And besides, dyeing fabric is messy!

I’d much rather end up with a little extra dye and water on my lawn than in my bathtub…

My favorite method of dyeing fabric is a low water immersion process.  I stuff my fabric into heavy-duty plastic bags, dribble the dyes on top and let them brew.  You can end up with some amazing colors and patterns that way.

I’ve also soaked my fabric in the setting solution (whatever kind is required for your dye) and then sprinkled the dye powder on top.  The dye “blooms” onto the fabric and turns into streaky polka-dots.

Here’s a basic tie-dyeing method using knots, thread and marbles to act as resists.  The areas that are knotted will stay white, or whatever color your base fabric is.

Remember that dye powders are not good things to breathe, so use the appropriate safety precautions!

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

Summer Fun – Dyeing Your Own Fabric

The new book is Fabric Art Projects, and my supposition is that it is an expansion of the last book.  The description says that it teaches techniques and provides projects to use them in.  I’m thinking that perhaps it would be best to take a look at the book first if you’ve already bought the first one, but if not, this one might be a nice alternative.

I’ve not seen a copy of this book yet, but I’m very much looking forward to it!

Image: Amazon

Post from: Blisstree

Book review: Fabric Art Projects

I’ve blogged about my various experiments with dyeing and painting fabric before, using everything from traditional fabric dye, onion skins and acrylic paint.  Cyndi has been running a great series on creating your own surface design fabric.

image: C Findlay-Harder

But have you ever thought about using Kool-Aid to dye fabric?

Snow Angels has created some gorgeous yarn using the drink powder.  You’ll never believe some of the colors she’s come up with – they’re so vivid.

I wonder if they would work on wool fabric too…

Post from: Blisstree

Adventures With Fiber & Drink Powder

The basic technique involves wetting the fabric either with water, vinegar (for a faster process) or a combination of both.  The wet fabric is used to wrap around rusting iron pieces, covered and then left to work.  Of course, the sky is the limit for what kind of effects you can get – think about all the different interesting metal shapes are out there!

Rust-Tex wants to encourage the use of rusted fabric in fiber art and has put together a competition and  exhibition of art quilts using rusted fabric.  You can find the call for entry and more information here .  The competition closes on January 10th, 2010 with the winning quilts being exhibited at the Festival of Quilts in England during August 2010.

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

Did You Know That Fabric Can Rust?

• You can make the exact fabric you need for a particular project.
• Even if it’s not the exact match – odds are good that you’ve still created a really cool piece of fabric!
• I’m a control freak.  If I can make it myself, I’m a happy camper
• You can transform an ugly piece of fabric into a usable one – paint, dye, bleach and more are great ways to “upcycle” fabric.
• It’s thrifty!  If you don’t have to go out and buy more fabric, you’ll save $$$ by using fabric from your stash.

image: C Findlay-Harder

• Why says you won’t use those high school color theory classes?  You’ll learn a lot about how color works by creating your own prints.
• You’re pretty much guaranteed that no one will have the exact fabric that you do.
• Worried about using a licensed print in a project for sale?  Making your own fabric prints ensures that you won’t have any copyright hassles.
• Want to use a particular kind of fabric in a project, but can’t match the color to the fabric type?  Dye it yourself!
• My final reason?  It’s just waaaay too much fun.

Post from: Blisstree

10 Reasons Why I Print My Own Fabric

I love how this swatch turned out… but the bleach didn’t do a darn thing on the other two!  So be forewarned, do your swatches first before you start bleaching yards of fabric for your next project

Post from: Blisstree

how to of the day: using bleach pens to print on fabric, part two

Did you know that you can use those bleach gel pens to print on fabric?  That’s right, I’m abusing fabric again!  Depending on the fabric you can get anything from dramatic white lines to soft, hazy marks on the fabric.

You’ll need fabric (cotton is the safest to start with, bleach will destroy certain man-made fibers), a bleach gel pen (in the laundry aisle of your grocery store) and a bleach-neutralizing chemical.  You can get expensive ones from dyeing & fiber art supply companies – but I’ll let you in on a secret…  Tap water conditioner for fish does the same thing, for a quarter of the price!  Just make sure to buy a bottle that removes chlorine.

Before you get started, you’ll need to protect your work surface.  I’m working on a plastic covered surface.  Just remember that bleach is a toxic chemical, so take the appropriate precautions!  Use gloves, work in a well-ventilated area and protect your eyes.  Remember, you’re following these instructions at your own risk – I’m not responsible for any consequences.  Okay, I’ll take responsibility if you end up with really cool fabric

Follow the directions on the pen and start drawing!  Each fabric will respond directly – in fact, look at what the green fabric has done in just a couple of minutes of sitting with the bleach:

When you’re happy with how the fabric looks, add it to a bucket of water with the bleach remover already added.  Let it soak for half an hour or so and then wash normally.

I’ll show you how the samples turned out tomorrow

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day: using bleach to print fabric

This process may change my mind though…

Kelly has detailed the process of using snow to create lovely hand-dyed fabrics – very cool!

Post from: Blisstree

using snow to dye fabric

There are lots of different ways to print on fabric, but I tend to like the low-tech method of stamping or block printing.

I’m currently working on a series of garlands using this:

It’s taffeta printed with Lumiere fabric paint & my own hand-carved stamps.

I like to use this stuff:

It’s called “E-Z Cut Printing Blocks” and has the texture of a rubber eraser – but comes in big sheets.

You’ll also need these:

Lino cutters with a handle – I personally like the Speedball brand.

You draw an image onto the EZ Cut & then use the lino cutters to carefully cut out around the lines.  Everything that is removed becomes a blank area on the finished fabric.  An easy way to check how the print looks is to use a crayon and make a rubbing of the surface on a sheet of paper.

I use a foam brush to apply the paint to the surface of the stamp.  Carefully lay it on the fabric & press down to print.  Peel the stamp off carefully & voila!  You’ve made your own unique fabric!

If you don’t want to make your own stamps, foam stamps are great for printing on fabric.  Their simple lines usually print beautifully onto fabric.

Remember to use a fabric paint & to heat set it afterwards if you’re planning on washing the fabric after

Post from: Blisstree

printing on fabric – playing with surface design