Do you like to try new things? I do. I enjoy the creative process and the chance to explore a new technique. Sometimes it requires a do-over though.
My latest adventure was rust dying. I read Elizabeth's tutorial but I was at the river when I had a chance to try it and didn't have my computer so I'm sure I forgot some important parts.
A scrap of muslin with the one and only really rusty spot achieved in this adventure.
A scrap of an old white cotton t-shirt. I actually like the mottled effect on this piece.
Another muslin scrap. Not quite as orange as the photo but it does have that one dark dot.
I wrapped the rusty pieces with the fabric and tied everything with twine. I used a water/vinegar mix. My pieces were submerged in the liquid. Maybe that was too much. I only had three days there so I didn't leave the pieces wrapped and let them dry. Maybe I should have.
I'm going back to read the instructions again. Any additional hints would be appreciated and I will try again at some point. Can I use the same rusty pieces again? I left them outside to weather.
These fabric pieces will be used for something but my goal is to have more rust "shapes" show up.
Your rusting still came out very nice. I am also a big fan of mottled, so they spoke to me. Thanks for sharing these, because they are great considering they were considered scraps, anyway!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this! Interesting.
ReplyDeleteHere's what I do. I gather my rusty pieces and my scraps. I saturate the fabric with straight vinegar. NO 50/50 for me. You can tie them in twine, but I don't unless I'm ecodyeing, which involves steaming the fabric. For this, just saturate, wrap, throw in a plastic bag, and seal.
ReplyDeleteDon't allow the fabric to sit in water/vinegar mix. It will never rust if you do. It needs both air and moisture, and if you drown it, it won't get air.
Yes, you can definitely use the rusty pieces again. In fact, the more they rust, the better they will be. And you can re-rust any scraps you don't like. It is called over dyeing, or in this case over rusting. I've rerusted fabric I didn't think was rusty enough.
Remember:
1. Saturate fabric with pure vinegar.
2. Put on non-porous gloves.
3. Wrap or cover in rusty pieces.
4. Place in plastic bag and seal.
5. Allow to sit a couple of days in warm spot.
6. Put on gloves, and check to see if rust has worked.
7. If not, place back in bag and leave awhile longer.
8. If so, take to sink and wash in baking soda and water bath. Do as many times as needed until all excess rust is removed.
9. Remove gloves and enjoy.
Hope that helps.