Hey
everyone, Lorri Scott here to talk about my journey into rust dyeing on fabric using StencilGirl® stencils.
I
became interested in rust dyeing several years ago when I was learning how to
eco-dye using leaves and flowers. The
rusted areas that transferred from the iron pipe used to roll fabric on for eco
dye prints intrigued me. I began
gathering iron objects such as trivets and gate pieces to create rust on and
transfer print onto fabric. The transfer
method was to take the rusty metal object, lay wetted fabric on top and then
weight the fabric down and let it sit.
Warm sunny days are the best to create rust prints!
After
several years of rust printing on fabric I wanted to introduce the technique in
classes. And I have done that but it
became cumbersome to lug heavy metal pieces around with me, let alone enough
for students to use! Seemed I would need
one of those “Got Junk?” trucks.
One
day I was reading a post on Facebook and a woman had mentioned using steel wool
and stencils. I could not find that post
again and nothing came up when I did a search online.
I
knew I could figure it out and just started experimenting. Right away I was hooked and I thought how
much easier it will be to take stencils with me to teach workshops rather than
super heavy boxes of metal! LOL! And so many choices of stencils too!
This
is a sample of my own private “junkyard” treasure trove. (Well some of
it).
These are samples using StencilGirl® stencils. These will make great background pieces for
art. These could become wall hangings,
modern day prayer flags, and/or get stitched onto garments and accessories. I use cotton muslin, silk fabrics such as
noil and broadcloth and also vintage napkins and placemats, either cotton or
linen.
Stencil
- Winter
Trees Bark (L635) Valerie Sjodin
Stencil
– Wrought
Iron Gate (L224) Cecilia Swatton
Art
Nouveau Rug (L695) Kate Thompson
Protector
of the Fields (S407) Roxanne Evans Stout
Here
are examples of how these could be used for backgrounds.
Kate
Thompson sells images of her paintings printed on organza in her Etsy shop. I have taken one of her prints and laid it
over the Basket stencil rust print. I
could attach this using Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 fusible bonding. It could be that simple or could be further
embellished with paint, stitching, lace, etc.
I
made this rust printed fabric image into a simple prayer flag. I printed The Apache Blessing onto organza using
an ink jet printer and stitched it onto the rust dyed fabric. I wrapped the stick with some red embroidery
thread and attached to the fabric.
The
Process
Supplies:
Choose the stencil you will use and be sure to use masking tape to cover
the StencilGirl® information at the bottom or
else that will appear on your rust print.
Fill
a spray bottle with ½ white vinegar and ½ water.
Fill
a quart size (or larger) baggie with sand and make sure it is sealed securely.
Take
the piece of fabric and wet it, wring it out until it’s just damp.
Put
a towel down and put a piece of plastic down larger than your piece of fabric.
Lay
the fabric on the plastic and then the stencil onto the fabric.
Take
a roll of steel wool and unwind it.
Stretch it out a bit and tear/cut the size you need to cover your
stencil. Lay it over your stencil. If the steel wool exceeds the size of your
stencil then the rust will show outside the cut of the stencil. See the image of Roxanne Evans Stout stencil I
used for the prayer flag. Those rust
areas outside the stencil were because the steel wool overlapped. Be sure to
wear a mask when handling the steel wool, you don’t want to breathe the tiny
particles, and it’s a good idea to wear gloves too.
Using
the 50/50 vinegar water in the spray bottle, wet the steel wool until wet. You do not want it saturated but you need it
evenly wetted.
Lay
the sand bag on top of the whole “sandwich”.
Plastic, stencil, fabric, steel wool, sand bag. The sand bag will weigh the steel wool down
onto the fabric.
Now
the tricky part is how long? Rust needs,
moisture, air, and heat to promote. So
if it’s a hot sunny day this could go fast, within an hour or two. Keep lifting the sand bag to make sure the
steel wool is moist. If it’s dry spritz
it with the vinegar/water. If you have this in a warm room it could be done
within 5 – 8 hours. Or leave it
overnight.
Gently
lift the stencil and check to see if the image is showing yet. If not you may need to wet the steel wool some
more and leave a bit longer.
After
you remove the layers and have the image on the fabric you need to iron
it. Remember that some of the rust is
not going to set into the fabric and will rub off so be sure to put down a
press cloth on your ironing area and also put a press cloth on top to protect
your iron. I buy cotton sheets at the
thrift store and tear them up to use as press cloths. Be sure the iron is on the hottest setting,
this will help set the rust a bit more.
Fill
a tub with ¼ cup baking soda and hot water.
Soak your rust piece in that for about 10 -15 minutes. Then wash your fabric using a mild soap and
rinse. Let it dry and then iron it again
and it’s ready to use.
If
you want to explore rust dyeing techniques further perhaps you would like to
join me and Jen
Cushman
for an intimate gathering in Cottonwood, AZ in a private retreat compound. Oct. 21 -25, 2021. Five days of art and inspiration, sisterhood
and creativity, intention and self-discovery (and rust dyeing). Mundane meets magic … or better known as
“Rust and Stardust”. The perfect balance
of chemistry and creativity with a sprinkling of mysticism.
For
more info visit Rust & Stardust — Soul Stir Magic
Lorri
Scott
