Braid & Lace Collage

Going through my 'edit posts' list and found this entry still in the drafts folder.

I've shown the journal covers previously but haven't gone into the details of making them.

I first saw this technique demonstrated by Margaret Talbot in Cloth, Paper Scissors magazine (summer 2005) and thought what a great way to use up all those little scraps of braid and lace that were too good to throw away but too small to use.

The lace scraps are free machined onto a piece of fabric, colours are unimportant.

I then stiffened the fabric with watered down PVA glue, this also helped secure the ends and loose sections of the lace.

After the glue had dried I applied a layer of acrylic paint, then dry brushed a layer of paint in another shade. Next was to dry brush some metallic or Lumiere paint to highlight the textures.

I’ve made journal covers using this technique by backing the fabric with felt, adding two smaller felt ends to tuck the covers of the books into then joining them all with a close zigzag stitch.
Take the zigzag very slowly because the process of glue and paint over lace will create a very tough surface to sew through and can cause broken needles.

So then I started to wonder if it could be applied to 3D, in particular bodies of dolls or figures.
I started this doll body then it went into my WIP’s box where it has been for THREE years.

My aim for this year (as well as the experiments and using stash, is to finish as many works in progress as I can)
I finished sewing on the laces and gave it several coats of paint.
Very bright blue base layer first:

then a coat of metallic paint:

I still haven’t decided on a face for this doll, nothing seems to suit, I was thinking perhaps a blank face holding a mask.  He/she has sat around so patiently for so long now that I think it's time to decide.