Where’s my glue? Where did I put it?
Little-by-little the past few weeks between teaching and family stuff, I’ve been chipping away at getting my studio in order—mostly shifting and folding fabric from piles into shelves. My newly salvaged and painted purple table has been very helpful for that (pictured above, and blogged about here), but this week I was all set to get back to work on my long-postponed Cicada collage, the first draft of which (below), was pieced during my Fascinating Bugs and Butterflies Follow-Along last summer.
Then I went for my glue bottle… right here. Oh right, I left it over there. Nope, not there. Did I leave it in my class suitcase? Not there either. Head scratching ensued, as well as entreating to St Anthony for help. I’m not Catholic, but Anthony, Saint of Lost Items, still helps me out on a regular basis. But this week? Maybe he was busy at the conclave?
I then searched my studio for backup bottles of glue. And searched. And searched. Where’s my glue? Any glue? I found a few empty or dried out bottles that have now been tidied right into the trash (save the little white glue bottle caps—very handy as a replacement when you loose one in a pile of fabrics you’re working with).
Aaarrrgg! Where did I put the glue bottle?! How frustrating. Djinni Cat aaarrr-grees!
My husband, Tom, just happened to be in a town half an hour north of us where they have—had—a Joann’s Fabric. It flickered through my mind to call him to pick me up some Aleene’s Tacky Glue. But a wave sadness hit when I realized Joann’s is closing down. The shelves are depressingly bare and any glues are long gone.
So I sat at the computer and a few keystrokes later I had ordered a pack of three four-ounce bottles. I find that the four-ounce bottles are the most practical to work with. The eight-ounce bottle can be a bit on the large size to manipulate—plus more glue goes to waste if you don’t use it on a regular basis or for awhile—drying into a lump of flexible plastic, regardless of bottle size.
My golden bottles of Original Tacky Glue arrived on Thursday, along with a couple of other Aileen’s glues that students had told me about (teaching goes both ways) and I’ve got some ideas to experiment with, but not this week.
Djinni jumped onto the table to check out the new additions to her space—then went back on the pin search.
After snipping the tip off the glue bottle nozzle, I tacked down those loose fabric pieces and removed pins. In the photo gallery below, is a sequence of how I can cut through the foundation fabric and flip up the wings to audition potential backgrounds. Once I decide what fabric I liked best (in this case a beautiful hand-painted sky fabric), I slide the background in place and glue the wings back onto it, cutting away any foundation fabric that’s not needed for stability.
Taking some time to regroup and glue helps to clear my head and reacquaint myself with my subject. Gluing smooths out all those pieces of fabric—gets things “under control.” Gluing can be a sort of meditation on where I want or need to go next, helping me to better see how my piece is coming together.
Next week in my studio: second draft additions with sparkle added.
Djinni is quite the assistant!
Yes she is, Deborah! And she’s here having her breakfast as I’m having my cuppa 🙂
Susan, I loved reading this process post! I know the pain of not having a supply at hand when needed. When I read your posts, it makes me want to abandon clothing for collage!
much love, kate
Good morning, Kate! I imagine you’re having the same cozy rainy day that we are—we’re planning a get-comfy-on-the-couch Conclave matinee with my sis. Seemed like the week to watch it, as I patiently wait for St Anthony to point me to my glue. Now I’m guessing my favorite scissors are in the same “safe” place. And don’t abandon your fabulous clothing—wearing them makes me feel all the more creative—and I wear them all the time! See you soon at your beautiful shop (kamalaboutique.com) XO
That’s some losing it story! I hope you didn’t really lose your scissors too.
