Ice Dye Baby!

Hi friends! When I was recently rummaging through my supplies I came across a couple of tie-dye kits. I had intended to make some matching T-shirts with my kids to wear on a trip but my teens quickly shot down that idea calling it “cringy” and so the supplies sat in my drawer unloved until now! I vaguely remember hearing about a technique called ice dying and I was curious to give it a try. Watch the video and see how it went and what techniques got the best results!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

• Powder dye (any brand, just make sure it is powder, not liquid when you get it)
• T Shirts or 100% cotton fabric
• Lots of ice cubes
• Soda ash (or table salt if you don’t have it) Rubber gloves *should come in tie-dye kit
• Other: Plastic to protect your work area
• Cookie sheets or some sort of grate to elevate the fabric for best results These are the ones I have and they have legs to elevate the fabric.

Tips:

• Soak the fabric in hot water and soda ash so the colors will hold.
• Elevate the fabric for best results. If you don’t have means to elevate the fabric I suggest doing a regular tie-dye technique because it will look just as good if not better and use less dye so you can do more fabric.
• The longer the dye sits the stronger the color will be. The color will appear much darker [when dying] than it will turn out.
• Be sure to rinse all dye from the fabric and hang to dry.
• The first few times you wash your fabric wash it separately by and so and dye can’t transfer to another laundry.

This is a great project to do with your kid outside while the weather is nice and a fun way to cool off too! Some viewers had great ideas on elevating a bunch of fabric such as putting palettes, fence sections or chicken wire on cinder blocks and laying your fabric on that. I am sure you can find something around your home that will work just as well. Have fun and til next time happy crafting!

Freezer Paper T-Shirt Printing!

Hi friends! This project is super fun and easy and the results look so professional! Plus with school vacations rolling around it is a fun project you can do with your kids or grandkids. Even better,you probably have everything you need in your own home! In today’s video I’ll show you how to print on fabric using a homemade freezer paper stencil.

Supplies: *Affiliate links used

• Freezer paper
• Fabric paint OR Acrylic paint mixed with textile medium
• Paint brush 
• Iron
• White T Shirts or fabric to print on
• Xacto knife or die cut machine for cutting freezer paper

Directions
1. Cut stencil from freezer paper. Make sure when you design your stencil the shiny side of the paper is down.

2. Place stencil shiny side down on your T-shirt and press with an iron set to the hottest temperature for the fabric you are printing on. I recommend cotton. I usually buy multi packs of mens T-shirts for this.

3. Apply paint by stenciling with a stencil brush or kids chunky brush.

4. Let dry and peel off stencil!

I recommend watching this shirt alone the first time you launder it to make sure none of the paint comes off, it shouldn’t if you are using fabric paint but better safe than sorry. You can also turn the shirt inside out and press it after the paint is dry to heat set it just to be safe. I had several viewers from the UK say that they don’t sell freezer paper over there but I have also heard it called greeseproof paper. Basically it is a white paper with a plastic coating on one side. You may be able to get some from a local butcher. If anyone from the UK can comment with a source for this kind of freezer paper in the UK please leave a comment, thanks! Happy crafting!

 

 

 

Stamp Giveaway & Fabric Stamping Tutorial!

Hi friends! Today I am going to show you how to stamp on fabric! This technique is handy if you are looking to gussy up premade t-shirts, tote bags or baby onesies (how cute!) or if you want to make your own fabric for quilting and other crafts. Today we will use inexpensive cotton muslin fabric to make a scarf. This way you can try out these techniques without it costing you an arm and a leg:)

Also the fine folks at Art Neko are giving away a set of the stamps I used, all you have to do is leave a comment and I will draw a name at random in one week! This contest is open to everyone world-wide. Thanks Art Neko!

I want to mention that the dye I am using is Dr Ph Martin radiance watercolor. It is kinda pricey as far as dye goes but it also can be used as watercolor paint BUT it is not lightfast on paper, it is like using a marker as far as how quickly it would fade, but many paper crafters like this watercolor and use it. It is a wonderful, high quality dual purpose product.

Watch the video to learn how!

Sponsored by Art Neko  *Save 10% off your next order of any size or get free shipping on orders over $50 (whichever discount is greater you get!) just by mentioning thefrugalcrafter!

