A trip to town is not complete without stopping
at the thrift store...
I have been picking up lots of white cotton pillowcases
for a dollar or two...
They take the dye really well...
This case has battenburg lace on the edge...
Because these are previously used pillow cases,
the fibers are roughed up and ready to receive the dye
more readily than new textiles.
All of these cases were soda soaked, pleated,
then placed in long narrow trays
for the dyeing process.
The stitching on the edge of this case must
be done with polyester thread,
which resisted the dye...
This case was a white on white stripe pattern...
You can see in this image how the stripe
acted as a resist to the dye...
This series of blue cases would make
perfect water and sky fabrics for landscape projects...
but I will use them for pillowcases.
This looks like a sky with a few clouds drifting by...
It was a FUN day fabric dyeing...
thrift store style.
CLICK HERE: to see My Quilts
May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn Kessi
Great idea to dye pillow cases and especially from thrift shops. I love thrift shops too because you never know what goodies you will find there. Are you going to use them all for pillowcases? Or use some to cut up into quilts, etc?
ReplyDeleteHi Daryl,
ReplyDeleteMy family enjoys receiving a pillowcase or two from me each year, so they will all be used as pillowcases. It is a great way to test out new dye techniques that I can later use on fabrics.
My Best To You,
LuAnn
i love how you've upscaled these classic pillow cases! I love the polyester thread resist pillowcase; what terrific results you achieved on each one tho. i will definitely take a second look next time i'm in one of the thrift stores. beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOMG!! I am a huge thrifter and check linens ALL the time. Never thought to do this (add to list of projects!!). They are fabulous! Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDelete