Monday, January 09, 2012

Dyeing Scarves with Touch Twin Markers

I wanted to share some pictures of an adventure I had with my markers the other day, hand-dyeing scarves. I found 2 white/off white scarves at a recent trip to Goodwill... one is polyester and the other is silk, but I got good results with both. I had seen some other video tutorials explaining a faux tie-dye technique using solvent-based markers and rubbing alcohol, and figured my Touch Twin Markers would do the same.

The only supplies needed are:
--a scarf (the silk one I tried worked best)
--alcohol markers (I used Touch Twin Markers)
--rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle
--something to protect your work surface.

Be sure to flip on a fan or work in a well-ventilated area. If you're not me, you might also consider using gloves to protect your hands. :)This is a fun and messy process, and there's no "right" way to go about it... I kept adding colors and spritzing until I got the look I wanted... but I'll share some different techniques I used.

I started with the polyester scarf, and colored directly on the scarf with my markers (this is Indian Blue and Chestnut Brown). I spritzed alcohol (93%) onto the colored areas and let it soak into the fabric until it began to wick the color outward. In the picture above, you can see a colored area below, and how the color begins to move with the alcohol. After the color is mobile, you can just allow it to take its own course, or crush, roll, or twist the fabric in your hands to help it along - this also moves the color to other areas. The lower area of the scarf above has been crushed up into an uncolored area to move the color out more.
You can also stamp directly onto the scarf. Here I've inked up a Tim Holtz stamp with a Chestnut Brown marker and stamped onto an area that was still damp. The image will blend in a little. On my second scarf I stamped with Memento ink, which worked well, and didn't bleed with the alcohol spritz. Here's the final result:
This is the silk scarf - I used some of the same techniques, but the silk responded differently to the alcohol and ink. I started by folding it in half the long way and then across, so that my coloring would be symmetrical.I colored in large rows and spritzed the fabric...then gathered and twisted across each row of color to distribute the color evenly.I colored directly onto my stamp with a Chestnut Brown marker and stamped two rows of flowers across each end of the scarf. I spritzed those images lightly with alcohol so they would blend in a little. Afterwards, I stamped more flowers and butterflies with Memento ink for a clearer image. Here is the final result... if you plan to attend CHA in a few weeks you may see me wearing it!!

Hope you've learned a thing or two, and are inspired to take your markers off paper for a change! If you color up a scarf, send me a link so I can see!

Thanks for stopping by!

3 comments:

  1. I always enjoy visiting your blog and this one is another work of art! Thank you for sharing Dina!

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  2. So simple and so perfect!This idea is fabulous. Love it!

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