I love discovering what I am making. I love using color and texture to enhance the patterns that I make. I am a big fan of checkerboard and stripes and half-square triangles.
A little sewing mantra:
Make clothes for your body and sculptures for your mind and then make more of them. Dare to challenge yourself and to grow into the person that you are. Allow color and pattern and texture to be your guiding principles as you hack together little pieces of things. Trust your instinct and then lie to yourself when instinct betrays you. Be confident in your choices and learn to love the process. You are capable of so much, all you have to do is begin and grow.
Haven't received the Zoom connection yet! don't forget about me...thank you!
I thought there would be more info about sewists reading "The Artists Way" together - where is it? Am I missing someething? I am subscribed and will be attending the Zoom call on Sunday.