Dye-Painted Wall Art

Did you know you can paint with dyes on fabric?  Our friend Barbara Warholic created this modern wall art piece by drawing her design using Elmer’s School Glue Gel. After the gel dried, she dye painted between the lines.  The gel acts as a resist, leaving white spaces where ever it’s been drawn.  For added dimension, Barb layered the painting with cotton batting and machine quilted around the design lines.

Here's the tutorial:

Finished Size: 12” x 16”

SUPPLIES:

• Rit Liquid Dye: Evening Blue, Denim Blue, Teal, Apple Green, Tan, Cocoa Brown, Dark Brown, Golden Yellow, Sunshine Orange, Apple Green, Tangerine  (colors shown)
• ½ Yd. White 100% Cotton Fabric
• 12” x 16” Cotton Quilt Batting
• Inspiration Picture
• Water-Soluble Fabric Marking Pen
• Elmer’s School Glue Gel, blue
• ¼” Flat Edge Paint Brushes
• Several Small Plastic Cups
• Latex Gloves
• Freezer Paper
• Plastic Wrap
• Paper Towels
• Plastic Table Cover
• Straight Pins
• Black Sewing Thread
• Sewing Machine

INSTRUCTIONS:

Getting Started

1. Prewash fabric to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption.  Dry fabric and then iron to remove wrinkles.

2. Cover work surface with plastic table cover.

3. Cut 2 pieces of fabric, 16” x 20”.  Set one piece aside for the backing. 

4. Place one piece of fabric on freezer paper, shiny side up. Overlap layers of freezer paper so they are slightly larger than the fabric.

5. Plan out your wall art design.  Barb used a picture for her inspiration. Lightly sketch out your design using a water-soluble marking pen.

6. Using the Elmer’s School Glue Gel, draw the basic lines in your design.  Allow the glue to dry completely.  This will take several hours (overnight is best).

Dye Painting

1. Shake all dye bottles well before measuring dye.  Wearing latex gloves, measure and mix 1 teaspoon liquid dye with 1/3 cup very hot water (140 F) in small plastic cup; stir well.  Note:  If water is not hot enough, cover dye solution with plastic wrap and heat in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds.   Prepare as many dye colors as you need for your painting. 

(Colors in Barb’s dye-painting are shown above.)

2. Place several layers of paper towels on work surface, overlapping them so they are slightly larger than fabric piece.

3. Using a flat edge paint brush, paint in each area of your drawing with a dye mixture.   You can use the dye like watercolors, blending several colors together to achieve another color.  Fill in all areas.

4. To finish, heat set in the microwave: Lay several overlapped pieces of plastic wrap on your work surface.  Place the dye-painted fabric on the plastic wrap.  Cover the fabric with another layer of plastic wrap, sealing the outer edges.  Carefully fold to fit in the microwave. Heat on high for 2 minutes.  This creates a heat chamber which helps the dyes penetrate the fabric.

5. Carefully remove the plastic wrap.  Rinse your project in cool water until the water runs clear and all of the glue is washed away.  Lay flat to dry.

Machine Stitching

1. Iron dried fabric to remove any wrinkles. 

2. Make a “sandwich” by layering the dye-painted fabric, dye-painted side up, with the cotton batting and white cotton fabric on the bottom.  Pin around outer edges.

3. Using black thread, machine stitch around all the negative areas left by the glue resist, as shown.

Note:  You can add more details, if desired.  If you are a free-motion quilter, this would be the time to add decorative stitches.  You can also embellish your project with hand-embroidery stitches or other dimensional objects.

4. Mount your work to a 12” x 16” artist’s canvas.