Hi Susan, what do you do about frayed edges on the fabric? Being a newby, I’ve manipulated some of those pieces quite a bit, and they are getting pretty frayed. I believe you said sometimes yo use a permanent marker of the right color to “sharpen the edge” of a shape when necessary. If I should be posing this question somewhere else, please let me know. I understand that you’re trying to cover costs of patreon. I am reluctant to subscribe to things, as subscriptions tend to hang around far longer than possibly needed. TY in advance. Nancy
Hi Nancy, yes, edges can get frayed. I don’t concern myself much with them as this is a layering process where edges always get covered up anyway. If a frayed edge bothers me, I seal it with a swipe of glue. The permanent marker you referred to is a tip when using the new(er) digital printed fabric where the base fabric can sometimes show as a thin white edge in the collage. If it’s a problem, a swipe with a marker can solve that. Patreon is a way to contribute to the maintenance of this blog, no worries, we keep it free regardless!
Nancy, if you are still considering whether or not to become a patron, I want to encourage you. I consider the expense assimilate to a magazine subscription but better because I can have input and feedback.
TY!
I continue to learn from you as you evolve and share here. I took your online master class a few years ago and own one of your books. As I continue on my art path, I do my own riffs as I go. I use some different glues at times, too. I’m working on a large piece now and have been stewing on how I’ll integrate the background since I’ll need several larger pieces of fabric. What you showed here in this post gave me ideas, so thank you for sharing so much of your process!
Thank you, Denneen, it’s all about experimenting and trying new things, isn’t it? Glad this post may help you through a creative wall! Take a look at this other post about backgrounds as well: https://susancarlson.com/2022/08/06/susan-carlson-fabric-collage-summer-special-10-of-16-backgrounds-more-than-filling-in-space/
Be sure to scroll down to my crocodile example—plenty of large pieces of background fabric there! Also has a link to a making-of-croc post for progress photos!
Your work is beautiful though Djinni stole the show! Cutest studio support cat ever!
Thank you, Lynne! Djinni was particularly photogenic this week, and insistent to help 😉
If anyone can make a cicada beautiful, it’s you, Susan! LOVE how Djinni helps you in your studio! What a beautiful cat.
Djinni and I thank you, Diane! I’ve loved cicadas since I was a kid in Maryland, they were a summertime treat to hear and I’d search for their shells at the base of our maple tree. Glad that my fond memory has translated into a piece that shares the love with others.
The discussion about glue reminds me I have a question. I’m currently using my domestic machine to quilt my squirrel which is bigger(29×49) than any collage i have done. I thought I had done a good job of gluing the edges but I have had to go back and re-glue a couple times. Has this ever happened to you? What’s the secret?
No secret. I miss them all the time. No matter how thoroughly I check I still miss them. However, if you used a steam iron to flatten the piece before quilting, that might be your culprit. No steam! Only heat.
So, so much fu.n to read. It happens to the best of us, but when there’s a cuddled cat nearby it all seems okay. Thank goodness for those quick online deliveries.
Enjoy your Mother’s Day on this beautiful, sunny Harpswell day.????
Hi Louise, nice to hear from you and yes, I totally enjoyed the return of the sun today! Hope you did too!
Miss Djinni dreaming.
I too have had furry helpers over the years (currently a count of 3). The first time one of my old luvs laid down with the pincushion between his paws and proceeded to pull out the pins was the last time I used a pincushion. Sometimes the magnetic pincushion is just too much to resist and the lure of a nice warm ironing board is so comfy.
Happy Mother’s Day to you and Miss Djinni.
Hi Claudia! Thank you for your story and wishes. Funny thing, Djinni leaves regular pincushions alone, but a magnetic pincushion is her second choice if she’s trying to get my attention! I hope you and your fur-babies had a lovely Mother’s Day as well. 🙂
So glad to see your cicada again. I took that class but didn’t start the collage right then. I thought I would be able to go back and rewatch the class when I was ready, but I can’t figure out how to do that–and am grateful to have this opportunity to ask about it. I believe this is Tom’s realm, so will you please forward this message to him? Tom, how do I get access to the class, or did I misunderstand that?
Carol,
I will email you with the links and passwords for the videos. Anyone else who took the class need the links again?
Tom