Wearable Art - Making My Own Textile Design for a Dress

Hi Everyone, Mandy-Jane here

Welcome to my new blog 'The Crafty Moussekateer' and don't worry I have spelled it that way on purpose, even my spelling isn't that bad!.......lol  Although my grammar is so I'll apologise now :)

I'm very excited to share my first post with you.  

It's been 25 years since I punished my sewing machine so I thought it was about time that I started it again!  How does the saying go?.. 'Use it or lose it', well it's so very true!  I've forgotten it all so I am starting from the beginning so wish me luck ;)

So for my first project I decided to make a dress with a pattern that came with a sewing magazine; a little tea dress but I wanted to create my own textile with my favourite range of products from Imagination Crafts. 

Firstly I needed some fabric to work on but I didn't like the price of the fabrics that I was seeing for me as a beginner! So off I trotted down to Ikea where I found some cotton fabric at £3.00 per metre.  I purchased 3 metres costing £9.00.  I thought that this was great to experiment with my Imagination Crafts Starlight Textile Paints and Fashion Sprays.  

So I took a deep breath and this is what happened!!!!


Fabulous Products Used

Imagination Crafts Starlight Textile Paints - Sax Blue, Pearl
Imagination Crafts Fashion Spray - White
Imagination Crafts 6" x 6" Flower Stencil
Imagination Crafts Stencil Tape
Imagination Crafts Domed Stencil Brushes and Soft 3/4" Paint Brush
White Cotton Fabric - Ikea
(Plus sewing machine, pattern and notions)

I began by cutting out my fabric pieces as per pattern instructions.

The first thing I did was sew in the darts.  Now this is where I went off-piste from the exact pattern instructions!  I then sewed up the side seams (using seam allowance stated on pattern etc.) leaving the shoulder seams open.  Next I sewed the front skirt piece to the back pieces at the side seams leaving the centre back seam open for now.

This is where the fun begins and I can let my inner artist shine...lol (quite literally really when you see the subtle sheen on the fabric when you have finished).

I started by mixing some of the Starlight Textile Sax Blue and Pearl paints in a small deep container (something like an old yogurt pot) with some of the white Fashion Spray together with a some water until I liked the colour.  Then I sprayed the fabric I was about to about to paint, with water, to dampen so that my colour would be easy to move around on the fabric.  I had baby wipes to hand as well as they work well to lift paint if you think it is too heavy and they can also help in spreading the colour too.

Once my fabric was damp I started painting my pattern pieces until I was happy with the colour of my background then I left them to dry.  If it had been a dry day I would have put them outside to dry whilst grabbing a cuppa and a biscuit :)

When my pieces were dry I used a stencil (or stencils) to create my own textile design. Think of how you want your textile to look.  You may want an all over design so just take a look to see where you want to place your stencils.  I chose quite a simple layout to show how easy it can be to get something that no one else will have in their wardrobe!

I chose this gorgeous flower stencil, together with Sax Blue Textile Paint, and decided to do an all over design on the bodice area and just a border along the bottom edge of the skirt. 

I started at the centre front area and worked out from there until the bodice back and front was covered. 

I then moved onto the skirt working my way around the bottom above the hemline allowance ensuring you could see the whole flower above the finished hemline.  I put aside to dry.

Time for another cuppa.  I left the painted fabric to dry overnight at this stage to let it cure.  Then I had to do that thing I hate the most IRONING!!!  I pressed the dried fabric pieces from the wrong side with a hot iron and no steam.  The heat from the iron fixes the textile paint into the fabric.  All I had left to do was to put the dress together!!!! 

I returned to following the pattern instructions and crossed my fingers hoping that in the end it would look something like a dress.  I think it looks like a dress?  It's nowhere near perfect but I thoroughly enjoyed the painting techniques and the overall look of it.  It's fully machine washable up to 40 degrees - how amazing is this!

I have relearned some old skills (not perfected them yet) and am already planning my next Imagination Crafts fabric project.  I am just waiting for some dry weather and that's the only clue I am leaving you with.....

I hope you will give this technique a go.  It doesn't have to be a dress it could be a bag, curtains, a cushion or tablecloth.  Just let your imagination flow :)

Thanks

for

Popping By

See you soon.

MJ

xx