Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Fun Fabric Art


Is it just me or are your summers stressful sometimes?
All that fun can be just down right tiring!
The finished product: After adding alcohol, drying and then outlining in black with Sharpie.
The last few days six of my eleven grandchildren are together in my house and although it is fun it is not the normal chaos I am used to having. The kids are either hanging out on the couch or playing video games or eating or outside hurting themselves on their bikes,  or eating or swimming or oh, there is always...eating!

So when I asked my daughter-in-law if she had a bottle of alcohol she thought I had taken to drinking!

Uh...no!

The beginning: Adding color with sharpies on fabric
I just wanted rubbing alcohol for an art project.

 When it gets stressful at my house I turn to art projects. That is if I am not going to be grumpy....I recognize that not everyone is like that.  Some of them live in my house and wonder why in the world I keep starting projects.  But it makes me a happy woman to be creative and the grandchildren really love doing some of the projects.  

I keep Sharpies in all colors.  I buy pens even if I think I might be low.    I have all sizes, all colors and often two of the  colors.  I have been working on a quilt lately which means I have fabric nearby in various colors.
  1. I cut up cotton muslin in easy to handle sizes(mine or about 8" x 10"), pressed out the wrinkles then taped it to recycled paper to absorb the seepage of the ink from the Sharpies.  
  2. Then I showed the kids how to draw with fine tip markers, leaving enough white space for the ink to spread when the alcohol is added. 
  3. Once we finished drawing, we taped the fabric over a disposable plate or a glass baking dish or whatever you can find to suspend the fabric so it is not flat on a surface.  Using an eye dropper drip alcohol on the fabric and let the ink spread.
  4. Let dry completely.
  5. After dry, detail with a black ultra fine Sharpie.
Tip: Be careful not to put complementary colors next to each other unless you want drab colors. Complementary colors are red and green; blue and orange; and yellow and purple.  You may want to experiment a little with color and see which colors work best.  Yellow spreads well and is a great blender color for greens, and oranges.  

WARNING: Have enough fabric, the kids will love it so much they will want to do more than one. 

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12 comments:

  1. Connie Kresin CampbellJuly 30, 2012 at 9:42 AM

    Wow! This is so beautiful! I did some pillows for my grand daughters last winter using this technique but your flowers are so neat.....need to do this again! I think when we are used to it being quiet and things stay where we put them...having the grand kids can make things interesting! I know I love them but it is also nice when they leave....guess I'm getting old :)

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  2. MelissaAugust 3, 2012 at 9:24 AM

    This is amazing! And the best part is I think I can do this with my 2 year old. Thank you for sharing!!!

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    Replies
    1. DarlaAugust 3, 2012 at 9:38 AM

      Yes, this can be done with the little ones. Have you done the baking soda and vinegar with your little ones. I put a drop of food coloring in vinegar and used an eye dropper and let them drip it onto a pan of baking soda. Of course, it fizzes and bubbles and the kids will sit and do that for a long time. I did this with a 2 yr old, 4 yr old and 6 yr old. They all loved it and asked to do it again the next day. I found it on pinterst.

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  3. TerriAugust 3, 2012 at 1:37 PM

    What a fun project. I've gotta try that!
    Hugs

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  4. Elly DAugust 4, 2012 at 7:40 AM

    What a great project and tutorial!! I must give it a try :) Thank you :))

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  5. CynAugust 4, 2012 at 8:53 AM

    Super. I tried this years ago, but didn't know to suspend the cloth over something [keep it off flat surface]. All my colors ran together and I wound up with a mess. I will try it again using your great tut. Thank you so much. Your piece is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  6. meditrina hospital indiaFebruary 12, 2013 at 12:17 AM

    This fantastic fabric art..very nice color combination and class design..I am planing to make some painting like this and then will male pillow covers.

    Best Hospital India

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 5, 2013 at 1:35 AM

    Love this idea. Very nice thread work.you have made exact...like imge their.
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    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownMarch 22, 2015 at 8:59 PM

    Just wondering how you set the dyes??

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownFebruary 26, 2018 at 10:33 PM

    I can't wait to try this!!! How does it work in the washer and dryer?

    ReplyDelete
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