June 02, 2011

Fabric pastels experiment

I do some mental math when considering a craft project. Expected enjoyment divided by the time it will take to clean up afterward = my overall interest. 

So wet projects like screen printing and fabric dyeing haven't made the cut yet. But I did enjoy some fabric pastels recently. Dry! No clean up! Only $3! Sold.


For this experiment I used a piece of freezer paper. I traced around a glass to makes some circles on the paper side, and then drew over those circles with a thick black sharpie.


I ironed it to a light colored piece of fabric so I could see the marks through the fabric as a guide. Then I used all the green and blue fabric pastels in the kit to draw the circles. The freezer paper was a great stabilizer and kept the fabric from shifting while I drew.


Afterward I thought the circles needed more definition so I traced around them with a fabric pen. Then I removed the freezer paper and ironed it all to set the colors. So far it's passed the vigorous rub test.


So I've entered the world of DIY textiles. I think a little bonus about this method is that freezer paper can be reused several times. So when you pull it off you could iron it again and again down a length of fabric to repeat the design. Neat! I think I'll get the kid involved next time.

11 comments:

AJ (The Quilting Pot Podcast) said...

OK...you have totally peaked my interest........

Gene Black said...

I have never seen those pastel/dye sticks. Interesting indeed!

Michele said...

Those look fun!

Elsa said...

ooooh, I've got to try this, looks fun and something I'd want to do too! thanks for the tutorial.

Suzanne said...

Wow! I didn't know it could be so easy. I'm not a big fan of fabric crayons or markers but this looks wonderful. And the price is definitely right. I can see getting a few IKEA sheets and having at it!

Tiffany said...

Sounds like a perfect project for a little kid. Imagine how proud she would be if you made something out of fabric that she drew. I want to try!

Anonymous said...

Ha that's my approach to kids' crafts/activities, too!

felicity @ felicity.quilts - Blogger and the lates Internet Explorer update aren't playing nicely.

Kay Lynne said...

I am a big fan of easy and something fun! I'm thinking that I have those crayons on hand.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

That does look like fun. Where did you find fabric pastels for $3?

Cheryl Warren said...

terrific idea!

Cindy Maki said...

I paid a lot more than $3 for mine but I do love them, except for the fact that it was hard for my grandsons to draw their designs on T-shirts. Thanks for the freezer paper tip. Why didn't I think of it. Arghhh!!!

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