I can’t really take credit for the idea behind this little project, but I have played around with it some and am adopting it as my very own! It fits my craft requirements (easy & no math involved) so I think it will be something I keep in my arsenal for a long time. Thanks to my long-time friend Rach (she’s the queen of blog designs if you need help in that area!) for sending me over to an adorable blog called Swallowfield for this tutorial.
This technique is sort of like batik, but instead of wax, it uses good ol’ Elmer’s glue. First you think of a design (this is the tricky part that always takes me a long time). Then decide what shirt (or other fabric) you want to put the design on.
The blue gel glue works best (I tried the clear but it was kind of runny). Put something in between the layers of the fabric (if you use a shirt) so they don’t get stuck together. Let your glue design dry completely. Then paint over it with watered down acrylic paint and let that dry too. Finally, soak the item in warm sudsy water and then just launder it how you normally would. The paint sticks to the fabric except for the spots that were covered with glue. You can use more than one color of paint, but for my initial experiment, this is what I ended up with.
Both of the shirts I used were $4 at wal-mart (organic cotton too!) so it wasn’t like I spent a ton of money (I already had the paint). I think it would be cool to do this on canvas and make curtains out of them or even a slip cover for a chair. It certainly provides an easy way to change something up a bit.
If you try this, please let me know how it works for you! It seems like a great summer craft for anyone needing a little creative outlet!
