Create Texture When Dyeing Fabric (5489 Views)

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  Step 1 of 10

  It's a lot of fun to dye your own fabric. Of course, we all learned tie-dyeing as children, and it certainly has earned its place in society as THE dyeing technique for just about everyone. However, if you are like me, tie-dyed fabrics just don't hit the spot. There are, however, lots of other ways to add texture and create cool designs with fabric, using various household products. The image here shows a close up of a piece of fabric I dyed using this following technique. It has a lot of shade variation and picks up the texture from, thats right, you guessed, a rubber drawer liner!

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  Step 2 of 10

  You will need the following things to re-create this texture.

  Dye (Remember that dyes and fabrics both have very unique qualities and not all dyes will work on different fabrics. RIT dye works on most cottons, and is what I chose to use.)

  Fabric (For this demonstration I am using a piece of muslin. You can use fabric and then later make it into something to wear, or, because I promise it looks THAT cool, just keep the dyed fabric as a wall hanging or as a canvas to make a painting on later.)

  A roll or two of Rubber/Grip Drawer Liner Mat

  A stick to stir the dye bath.

  (A tray to carry fabric from bath to sink/tub to rinse. Not necessary but definitely controls dripping.)

  You should also cover up your pretty clothes with an apron or coat and wear rubber gloves.

  Prepare your dye as instructed on your package.

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  Step 3 of 10

  I made my dye in a large pot on a hot plate. For small pieces, you don't necessarily need a burner and can just use a vat and hot water.

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  Step 4 of 10

  Rinse the fabric in warm water. It is important in order to help the dye keep.

  Roll out two pieces of Rubber Mat and sandwich your fabric between them. I have one piece of muslin, that is about 1 yard X 1 yard, folded in half.

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  Step 5 of 10

  Then, I roll the fabric and mat inwards, from both ends. Like I said before, I don't want to tie-dye exactly, so to hold these rolls in place, I just tied a very light thread around the middle and ends of it.

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  Step 6 of 10

  Using a stick (spoon, spatula, what have you. . .) I stir the piece into the dye bath and continue to stir until the piece is the color I want. (I used a Fuschia dye, so for my lighter pink result, I continuously agitated/stirred it in the dye for about 8 minutes.)

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  Step 7 of 10

  Take the piece out of the dye when you think it is ready. With gloves, unroll and rinse the fabric in warm water, and then progressively cooler, until the color stops washing away.
  

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  Step 8 of 10

  Dry your piece.

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  Step 9 of 10

  Then see the cool texture that results!

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  Step 10 of 10

  You can make very simple dresses or skirts much more exciting when using a texture-dyed fabric as opposed to a solid color. It also looks like a cool print. Dye the fabric again in a different color to create cool Ombre like effects!