Marbled Cloth

This craft uses paint swirled together in a tub to create a Marbled Cloth design by Lynda Heines from Bloom Bake & Create unlike any other. The best part of this DIY project is the fact that no two fabrics will ever be the same. When you mix the acrylic paint, you are making an easy, unique marble creation. These fabrics would be great to use as wall-hangings, clothes, or handmade home decor. The abstract dye is a visual treat.

Materials:

•     Plastic pan
•     Carrageenan – This thickens the water so that the paint will sit on top.
•     Fluid acrylics – You can probably use other acrylics and just water them down more.
•     Containers and pipettes/eye droppers for acrylics
•     Alum – can be found in grocery store with spices or ordered online
•     Newsprint/newspaper – I’d be hesitant to use newspaper due to the inks.
•     Fabric – I used white muslin and some of my previously dyed material
•     Water
•     Spoon or something used to mix
•     Plastic to cover workspace
•     OPTIONAL: GAC 900 or other fabric painting medium if you plan to use this material in clothing or something you will need to wash.

Instructions:

1. The day before marbling, the fabric needs to be soaked in alum. The alum helps the paint to adhere to the fabric. Mix 2 tablespoons of alum to two gallons of water and let the fabric soak for 20 minutes or so. Don’t leave it in for a long time since it can break down the fabric fibers.
   
   
    
2. Don’t rinse out. Squeeze out the water and hang to dry.
    
3. I use two tablespoons of  carrageenan per gallon of water. To do this, blend up a tablespoon at a time in a blender of water and pour into container. Then add remaining water and stir.
    
4. The paint needs to be thinned with water – 1/1 ratio for liquid acrylics. Use the pipette/eye dropper to mix the paints. I used Golden Liquid Acrylics in the following colors: Carbon Black, Titanium White, Titan Buff, Cerulean Blue Deep, Quinacridone Magenta, Yellow Oxide and Chromium Oxide Green.
    
5. Once the carragenen is clear you are ready. Check out the paints by using a pipette and dropping paint on the carragenen water. If the paint falls to the bottom, more water needs to be added to the paint.
    
6. Just drop the paint on the top of the surface.
   
   
   
    
7. When I was happy with the design I placed the fabric lightly on the top of the paint, smoothing the fabric so that it had contact with the water surface.
    
8. Then the fabric was pulled carefully out of the bath and placed on a piece of newsprint.
   
   
    
9. When finished marbling, move each fabric and piece of newsprint to a place where they can dry. After the fabric dries on the newsprint sheet, peel it off and then hand wash it in warm water with dish detergent.
    
10. After it is washed out, hang it again to dry before you iron it and use it in your project.