Dying / staining fabric with Inktense pencils

[Inkysloth]

Hi all,

I had a bit of a play around with dying some aida cloth using Derwent Inktense pencils, which state they can be used on cloth. (Info here: http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blogs ... ncils.aspx" target="_blank )

I was quite pleased with the result, but then was stumped for a small design to see how stitching would look on such a bold background. In the end a small maple leaf seemed like a good match, and I was quite pleased with the result.

Cross stitch maple leaf by Robin Bray-Hurren, on Flickr

[Mabel Figworthy]

Nice bold colours, and the maple leaf looks very striking on it. Are the pencils easy to use, and are they colourfast?

[Inkysloth]

Nice bold colours, and the maple leaf looks very striking on it. Are the pencils easy to use, and are they colourfast?

Thanks Mabel!

In theory, yes, they are supposed to be colourfast after the colour is activated with water. They're just like any other watercolour pencil, in terms of application. I used them in a couple of ways, colouring directly onto the fabric then brushing over with water, and picking up colour from the tip of the pencil with a wet brush. I tried wetting areas of the fabric and brushing the colour on - the paler areas are where I did this.

Part of the reason for this trial is to then see how it behaves when washed. I might do a second also - iron one before washing, and not iron the other.

[rcperryls]

Lovely and so interesting. I found a YouTube demo as I had never heard of these. There is so much you can do with them, I'm looking forward to seeing what other types of projects you create!

Carole

[Inkysloth]

I have a bit of an update.

I ironed the small orange & red patch, and gave it a really thorough rinse & squeeze, and the colour remained strong with none rinsing out. Woo!

So I made a bigger patch, wetting the fabric in sections, then flicking colour off the tip of the pencils, and dripping the liquid colour onto the fabric. I'm really pleased with this piece, I'll be using it for something space-themed, though I don't have a specific plan yet.

Hand dyed 18 ct Aida by Robin Bray-Hurren, on Flickr

This piece has also been very thoroughly ironed, but i've not wetted it after ironing. I'm trusting the pencils here!

[rcperryls]

very pretty! Do you have an idea or a picture in your head of what the fabric will look like? And does it usually come out that way or are there many surprises? It's been a very long time since I tie died t-shirts and nothing ever looked like I expected it to.
I am interested in seeing what you decide to stitch on this piece.

Carole

[Inkysloth]

Hi Carole,

I am really just experimenting at the moment - I've no experience with dying fabric, so I'm just playing around and seeing how the colours behave on the fabric with different amounts of water / application method.