So this week in my surface design class we have been working on shibori samples, (shibori is a form of Japanese tie-dye) but haven't actually gotten around to dyeing anything yet. I really am itching to have a product, so I thought I would do a little project here at home with Miss Emmie. I raided Emmie's clothes drawer for a red cotton t-shirt that I got for her at Target on clearance for $3 a couple of weeks ago.
We decided that hearts were cute with the red, so we cut a few out and then decided which 3 we wanted to use.
After we decided on placement I used a white fabric marking pen (chalk) to trace around the hearts. (they are a little hard to see here)
Next I used Coats and Clark Button Craft thread to do a running stitch around the hearts (leave long tails)
I then pulled the threads really tight making sure the inside of the heart was all puffing towards the top, and then I put in a knot and wrapped my long tails tightly around the inner heart puffy bit.
The next part is a bit scary, I decided to throw the whole shirt in a mixture of hot water and bleach. I wouldn't recommend bleach to anyone who has paid a lot for their shirt, or want their shirt to last for years since it is extremely hard on your fabric (and if you are so inclined you can actually use RIT dye remover.) But bleach was at my house already and free, and my daughter will only need the shirt for a year or so before she outgrows it so I was willing to compromise.
After rinsing and untying I ran the shirt through the washer and dryer and then ironed the hearts so they were nice and flat.
I really like how the thread stayed red along with the hearts, and Emmie sure loved how the project turned out - not to bad for $3!
thrifty home penny pinching party