Supplies:

• Lightweight cotton muslin fabric (white)
• Mordant (I used Soda Ash aka washing soda)
• Fabric Dyes (I am using Dr. Ph Martin Radiance which can be used as fabric dies or watercolors)
• Stamps (ArtNeko)
• Ink: Ranger Archival (if using another ink test it first on washed fabric)
• Inktense pencils or blocks
• Stiff brushes
• Textile medium (optional)
• Lumiere paint by Jaquard for accents (optional)

Directions:
1. Prewash fabric and trim to size, I used a 10″ wide strip as it comes off the bolt.
2. Mix a tablespoon of soda ash with 2 cups of very hot water. Soak fabric in this mix and ring out the excess.
3. Protect your table with plastic bags and spread out your fabric.
4. Apply dies. Pick colors near each other on the color wheel to avoid mud.
5. Let dry and press the fabric with a hot iron.
6. Hem the raw edges (I did not hem the short edges as they were the bound edges off the bolt of fabric)
7. Using firm pressure and a well inked stamp add images to the fabric. Heat set.
8. Color with inktense pencils or blocks.
9. Apply water to the images to liquefy the inktense and add more pigment from the block if desired.
10. Spatter more inktense if desired.
11. Accent with fabric paint, let dry and press again with a hot iron to set.

So, can you think of a project that this technique would be good on? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget, I will pick one lucky commenter to receive the stamps I used! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Card Box for Weddings, Showers or Graduation!

Hi friends! Have you ever wanted to decorate plain boxes for pretty storage? Today I am going to show you how to make a box to hold cards at a wedding, shower or graduation. It is a good idea so cards do not get lost in a pile or gifts or misplaced. Even if you do not have one of the occasions coming up you can still use the techniques I will show you to cover other boxes with fabric for gift giving or storage and if you are anything like me you’ve got boxes.

One of my favorite writers, Erma Bombeck, said “I never met a box I didn’t like” or maybe it was “She never met a box she didn’t like” and she was talking about a crazy relative, either way the shoe-box fits! Watch the video to see how to cover one with fabric!

Supplies:
Cardboard box
Satin Fabric *Papermart has an awesome deal on satin fabric right now!
Hot Glue
Strong double-sided tape
Rhinestone Jewel ribbon
Lace
Rhinestones
Pearls
Optional: Flowers

Directions:
1. Open the flat. Use the box as a template to cut the fabric, I give 2″ of extra fabric all the way around. Save your scraps for making rosettes.

2. Spray the “outside” of the box with spray adhesive and press to the wrong side of the fabric.

3. Trim around tabs. Leave extra fabric around flaps and use double-sided tape to adhere the excess fabric to the inside of the box.

4. Fold the box back up and decorate it!

I hope you enjoyed this project. Wedding card boxes can be very expensive so it’s nice to make something classy and save some cash while matching the décor of the party. You can also use the satin fabric to make chair bows or covers or sew them into sweet little favor bags (check out this tutorial for tips on sewing on satin fabric!) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Sponsored by Papermart.

Sick, Tired, Here’s a Fabric Storage Video.

Hi Friends, today has been rough, I have not been this sick in years! The twins were home sick too although they seem to be over the worst of it. I guess I am making up for not catching a single cold last year I have a real humdinger now! It hurts to talk even! (hold your applause, I heard that!) Luckily I shot this requested fabric storage video the other day before I was a goner.

I am hoping I can sleep this cold off tonight because my kids are in basketball tournaments tomorrow unless they are cancelled due to snow. I am fairly certain all of my time in germy basketball bleachers has put me in this state too. Next year I am getting myself a bubble to live in all winter. Sorry about my sour tome, also I am getting an earache. And snow, did I mention snow? Another foot today plus the 2 feel from 2 days ago slid of the metal roof so we are basically surrounded by a mote of snow. Oh well, only 5 more months of it. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

I Treated Myself! {New quilting fabric!}

Hi friends! I had so much fun making those 2 small quilts for my girls that I thought I would pick up some fabric to make a quilt for myself. It was hard to select the first few prints but then I thought “If you like it, get it!” I was pretty much on a roll after that! And to top it off most of the fabrics were on sale! I paid between .39 cents and $1.25 a quarter yard. I was in fabric heaven. Of course this is going to create a kink in my fabric storage solution, I’ll have to revamp that a bit, or add-on another crate, or sew it up quick! Have a look at what I bought. Don’t worry, I am not putting all of this on one quilt. What should I use first?

What I got and what I paid:

• 4 zippers at .25 cents each
• 4 10-yard-rolls of 1 1/2″ wide patterned grosgrain ribbon for $1.49 a roll (reg yardage price is $8.90 a roll!)
• 2 yards of precut batting for $3
• 2 yard cut of watercolor print for $4
• 1/2 yard of solid brown for $1.75
• 1/2 yard floral remnant for .80 cents
• 27 1/4 yards of cotton prints ranging in price from 39 cents to $1.25 each

Alright quilters, did I do good? My total for the whole shebang was $37 and that included tax. Being a beginner I know I will make mistakes and I will be nervous to cut into pricey material so this way I can play and not hoard…although looking back at the prices of some of these I was thinking “Why didn’t I get more?” I hope you had a crafty weekend! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Have a seat!

