Dye-na-flow and Batik-EZ shirt

Following the resist experiment I posted about last week, I decided to try using dye-na-flow and Batik-EZ to create a shirt from a Jacquard Tutorial I found on line.  I didn't follow the instructions to the letter, but did my best to use them as a guideline for my project.  I may go back and add a little after studying the results, but here is what I have so far:

The instructions said to iron on freezer paper to the inside of the shirt, to avoid having the dye-na-flow bleed through.  I tried this, but found the result to be very awkward to work with, so I removed the freezer paper and inserted foam board that I had covered in plastic, then used spring clamps and T-pins to anchor the fabric before I applied the Batik-EZ.  I did one side of the shirt at a time, then allowed the Batik-EZ to dry before I moved to the next side.  Once I had all the stenciling done, I applied the dyes.  The tutorial from Jacquard said to do one color, then do some more stenciling, then apply another color.  I ended up putting all 3 colors - yellow, green, and blue - on at one time.  The front was the first side I applied paints to, and I wasn't quite sure how much water to apply before painting on the dyes... I got a lot of dry brush strokes before I added in some more water.  After that, I brushed on sufficient water before the dye-na-flow to allow it to blend better.  Live & Learn!  The last thing I did was insert smaller pieces of covered foam board to the sides and sleeves in order to apply the dye-na-flow.  I got some overlap, but I think it came out pretty good for a first try.  What I do know is this is something I can't see doing for my shop... way too lengthy a process to make it cost effective.  However, I do think I can add the stenciling to dyed shirts, and plan to try that next.  Stay tuned for more adventures!

Comparing resist mediums

On my 'to-do' list for awhile has been an idea that I wanted to compare different resists to see what their characteristics were, and what kind of results I would get using them side by side.  Yesterday and today, I finally got a few moments, and did this experiment:

From top to bottom, the resists used were: Batik-EZ, Jacquard water-based resist, and soy wax.  Once I applied the resisits and let them dry completely, I brushed a little water over the fabric and immediately followed with dye-na-flow, using a foam brush to apply.  Then I misted a little with water, and allowed the piece to air dry completely.  Once it was dry, I rinsed to remove the Batik-EZ and water-based resist, then dried again.  And finally, I used a hot iron and newspaper to remove the soy wax, then heat set the dy-na-flow.  

Comments about each resist - Batik-Ez was fairly sticky to apply.  I used a stencil and stencil brush, then washed all in hot soapy water.  When the brush was dry, it felt stiff, so I washed again after soaking in water.  

                                               Jacquard water-based resist separates and needed to be stirred a good deal to get it mixed well before I applied it.  The resist felt like it was greasy to the touch, and I had to wash off the brush and stencil quite a bit to remove the residue.  

                                               Soy wax - I am used to using this as a resist, but noticed that the shapes I got were less sharp than with the other 2 resists.  And of course, there was the issue of having to iron it out in order to avoid washing away some of the dy-na-flow.  My main purpose for this test was to see if i could achieve comparable results with Batik-EZ and/or Jacquard water-based resist to what I am used to getting with soy wax, and I am happy to announce that the results were good from all 3.  Ranking by ease of use, I think Batik-EZ was slightly easier to use than the Jacquard, and more convenient than the soy wax.  But in a pinch, I think any of the 3 would get the job done.  A bonus of the first 2 is that they are easier to remove than the soy wax.

I plan to do more testing using different application methods, and will post results as I get them.