Stenciling with dyes

Not long ago, I saw a post on Jane LaFazio's blog where she had spray painted some string bags using stencils to create patterns, and I fell in love with them!  But my mind always works a little differently, and what I decided to try was stenciling with dyes, not  paints.  Well, I ordered some stencils, even got the DVD she suggested by Linda Blinn, just to get grounded in the techniques they use.  So today, I decided to start playing to see what kind of results I would get.  Here is my first attempt, using un-thickened dyes:

I used some medium orange, then added some fuchsia, just to see how the dye went on, and if it would bleed.  I used a foam brush to daub on the dyes through the stencil opening onto a piece of fabric that was pre-soaked in soda ash solution, then allowed to air dry.  This is a scrap of fabric I had used to test monoprinting on from another play session, so I decided to add the stencil to it.  After awhile, I came back into my studio to check the fabric, and it held up pretty well, although there is some bleeding on the edge.  

This time, I used thickened black dye to create the pattern... it's not terribly thick, but the consistency is not as runny as un-thickened dye.  I'm happy to say there is no running on this area, even though I overlapped on the edge as I did with the first round.  So this tells me that a) I don't need a lot of thickener to stencil with dye, and b) this is a great way to introduce pattern on cloth without the use of paint.  I love paint, don't get me wrong!  But  my aim is always to find ways to create wearable art, and there is nothing less attractive to me as a garment that has been stiffened by paint, or one where the paint is curling or cracking due to exposure to heat over time.  Being able to use dye in this way is very exciting, and I can't wait to do some more experimenting!  I will post more soon...