Using Your Smooch: Part 4, Weaving

After yesterday's sponging technique of creating a single-color gradient with Smooch, I decided to try sponging with natural sponges and different colors. First, I created this panel using purple and blue inks with a combination of pouncing the sponge and rubbing it onto watercolor paper.

As you can see, the blending wasn't exactly smooth (whether this was sponging error on my part or simply that the inks don't respond to this style of blending, I don't know). Not quite satisfied, I let this panel sit for a few days while I contemplated what to do with it.

Finally, I decided that it might make a really cool woven project. Cutting it into strips and switching them around might make the lack of smooth gradient blending here less of a problem.

Weaving Instructions

1. Trim the colored area into an even rectangle. Then cut it into strips of the same width. These are 1/2" wide.

2. Begin weaving in the center and work out. I wanted a 5 x 3 grid of weaving.

IMPORTANT TIP: This was actually the second weaving I made. For the first, which used three colors, I just randomly wove. The results were sort of strange looking...unbalanced. For this two-color weave, I carefully planned how the colors balanced, removing strips that didn't quite work, switching them around, or replacing them altogether. The final results, as usual, are far more pleasing when you put some thought and planning into them!

3. Lift each loose tab and place a dot of glue under it to hold the whole thing together. Flip the whole weaving over and repeat the gluing on the bottom tabs as well. This makes the entire piece very stable and easy to work with.

4. Once the glue is dry, trim the loose ends off. I left 1/8" tabs all the way around the weaving. Another option is to fold the loose ends under the weaving. This will give more of a "basket" effect, but it also makes the entire piece very bulky.

5. Mount the weaving on a card with either glue or dimensional tape. As you can see, the colors glow and shimmer on the white base, and the poor job I did blending colors doesn't much matter now. I love how the purple and blue seem to move your eye around in a dreamy, soft, soothing way, so I used a "thinking of you" sentiment. It just seemed to fit.

This is a great technique to use when you create a background paper that doesn't quite work as a whole. Cut it up and try weaving it!


Supplies
stamps: Clearly Besotted
ink: VersaColor imperial blue
paper: Michael's 110# card stock
accessories: Smooch, natural sponges, glue, dimensionals