Monday, January 4, 2010

Dye with Paint and Fireworks!

Sometimes white just won't do. I am signed up to be part of a row robin and I plan to do a very scrappy row with an off white background. Problem was I had purchased a nice tone on tone at a great bargain a few weeks ago........... 102" wide for only $8 a metre.........but it was white, a real stark white. I knew when I bought it that it would be getting a makeover.
So here is what I did. I began with a little Setacolour fabric paint (and I do mean a little) probably no more than a teaspoon and diluted it in roughly 12 cups of water because I wanted just a little colour.
Once I was sure the paint was completely dissolved, I added my damp (pre-washed) fabric. I moved it about to be sure it was being saturated evenly and really only left it in this solution for about 3 to 5 minutes. Using paint does not take near the time dye does.
I wrung the excess out, put that piece aside and repeated twice more.
Unlike with dyeing, with paint, your colour stays the exact same strength every time you introduce a new piece.....( with the dyeing process, your colour will get increasingly lighter)
I had cut the fabric into more manageable size pieces for ease of handling and because I wanted a piece to use now, (42"x 50") one to save for later (25"x 100") and another one measuring (42"x 50") to send along with my row for it's row robin journey......so you see, you can do some fairly large pieces.

This is the end result even after the whole works had been dried, then washed with detergent and dried again. The white on the bottom is part of the original piece I started with, the colour is permanent and will stand up to regular laundering.




The CPP prompt word #48 is Fireworks
Want to join in or learn more about The Creative Prompt Project? .....click on Clara the Cow on my side bar

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I tea dye fabrics that are too stark for my liking. I should remember to do this with sale fabrics and not just the ones in my stash.
How's the girls?

Karen S said...

Nice soft colors -- I like your technique. I have trouble getting pale colors with dyes because I so love those deep saturated colors that I have trouble keeping it light. I imagine that this treatment didn't change the hand of the fabric much, did it?

Sharon said...

I never thought to do that with the Setacolors. I usually do tea-dyeing, but this would work better for color. I need to do this....

Clare Wassermann said...

great advice. by the way your doodles are like Zentangles. do you know about them? I've just started them for fun.

Finishing Lines by K.Sperino said...

I love the fabric results. Fireworks - awesome!

Diane J. Evans said...

This is wonderful information, Terri -- I never knew you could dye fabric with paint. Can't wait to try this!

And your creative prompt doodles always bring a smile to my face -- I've said it before, I know: I love the way your mind works!

Diane

Sherri said...

When your blog opened and I saw the photo before reading, I thought you were making some kind of pasta dish for supper! It's amazing how subtle color changes make such a huge difference in projects!

Of course, your firecrackers were awesome as usual!

Quilter Kathy said...

What a great idea! Really!
Very clever!

Jaye said...

I thought the pot had some kind of shrimp in it! Perhaps I am hungry and should go home. It is late anyway!

Love the firecrackers. I haven't seen that kind IRL in a long time, but I like yours better than the others I have seen recently. Thanks for participating.

Copyright Jill Buckley