We had a great time sharing our 'Everyday Items: Fashion Alterations' with our Farmer's Market Friends. With sparklers and fireworks on the minds of attendees we capitalized on the theme and used our cotton tees, linens and doilies as the canvas. We also brought some recently washed wool to demonstrate our Kool-aid ice dyeing!
Here we have all the tools needed to attempt a colorful altering of that bland white tee. It's best to use a piece of cardboard, a cookie sheet or some other creative 'already have it' item in your home to keep the colors from running from the front of your tee through the back - unless that's what you want!
To get going you simply doodle designs with your permanent markers - dots, lines, blobs, swirls, flowers, etc. We usually work one spot at a time then carefully drop, with a dropper, or paint with a paint brush, your Isopropyl alcohol on your marker doodles. As far as you add that alcohol, is as far as your design will 'bleed'. We learned that our newest markers had the best design spread and the older ones (when did I get those?) barely moved across our tee shirt canvas.
To get going you simply doodle designs with your permanent markers - dots, lines, blobs, swirls, flowers, etc. We usually work one spot at a time then carefully drop, with a dropper, or paint with a paint brush, your Isopropyl alcohol on your marker doodles. As far as you add that alcohol, is as far as your design will 'bleed'. We learned that our newest markers had the best design spread and the older ones (when did I get those?) barely moved across our tee shirt canvas.
With the summer sun, our designs dried quickly, but to set them - as with any dyeing - you must add real heat! In this case, ironing the design in for about 5 minutes - or throwing it in the dryer for a while will set the color. One visitor lamented not knowing this step previously. Their group made special event tees only to lose all the great designs from their keepsakes after washing - be sure you remember your heat setting step!
There were a number of admirers of this creative work and it was a simple, warm day project that was a lot of fun! You're limited only by your imagination and one vendor decided she'd use these same steps to make her own custom business shirts to wear at future events. We also suggested designs for quilts, creatively covering stains on favorite clothes, designing one-of-a-kind sheets, pillow cases, curtains, cloth napkins and more!
Here, Mom started on a doily she picked up from an estate sale...it had a few stains that made it less desirable to the seller. Using finer pens and a small paint brush, it will soon be a unique piece with a new colorful life!
While we await further submissions from our visitors, the question becomes...
What will you alter?
While we await further submissions from our visitors, the question becomes...
What will you alter?