Materials:
white 100% cotton fabric
Fabric Roller Shade Kit
100% cotton curtain set
Rainbow Rock Spray Dye Kit
Rainbow Rock Brown Dye refill
Rainbow Rock Dye Thickener
primitive leaf stamp
household spray bottle
jar (to mix dye thickener)
plastic lids (to use for palettes)
plain white paper towels
plastic (to cover work surface)
plastic apron or cover-up
plastic pail or dishpan-
plastic wrap
1 cup table salt
tape
scissors
Spray-Dyed Window Shade
Note: Dye the fabric, which can then be fused onto a window shade or sewn into cushions. The spray-dye portion of the project must be done first because after the dyes are thickened, they cannot be sprayed.
Steps:
- Dissolve packets of soda ash from the kit and dye refill in 1-1/2 gallons of water. Add 1 cup of table salt. Stir well to mix (wear gloves).
- Soak fabric to be dyed in soda ash fixer solution for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Add warm water to the bottles from the Spray Dye Kit, filling them only halfway up. Mix brown dye in the household spray bottle: 1 tsp. brown dye plus 1/4 of the urea pebbles in the refill plus 1/4 cup warm water (double the amounts if desired).
- Securely tape the plastic covering over work surface so that it will not slip around.
- Take fabric out of fixer solution, wring out and lay flat on work surface. (Do not discard fixer solution--save and reuse). Pleat the fabric lengthwise, starting at the center and working out to either side (figure A). Loosen the pleats if necessary to expose more fabric surfaces to the dye.
- Spray the fuchsia, turquoise and yellow dye in different areas on the fabric, letting the colors overlap and mix (figure B).
- Push the pleats together again and spray the edges brown (figure C). Turn over and spray the edges brown on the other side.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let set for eight to 24 hours.
- Rinse with warm water, then wash (with dish detergent in the sink or in washer with laundry detergent). Use the hottest water appropriate to the fabric.
Leaf-Printed Curtains
Note: These directions are for dyeing purchased curtains. Choose curtains that are 100% cotton and not treated with stain repellant. Do the spray dye portion of the project first. This works best if you can leave the curtains where they are as they rest eight to 24 hours during the fixing process.
Steps:
- Mix the dye thickener in a jar with two cups of water (stir the water gradually into the powders, then shake well to mix). The mixture will thicken as it stands and should stand for at least a half-hour before using.
- Mix soda ash fixer solution as in step #1 of previous directions.
- Soak curtains in the fixer solution for 20-30 minutes, then wring out. (Do not discard fixer--save and reuse).
- Wearing gloves, take the spray tops off the dye bottles and add an equal amount of dye thickener gel to each bottle (for instance, add 1/4 bottle of gel to 1/4 bottle of dye). Cover the opening of the bottle with a thumb and shake well to mix.
- Secure the plastic covering to work surface with tape so it will not slip around. If dirty, wipe the plastic several times to be very sure that all the excess dye is gone. Cover work surface with a layer of plain paper towels.
- Wring out one curtain and place on paper towels. Arrange so that it is as flat as possible.
- Practice stamping the dyes on paper towels. First pour some thickened turquoise and yellow dyes onto a plastic lid, allowing some of it to mix together (figure D). Then pour some thickened brown dye next to the other colors. Dip the leaf stamp into the dye and stamp on the paper towels. You want a mixture of colors: yellow, green and turquoise with brown off to one side.
- Stamp the leaf designs on the curtains (figure E).
- Let set eight to 24 hours. The fabric should not dry out completely because moisture is needed for the fixing process. If necessary, spray at intervals with water or fixer, or cover loosely with plastic wrap after a few hours (don't cover right away as this tends to smear the design).
- Rinse with warm water, and then wash according curtain directions.
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