In celebration of Earth Day and Easter, my daughter and I made a basket of (yes, again) fused plastic. 1/2" strips are woven in and out of a slitted, 5-sided box base. Extra strips are used to fill the basket like grass. One more strip becomes the handle. I folded a few leftover squares into a hopping frog, a crane, and a butterfly. Did I ever mention how much I love origami?
I’m still fascinated by all the creative possibilities for fused plastic. I have collected more plastic bags than I could ever use. And I have found that not all bags fuse well. Simple grocery bags are best. But thicker, more graphic, plastic bags from retail stores provide more color and design possibilities. Don’t mix plastics, or the fusing will be very wrinkled or bubbled as various thicknesses of plastic melt differently. And some inks for graphics can hinder the fusing process as well. In case you missed this link in a previous post, here is a “how to” for fusing plastic yourself.
This project is a simple folded box based upon a design from Fozzils. I’ve also tried making the spoon, but my fused plastic is too flimsy, no matter how many layers of bags fuse together. Obviously the high quality, food grade, polypropylene used to make Fozzils is superior in stiffness to high density polyethylene (HDPE) from which most shopping bags are made. My box is still useful as an drawer organizer or even a tabletop decoration.
I’ve been working on an idea for a reversible bear for awhile now. This is my first prototype, made entirely by hand because I could not figure out how to sew it on my machine. I bought a rainbow assortment of t-shirts from Goodwill. Complementary colors, green and red, heighten the contrast between the awake bear and the asleep bear. As with all prototypes, there are several things that I would do differently next time. But for now, my 10 month old loves playing with this one.
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
With my first child entering kindergarten, I thought it was time to reenter the workforce. A regular schedule and a steady paycheck was really appealing. In an effort to stand out among applicants, I designed and handmade a portfolio presentation to send to prospective employers. Everything was customized to demonstrate my love of design and attention to detail. Unfortunately I couldn’t accept any offers because I subsequently conceived my second child. Oh well, more time for making and blogging.
I absolutely love the originality and quirkiness of John Murphy’s Stupid Sock Creatures. These two crazy figures are made with Red Heel socks and are based on “Red Wetty” and “Estelle” found in Murphy’s book called, of course, Stupid Sock Creatures.
There are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination.
Again I have been working with fused plastic. I’ve experimented with different thicknesses and with various methods of cutting and folding. This time I stitched a layer of white felt to one side, adding a soft texture and a bit more stiffness. I was inspired by the simple modern design of the Avva Breadbasket, and created a much smaller, slightly altered version. I’m not sure my version is very practical for holding anything, but I enjoyed the process of making it.
In an effort to add more art curriculum to our daughter’s school, my husband found this not-for-profit called Trash For Teaching. “Trash for Teaching collects clean and safe cast-off materials from manufacturing processes (that would otherwise become trash) and repurposes them as educational resources. With those materials we provide a comprehensive arts education program in local school districts, which includes teacher workshops and classroom instruction.” (excerpted from their website)
For a nominal fee per pound, my daughter and I scoured the numerous bins of materials and filled two bags with stuff like giant spools, tape reels, yarns, fabric scraps, etc. When we got home, we dumped everything out, excited to make something. My daughter had the idea of making a doll. A few weeks later, we made her a friend, and she named them Romeo + Juliet. Once they were a couple, it wasn’t long before, yes, a baby girl was born. With baby swaddled and tied to Juliet, the family is happy and complete.
by pauline 