Test-Driving Wallpaper

While I wait for my “what does out-of-gamut look like” color sampler, which should arrive tomorrow, I’ve been playing with a couple of other wallpaper samplers I ordered from Spoonflower. I wanted to see how their Prepasted and Peel & Stick wallpapers work for projects other than wall treatments. Things like appliqué templates and collages.

But first, a quick backstory. With quilting in mind, I developed a bunch of black and white designs that I think of as “patterns that do the heavy lifting.” Without a lot of fussy piecing or appliqué, I want to be able to create elaborate compositions using fabrics that, because they’re only two colors, will create new and unexpected shapes when merged together. There are 24 so far, but before I order them on yards of fabric, I wanted to try them out in miniature collages.

The Prepasted Wallpaper Test: I thought I could potentially use both papers for collaging, but to activate the Prepasted glue, you have to wet the paper and let it sit for a couple of minutes, which seems slow and messy, so I ruled it out. As a template for appliqué, it worked much better. Instead of ironing it to the back of the fabric, like freezer paper, I just sponged it down and stuck it on. No fingertip-burning iron required. I was concerned that it would be so sticky that it wouldn’t separate from the fabric or that the glue would stay behind, but neither happened. It stayed stuck while I was stitching and peeled away cleanly and easily when I was done. Hooray!

The Peel & Stick Test: With an X-Acto knife, I cut the blocks apart and sliced a strip off of each one. To my surprise, it cut fairly easily. Since its a heavy weight and has a paper backing, I expected it to be tough, but I was able to get nice clean edges. Peeling the backing off was a snap as well. No fiddling with the corners to get an edge started, and the collaged pattern mash-up was fun too. Hooray some more!

Verdict: Very pleased with both applications and a bit stoked about the possibilities! Wallpaper = a whole new tool.

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This week, a Very Random Survey Question of the stranded-on-a-desert-island variety that came up while my husband, Brad, and I were toodling around running errands:

If you were stranded on an island and could only have one album (musical, not photographic), what would it be?

Me: Dave Brubeck’s Time Out because it’s upbeat and complex, so it would set a cheerful mood and not get boring. I also adore the cover art by Neil Fujita, so it’s a twofer.

Brad: Jimmy Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland because it has “very innovative recording techniques for its time, great songs that flow into each other, and if I’m lucky enough to be stranded with a four-speaker stereo system, quadraphonic sound.”

How about you? What album would you want to be stranded with?