More projects where we remove color! Tie-dying can be super messy with all the powder and mixing. The same technique can be achieved by removing color instead of adding color. Here are some leggings I made my daughter that were a dark teal and I made them match the top with a sun-washed look by tying and adding bleach:
I’m starting to wrap some gifts for the holidays and I used some this hand painted ribbon that Boo and I made a few weeks back:
To paint the ribbon I used Setacolor transparent fabric paints. The paints are very thin but rich in color. They are also very soft to the touch when dry. You can use a little bit of fixer if you would like to skip the ironing step…but I like ironing the ribbon nice and flat after it’s been painted.
I used this bias cut 1/2″ silk habotai ribbon from Dharma Trading…..one roll goes a LONG way since it is so thin. But I love how silky it is and the edges fray just slightly for a very unique look. I only ended up using about a 1/4 roll for this project.
First, I unraveled a bunch of ribbon and made it into a large loop like shown:
I took three rubber bands and sectioned it off into 4 sections….basically like a tie-dye technique:
I watered down some of the Setacolor paint and used a paint brush to apply it to alternating sections. Flip over the ribbon so you make sure to soak the paint through:
While the other paint was still wet, I added my second color to the other sections. I did alternating red and green for Christmas ribbon:
Boo made pink and purple ribbon. She had a mishap with some puffy paint too that you can see…..it stayed in her hair for about 2 weeks:
I let the ribbon dry thoroughly and the removed the rubber bands. I ironed the ribbon flat so it was nice and neat and also to heat set the paint (I didn’t use any color fixative):
I wound the ribbon neatly onto some scrap cardboard for storage. I love how bright and vibrant the colors are!
This Christmas I’m using recycled paper bags to wrap our smaller gifts. The brightly colored ribbon is all that is needed for decoration. I don’t use tags around here if I can help it…..so I stamp my “to” and “from” directly onto the wrapping using little mini stamps:
These little alphabet stamps are so versatile:
So pretty….and ecofriendly:
Diesel is such a talented dog……he can even wrap his own gifts!
Have you hand painted ribbon before?
On our road trip this summer I found some hair accessories in a store that were tie dyed…but they were so expensive I was determined to make a bunch of them myself!
The perfect ponytail holder:
Foldover (FOE) elastic is perfect for accessories because it is extremely strong, it has high elasticity and you can dye it! The biggest plus? It doesn’t get tangled in hair easily…and with Boo’s crazy hair we love “friendly” elastic. It’s also nice that foldover elastic costs about 30 to 50 cents a yard.
First, I took the elastic:
Then I folded the elastic several times and placed rubber bands tightly around it in several places:
I mixed up a small amount of pink and purple fabric dye in two squirt bottles….
…and applied the dye directly to the elastic:
I place the tie dyed elastic in a ziplock overnight for the dye to set in. To dye a few pieces just one color I just added dye directly to the baggies (the left and center baggies):
The next morning I took the elastic out of the baggies and rinsed the excess dye out.
I added a small amount of dye fixative to a bucket of cool water……
…..and let the elastic sit for about 10 minutes just to ensure I wouldn’t have any dye bleed later on.
Finally, I set the elastic pieces out in the sun to dry:
To make the accessories, I just looped a piece of elastic, then tied a tight knot at the end and then clipped off the satin elastic at a decorative angle just below the knot:
I used a tiny amount of fray block to keep the ends of the elastic from fraying over time:
We use these satin elastic bands for so many things….Boo has her own preferences:
I use them for my hair but also to keep my journals and address book closed:
A pretty way to keep some like items together:
My favorite idea? Make a bag of several sizes and colors for a handmade gift…or better yet a bunch of bags for party favors or stocking stuffers!
Note: This tutorial is only recommended for accessories. Many types of elastic will not hold dye due to their fiber content. The foldover/satin elastic typically has enough natural fiber in it to react to dye.