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Saturday, May 4, 2013

New Project: Used Coffee Filters

Yes, you read correctly. I'm taking a slight detour from using teabag paper in my art. I wanted to find a slightly heavier material...coffee filters. 

The prep is about the same. I let the filters dry with the coffee grounds on top to stain the filters. After the filters dried, I brush off the coffee grounds and put a light coat of soft matte medium on one side.

Once the medium dried, I trimmed each filter to a 5 1/2" square. I, also, used soft matte medium to attach the filters to each other. The size of the "fabric" is 15 3/4" x 36 1/4". I'm planning entering this piece in a group show that has a size limitation of 15"x34" so at some point I will need to trim it.

used coffee filter "fabric"

My plan is to weave strips of dyed fabric into this "fabric". I wanted to try different colors than I normally use so, I ordered 9 Procion dye from Dharma Trading. I'm still deciding on which colored fabric I will use on this piece.



The color names from left to right:
Amber Waves, Terracotta, Chocolate Brown, Rust Brown, Dutch Chocolate, Tea Leaves, Wasabi, Celadon and Garibaldi.

To be continued...

4 comments:

  1. Love the coffee filter fabric. The way you have treated it with matte medium should make it very, very strong and very close to a real fabric. The new Procion colors are luscious. Deciding which color(s) to use with your coffee filter fabric is going to be tough. They are all wonderful.

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    1. Thank you, Linda! Seeing the fabric posted on my blog is a good way to see which colors look good together. I will probably dye a few of the colors again but using more of the dye for a darker value. I think the project needs more contrast.

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  2. Perhaps we should introduce your filters to my coffee! xo, T

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    1. LOL Isn't it fun using unexpected materials? I'll be checking in on your blog to see how your coffee dyed fabric turns out.

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