I reported about the tapioca resist dyeing experiment here. But others in the group were assigned different resists, using items found in many of our kitchens. We got together and shared the results earlier this week.
First of all, a definition. Resist dyeing uses a material, usually a liquid or paste of some sort, to block the dye from entering the cloth, allowing you to achieve wonderful patterns and textures.
BABY RICE CEREAL RESIST
The baby rice cereal was diluted with water and "drawn" onto the fabric with a syringe. After it was completely dry, paint (left photo) and thickened dye (right photo) were applied.
A detail shot of the piece painted with fabric paint:
I love the fishlike creatures in the painted piece. That will find it's way into one of my pieces very soon. And this piece, because paint was applied sparingly, is pretty soft. Or, as we fiber people say, it has a nice hand.
The verdict: somewhat easy to wash out, interesting texturing, good if you want to draw a pattern on your fabric.
MASHED POTATO FLAKES
The mashed potato flakes were mixed with boiling water and then spread on the fabric and allowed to dry. The technique is very similar to the application of tapioca in the fabric that I dyed. After the fabric was dry, it was crunched up to create a crackle effect, and painted with thickened dye.
You can see the texture in the detail shot.
The verdict: Somewhat difficult to wash out, stiffer hand because of the use of fabric paint, beautiful, dense crackle texture. NOTE: more washing may soften the hand of the fabric. I hope so.
CORN SYRUP RESIST
Corn syrup was applied with a syringe. It was allowed to dry and painted with thickened dye.
In the detail piece, you can see the wonderful texture caused by slight pauses while drawing the line with the syringe. It looks a bit like beads on a string. I think that the corn syrup was thinner than the baby rice cereal, which was also applied with a syringe, so it spread out more when being applied.
I'm really fond of this sample. Another one that I can't wait to use!
The verdict: Easy to wash out. Interesting texture.
THE FINE PRINT
All of the fabric that was dyed with thickened dye was soaked in soda ash and allowed to dry before the resist was applied. Fabric that was painted with fabric paint was not pre-soaked.
Some participants used PFD fabric, but I'm not sure we all did.
The flour resist fabric has a colored base (or ground) because the fabric was pre-dyed in solid colors. The color was set, washed out and dried before the flour paste was applied.
THE CONCLUSION
All of the techniques yielded interesting fabric. Most were too time consuming, both in application of the resist and the removal of the glop after dyeing. Although I loved my tapioca resist fabric, I won't do it again. Too much work for a small amount of fabric.
The one I probably will try is the corn syrup. I love the texture, and it dissolves in water for easy removal. Sounds like a winner to me!
I'm linking this post to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, Confessions of a Fiber Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday. Go see all the wonderful work there!
First of all, a definition. Resist dyeing uses a material, usually a liquid or paste of some sort, to block the dye from entering the cloth, allowing you to achieve wonderful patterns and textures.
BABY RICE CEREAL RESIST
The baby rice cereal was diluted with water and "drawn" onto the fabric with a syringe. After it was completely dry, paint (left photo) and thickened dye (right photo) were applied.
The verdict: somewhat easy to wash out, interesting texturing, good if you want to draw a pattern on your fabric.
MASHED POTATO FLAKES
The mashed potato flakes were mixed with boiling water and then spread on the fabric and allowed to dry. The technique is very similar to the application of tapioca in the fabric that I dyed. After the fabric was dry, it was crunched up to create a crackle effect, and painted with thickened dye.
The verdict: Hard to wash out (though I just can't imagine it was as hard as the tapioca). Nice texture, though not a very dense pattern.
FLOUR PASTE RESIST
Flour was mixed with water, than spread onto the fabric and allowed to dry. It was then crunched and crackled. These pieces were painted with fabric paint.
The detail shot shows the wonderful texture.
CORN SYRUP RESIST
Corn syrup was applied with a syringe. It was allowed to dry and painted with thickened dye.
The verdict: Easy to wash out. Interesting texture.
THE FINE PRINT
All of the fabric that was dyed with thickened dye was soaked in soda ash and allowed to dry before the resist was applied. Fabric that was painted with fabric paint was not pre-soaked.
Some participants used PFD fabric, but I'm not sure we all did.
The flour resist fabric has a colored base (or ground) because the fabric was pre-dyed in solid colors. The color was set, washed out and dried before the flour paste was applied.
THE CONCLUSION
All of the techniques yielded interesting fabric. Most were too time consuming, both in application of the resist and the removal of the glop after dyeing. Although I loved my tapioca resist fabric, I won't do it again. Too much work for a small amount of fabric.
The one I probably will try is the corn syrup. I love the texture, and it dissolves in water for easy removal. Sounds like a winner to me!
I'm linking this post to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, Confessions of a Fiber Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday. Go see all the wonderful work there!
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