List of Instructions
Catalog
(shopping cart enabled)
Earth Guild Home

Fabric Arts Dyes
FABRIC ARTS LIQUID DYES

Preparing silk
Rinse fabric well in luke warm water. Roll in a terry cloth, squeeze excess moisture out, and iron while damp with a dry iron set on wool.
Transferring the design
Tape the design to your work surface. Place the silk over the design and tape it down. If you wish, lightly trace the design onto the fabric with a pencil. If your design is boldly drawn, you may prefer to trace it directly with the resist.
Stretching
Cover canvas stretcher strips with masking tape or packing tape to protect them from dye stains. Use push pins or silk tacks at approximately 2" intervals to pin the silk to the edge of the frame opening. Push the silk up on the shank of the pins so it does not touch the wood frame. Be sure the silk is stretched very tautly.
Applying Resist
Carefully pour the resist into the metal tipped applicator, filling the bottle to about 3/4 . Allow the resist to rest until the bubbles rise to the surface. Poke a hole in the spout with a push pin. Screw the metal tip onto the spout. Use the pin provided to keep the metal tip from clogging. Hold the applicator bottle like a pencil. Touch metal tip point to the silk. Squeeze, push and pull.
The resist is used to outline an area and contain the flow of the liquid colors within it. Breaks in the resist line will allow the colors to migrate to other areas in the design. Best results are obtained when the resist sinks quickly into the fabric.. Allow the resist to dry (approximately 15 minutes) before painting. Use resist to sign your piece, if you like.
Diluting Colors
Use Fabric Arts Dilutant mixed with 7 parts of water. Or use a half-and-half mix of water and alcohol.

PAINTING TECHNIQUES WITH FABRICARTS DYES
Using Resists
Use a resist to outline the shapes in the design. Water soluble resist washes out in cold water. Gutta Serti must be removed by dry cleaning.
Salting
Use any salt for this technique. While the dye is still wet, sprinkle salt for a starburst effect. When the fabric and the dye have dried, scrape salt off before setting colors.
Spotting
Apply dye, and before it dries, use a brush with water or dilutant to wash away parts of the color.
Blending
Quickly blend two or more colors within aa outlined shape to produce a smooth blend of colors. Because liquid dyes are transparent, be sure to start with light colors first.
Wet-on-wet
Start by applying mixed dilutant or water to fabric and, while it is still damp, apply colors. This will create a water color effect.
Double Loading
Double load the brush with two different colors and apply to wet or dry fabric for a double or triple stroke of color.
Dark Edge Line
Paint and then allow the dye to dry. Place a second color over that, without resist, and allow the dark edge line to take form.
Dry Brush
After the first color has been painted and allowed to dry on the fabric, the second color is applied over the first color with a very dry brush that has hardly any liquid color in it. The dry brush work leaves textural brush lines on the fabric.
Colored resist
Use a colored resist instead of the clear for a different look, be it black, colored or metallic.
Antifusant
Apply a thin coat of Fabric Arts Antifusant over the fabric and allow it to dry. When you paint there will be very little movement on the fabric. After setting, remove antifusant by washing fabric in cold water.
Thickener: Add Fabric Arts Dye Thickener to silkscreen or thicken the dyes.

Steam Setting
Fabric Arts Liquid Silk Dyes need to be set so they will become a part of the fabric. These traditional silk dyes require that the painted fabric be steam set. Steam setting can be easily done in a large pot with a rack on the stove or in a steamer. A combination of steam and heat will set the dyes and make the fabric washable, dry cleanable, colorfast and brilliant. Use white newsprint, kraft paper, old sheeting or muslin. Lay the painted fabric over that, leaving a margin of two inches all around. Roll gently (or fold if using fabric) and do not allow the painted fabric to touch itself. Roll into a snail shape or a square packet so it will fit in the pot without touching the sides. Cover this packet with several layers of newspaper and tie with a string or masking tape. Add 1 inch of water to the pot. Place the rack in the pot so it is at least 1" above the water with the packet in the center. Cover with a tent of aluminum foil to protect from condensation and place a terry towel over that. Bring the water gently to a boil and then immediately lower the heat so only a mist (not a rolling boil) is produced. Steam with this fine mist for one hour. Remove the packet after one hour and rinse.

Rinsing
after you have finished painting and have set your colors, you may wish to wait a week for the colors to "cure" before rinsing the fabric. In a pinch you can do it right away. Rinse and add 1 TBS white vinegar to the final rinse to condition the silk. Lay the silk on a terry towel, roll, then squeeze (do not wring) to remove excess moisture. Iron silk while still damp, on the wrong side. Iron is set on wool.