Scavenging for Inspiration

I'm sure I got a few strange looks a few weeks ago while on my neighbourhood walk. I was once again walking with my focus on the ground to see what treasures I could find. Every once in a while I would stoop and pick something up, inspect it and decide to keep it or toss it.

When I went to the "My Corner of the World" art quilt show I was inspired by a quilt that was made from a rusted gate. Well, I was inspired by many of the quilts there but this one made me want to try this technique. I think the artist just let a piece of white cotton hang over the gate for a length of time and allowed the rain and sun to work it's magic on it. It slowly became dyed by the rust.

On my walks I had noticed many rusted bottle caps and nails on the ground so on this day I decided to collect any rusted metal I could find to try this technique myself. In the process, I would also be cleaning up parts of my neighbourhood and recycling.

These are the items I found on that walk. I hope to lay them somewhere outside on a piece of white cotton where they won't be disturbed. Each week as I find rusty things I'll add them to the arrangement. Hopefully I will get some areas that are darker than others depending on how long the items have remained on the fabric.