One way to share art is to wear it. Let's keep the spirit of September (see previous post) alive all month and share, old or new, ideas on wearable or fiber art. I wanted to share Simply Spray with you -- it's fabric dye in a spray. The product says its a "soft fabric paint", but it works like a dye to me. I am not a spokesperson for them. I just like this product. I heard of Simply Spray while watching Martha Stewart. Dying can involve so many different processes. What I like about Simply Spray -- its so easy and soft.
I took a shirt of mine that was putty pink (awful) and created wearable art, fabric art! I bought two cans of Simply Spray in Caribbean blue and lavender. Directions are easy too. I wanted a tie-dyed look, so I sprayed the paint in a constant movement and I let it drip onto the fabric after I stopped spraying. If you don't want this look, then don't stop spraying until you are completely off your fabric canvas.
I was thrilled with the results of my first project. What surprised me the most was when I wore it, people started saying they had a shirt or a jacket or a pair of jeans they could re-purpose. I bought some discounted off-white cotton and I plan on creating my own fabric with this paint. I've also bought all of my Simply Spray on sale. I hope this inspires you to vamp up a shirt and create wearable art or sew it yourself to really be one of a kind. These techniques work best on light all-natural fibers.
The lighter putty-pink was the original color of the shirt. I happened to have a teal camisole that looks great under the shirt because it picks up the Caribbean blue. And the lavender spray ended up being more of a deep pink on this shirt and I like that too. So what else did I do to this shirt? I've been itching to work with some of my recently purchased yarn! I wanted to embellish and use textured yarns, so I took some acrylic yarns with varying colors and made a single-strand crochet loop -- at least that is what I call it -- you make a loop and continue loop through loop until you achieve the length you want. I added beads as well.
I used two yarns. One was a solid purple and the other yarn was a variegated textured yarn of white and teal. After I looped a strand of each, I loosely twisted them together and tacked them onto the shirt leaving some yarn to drape in different places. I took embroidery threads in different colors and added beading throughout the strand. I would tack each section of beads to the inside of the shirt and this helped to better support the yarn to the shirt. Another way I secured the strand to the shirt was to place buttons in various places. I love embellishing with buttons, but they can be expensive. Whenever I'm at the craft store, I go to the sale bins and get buttons, ribbon and yarn at least 75 percent off.
The pink button is big -- like a 2.5" square, so I added more embellishment to it -- beads and threads and I ran some of the yarn in and out of the holes, of course, this also helped secure this big button to the shirt. The fabric has additional layers in this section, so there was no need for me to add interfacing to the underside of the fabric when sewing on this button.
The yarn is draped and then tacked down with various buttons all along the front neck line.
I also let some yarn strands end and just hang down across the front and at the shoulder seams. I made sure I knotted the end of the yarn and also the individual strands in the textured yarn. The textured yarns are several single yarns twisted together, so be sure to knot them as a group and individually at the end. I also beaded along the hem of the sleeves as well as along the bottom hem of the shirt.
I didn't drape the yarns across the back neckline. It is embellished with beading and buttons, but the yarn goes straight across the neckline. Keep the yarn loose even when tacking it down along a straight area. Avoid stretching or pulling on the yarn as you tack it down.
Below is one of the buttons I randomly placed all over the shirt. I like to stack the buttons. You might want to place some strong interfacing to the inside of the shirt when sewing on this button, so it won't pull on the fabric. And notice how I kept the button from hanging down by not just using the button eyes to sew on the button.
Use these techniques in wearable or fiber art -- home decor with curtains, pillows, wall art, etc. Go rummaging to get your spirit soaring to create or re-create fiberart in September. Go digging through fabric, apparel, bedding, linen and drapery items at places like flea markets, fabric shops and stores like Tuesday Morning and Marshall's. Buy quality but not at retail prices -- that's part of the fun. Also try vintage shops! Let me hear from you and how this post got your imagination all stirred up! Remember to illuminate your world!
I hope I wasn't too detailed. I try to help those that perhaps have never picked up a needle or fabric paint. And in case your wondering about washing, I used washable threads and yarns. No silk or cashmere yarns here. I did not pre-wash my yarn, but I did allow for shrinkage, if there was going to be any, by draping the yarn and in areas where I didn't drape the yarn, I tacked the yarn down loosely and did not stretch it, for example, across the back neckline. To wash -- I throw this shirt in a pillowcase, knot it up and wash it on delicate. I let it line dry and when the yarns are no longer wet, I fluff them up with my fingers and put it on again.
Bless you Terri
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