I have a love-hate relationship with hot glue. While hot glue occasionally has a good use, most of the time it is simply a horrible thing ... especially on fabric. Yet, I couldn't resist the wreathe of miniature African dolls dressed in scraps of woven kente cloth. It was on a table lot at Bill Mishoe's auction.
(Above: A wreathe made using the miniature (Above: A wreathe made using the miniature African dolls.)
I wasn't even the successful bidder on the table lot. I knew the dolls were hot glued to green bias tape that was wrapped around the metal ring. Hot glue was all over the back of every one of these dolls. So I wasn't altogether sure that I wanted these cute dolls. I let another dealer buy the table lot and then approached her about the wreathe. For a couple dollars, I got the wreathe. It took at least an hour to pry/cut/tear/scratch-off/remove the dolls. Once freed from this makeshift decoration, they were arranged into a mandala and stitched into place. (There's still plenty of excess hot glue on the back of these dolls ... but that couldn't be helped.) Personally, I think these dolls are much happier now!
2 comments:
Another amazing piece. I mean, who (besides you) would think to combine those items. Love the door handles. I totally agree with you regarding hot glue. Maybe you did this; my solution for removing the glue from fabric is heat gun/tool and craft/popsicle sticks and if possible heat resistant gloves. Just reheat the glue and carefully scrape or separate the fabric from the fabric.
Besides Ann's suggestion of a heat gun, what about a hot stencil knife or maybe even a hot glue gun without any glue sticks in it? It might be a bit more control to re-melt the hot glue. You might be able to remove some excess glue, or at least smooth it out, so it's easier to attach the items to your work.
I'm still amazed, maybe even more so, how you find the right amounts of the right objects to use for your work. Especially since you replied that your stash of materials isn't really organized!
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