Paper Mache Bowl

On the Gelli Arts blog click herethey had a tutorial on making a paper mache bowl, covered in paper printed on the Gelli plate. I had an "Ah ha" moment and thought about using the triangle fabric scraps from my prayer flags. I began by covering one of my stainless steel bowls with plastic wrap, and cutting 2" strips of newspaper. I dipped the paper in a 50/50 mix of white Elmers glue and water. The paper went on quickly and I tried to get at least 4 layers of paper on all parts of the bowl. Left to dry over night, it was a tight squeeze, trying to get it off the metal bowl, it must have shrunk when it dried. It was stiff enough to use as a base for the fabric, and I began gluing small bits of fabric on the outside. For this I used a matt gel medium, to adhere as well as coat the fabric. Dry time, and then coated the inside of the bowl with fabric.

The shape warped a bit, adding the wet medium softened up the paper mache, so I put it back on the bowl to help it keep its round shape. I coated everything with 2 layers of mat medium. Tipped it over and coated the insides too. It had a bit of a rough texture, that I thought Mod Podge would even out, as it is thicker and made for just that use. Unfortunately the Mod Podge I had was glossy, I'm not sure I like it. They do make it in Satin and Matt finish though.

I added a strip of darker blue around the rim, with a wavy cut edge. More coats of sealer. I am not finished with it, I am going to glue on around the edge, various blue buttons and beads. At least I don't need to sew them by hand. So it was a fun little project, using up some scraps, but I don't know if I would do a second one, but it was fun to experiment.
I am going to link this with Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Friday" click on the badge in the right hand column to see what other wonderful textile artists are doing this week.