TYVEK EXPERIMENTS FOR 2026

Although I'm not a quilter, I am a fibre artist and do a lot of machine sewing, mostly random, improvised lines and some free motion. My thanks to Andree at Quilting & Learning - What a Combo! for hosting a linkup party to talk about goals and plans for 2026.

I started experimenting with Tyvek in the fall of 2025, after doing only a bit a few years back, monoprinting onto Tyvek, then layering with synthetic fabrics, sewing them together, and using a heat gun and/or soldering iron to melt back some of the layers. My focus has been mostly on leaves, inspired by fall colours, decomposing leaves, and especially ones eaten up by insects, leaving a beautiful skeleton leaf, and by the green and purple leaf shown here that I stumbled across on a local trail.

My process starts with gelli printing leaves and other natural materials onto the Tyvek, sometimes painting the Tyvek first. I may need to invest in a larger gelli plate to accommodate some of the items that are on my list, such as the tree trunk from a fallen tree that has those wonderful life lines. My current gelli plate is 8x10, and I think I need one of those new 18x24 plates. 

These are some of my leaves, the first photo showing some of the detail. I used floral wire wrapped in sari silk ribbon to make the stems.

My plans and goals for 2026 include more Tyvek leaves: different kinds, shapes, and experimenting by combining the Tyvek with other fabrics such as burlap,  rusted fabrics, adding fun yarns, painting with Inktense coloured pencils plus whatever else I can think of. 

And tree bark using Tyvek - the variations in colour and textures are yummy. As are trees that have patterns made from the ash borers. 

I have ideas for wabi sabi art, as I love the look of weathered wood, peeling paint, old stone walls and so on. Repurposed Tyvek is perfect for this. And I have lots of discontinued upholstery samples donated by a local furniture store to use up - these are perfect for the base for Tyvek art, adding texture and contrasting colour and patterns. 

What I'd really love is to spend time at a cottage or residency this summer where I can immerse myself in creating for a couple of weeks, away from distractions of home and other commitments. Someplace where I can find inspiration from local plants and other materials, and make enough pieces to be able to apply to some gallery shows.

There you have it, my direction for 2026. What are your creative plans for this year?

To see more of my Tyvek leaves and art, see my last blog post at https://annewarburton.blogspot.com/2025/11/tyvek-art.html