Search This Blog

Monday, January 9, 2012

Resist Dyed Shirt

I think everyone in some art class did the dye job where you use wax to make a design then dye the fabric. Once the fabric is dyed & dries, you stick the fabric between pieces of newspaper & iron the wax out. It's called resist dying and the results are similar to this:
Source
There are several techniques out there that do not require the use of wax. You can also use glue to create the resist. You'll need a shirt, some dye, and gel glue. I repeated this same technique using liquid dye instead of the powder. The powder created some light & dark areas, as well as some splotches where the powder didn't dissolve. The liquid created a more uniform dye job. It depends on the look you're going after as to which one you should use.
Wet the cloth with cold water. Place a water-proof barrier between the two layers. I used the lid to my laundry basket.
Use the glue to draw pictures or write a quote. I didn't bother taking a picture of this because the glue was clear and you couldn't see where I had written anyway. Let the glue dry then fix your dye bath. If you're using powder, use cold water. If you're using the liquid, use hot. Just read the directions on the package. Remember that the fabric will turn out a couple shades lighter than what the dye bath is.

Once dyed, rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.
Obviously not clear yet.
Wash & dry as normal. I wash & dry it by itself just in case some more of the dye comes out during the process.

The quote is a "modified" one from Audrey Hepburn. It says, "I believe in manicures. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest. I believe in kissing...alot. I believe in miracles."

2 comments:

  1. That turned out great! What a cool idea! You should join me for http://raisingoranges.blogspot.com/2012/01/handmade-52-3.html

    ReplyDelete