Hello friends! After filming my Mardens haul video yesterday I had a bit of a panic because I had two fabric projects looming in my future so I thought “Hey, I’ll replace the cover on my butterfly chair now because that will be a quick and easy project.” You can probably guess where this is going huh? You’ve probably even uttered those words at the start of a project. But it never goes as quickly or easily as expected. How hard can it be, it is basically a pillow case with flaps on the back to hook it to the chair. Or so I thought.  I decided in preparation for my jacket lining project I would use a seam ripper to take the cover apart and remove the cushion inside than trace the old fabric on to the new fabric. Well, there were more pieces to that sucker than I imagined, the seams would not come apart and I ended up just tearing the rip in the back (that is why I am recovering it BTW) to remove not one rectangle cushion but two asymmetrical cushions and I immediately forgot what way they went in as soon as they came out! Crapola, I have no clue how to even begin this project and I am beginning to doubt the 3 yards of fabric will be sufficient to finish it (I was too cheap to shell out the extra $3.99 for another yard.) I took a deep breath and pondered my lot. I grabbed some paper, a measuring tape and figured out a way to make the cover from scratch with re-enforced pockets to hold the cushion on the frame. I laid the old cover on my material a couple of times to make sure I could fit my pieces before I cut and I sewed that sucker good! What do you think?

This is my favorite spot to crochet. I like to sit criss-cross applesauce in this chair and crochet while watching TV. I’m happy to report that it works just fine! The kids have been in it a lot today but they have been warned not to jump on it for I will tolerate no shenanigans that cause another rip in the back. I am not sewing another one! I think that I will keep my eyes peeled (at Mardens of course) for a 40″ zipper so I can undo the top seam and insert a zipper so the cover and be washed but that can be done anytime. I am happy with it. My husband thinks the fabric looks like lawn furniture. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time we had lawn furniture in the living room! 😀 I see what he means though. So, what are you making this weekend? I hope it goes as smooth as you hoped for. Til next time happy crafting!

Inktense on Fabric! Quilters Rejoice!

OK, I’m not a quilter, I don’t have that kind of patience but I’d heard that some quilters used Inktense pencils on their quilts so I had to have a go at it! I also really wanted to try it because for Christmas I gave one of my best friends a small tin of inktense pencils and she is a talented quilter and seamstress so I wanted to make sure it worked well before I told her about using them on fabric. Well, I really like the results on my craft-fair tool apron. What do you think?

Supplies:

Inktense pencils by Derwent

Textile medium (or any acrylic sealer like mod-podge)

a firm paint brush

a foam brush

black acrylic paint or fabric paint

bold clear stamps

An iron or heat gun for heat setting fabric

some natural fabric to stamp on

a spray bottle of water and also a bucket of water to clean brushes in.

Directions

1. Stamp designs with black acrylic paint, heat set.
2. color with pencils
3. spritz with water and apply textile medium to lock colors
4. let dry and heat set.

Watch the video for helpful hints and full tutorial! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Fabric Stash Storage!

Hello friends! It rained yesterday, really rained and the kids and I were stuck inside but since I like to be home it was nice, I didn’t have great weather to feel guilty wasting;) So I hung out in my sweats and set off to tackle the ever growing baskets of fabric scraps that have accumulated in my craft room. Here is the after picture:

Now, if you are brave…or kind…or a highly functioning hoarder like myself watch the video and see how I got my mess under control. Don’t mind the glittery sweats, we are all friends here right?

I have to say I am rather pleased with myself. I did not spend a penny and my fabric is neat and tidy and ready to use and best of all I can get the piece of cloth I want without messing up the rest of the stash.  The best part was that I was able to toss stuff I was given that I did not even like but felt like I should keep anyway. I am stopping that madness! The small scraps of fabric and felt I still like have gone into a bag and I will use it with my kids craft class next month. Tackle the stash, make it usable, toss the stuff you don’t want, make a plan for the rest! BTW if you have cloth you don’t want contact your local Project Linus and they will use the fabric to make security blankets for children in need or maybe turn the stash into a lovely quilt or blanket to donate, that way you can enjoy the cloth, create, destash and feel good;)

Have a great weekend and til next time happy crafting!