Fall 2012

Embellish Me

How to Print, Dye, and Decorate Your Fabric

by laurie wisbrun

Embellish Me is the ultimate guide to achieving the

perfect surface finish for your fabric-based projects.
Comprehensive step-by-step instructions are
accompanied by detailed illustrations that illuminate an
extensive range of fabric alteration and embellishment
techniques. Learn tie-dyeing, bleaching, and shibori;
block, silk-screen, and digital printing; and beading,
embroidery, and appliqu. Each chapter concludes
with an artist interview, giving you insight into the
working practices of contemporary fabric crafters and
providing further inspiration for your own projects.
This information-rich guide will equip you with all the
information you need to apply creative techniques
to any number of fabric projects, from tote bags and
clothes to cushion covers, lampshades, toys, and
home furnishings. Galleries throughout the book will
inspire you to engage with these techniques, showing
how they have been applied to fabric and providing a
valuable starting point for your craft.

Laurie Wisbrun is an author and fabric designer who lives in

Austin, Texas. You can find more about her and her work at
www.lauriewis.blogspot.com and www.lauriewisbrun.com.

ISBN: 978-1-59668-862-9

Page Count: 176

Format: Flexibound

Trim Size: 7 9

US Price: $24.95

Release Date: January 2013

Canada: $24.95

Season: Fall 2012

Embellish Me

Interweave books are sold and distributed to the book trade by Perseus distribution in the U.S. and Canada.
(800) 343-4499 | orderentry@perseusbooks.com

Overview:

Hints & tips

DYEING
Dyeing techniques such as dip dyeing, shibori, and batik can create some
wonderful and extremely unusual effects on fabric, and are the perfect way to
spice up creative fabric projects. Basic dyeing methods are easy to master,
although admittedly it can be a messy business!

Whenever using filters for a repeat

pattern Wash all fabric before dyeing.
This ensures that the item is
thoroughly (and evenly) damp and
ready for dyeing.
Dyes blend with the original color of
the fabric, and the usual color mixing
rules applyfor example, yellow
overdyed with blue will give green.

Use plastic or metal spoons for stirring

the dye; porous materials like wood
will stain and potentially pass the dye
along to the next project.

When judging the depth of color,

remember that fabric is slightly darker
when wet, so take that into account
when deciding if the item is ready to
remove from the dye bath.

Never try to dye stained fabric.

Because the stained section of the
fabric starts out a different color from
the rest of the item, it ends up a
different color too.

FA BR IC CONSIDER AT IONS

1
8

Introduction

PA RT 1 :

TH E BASICS

CH A P T ER 1: GET T ING
STA RT ED
14
16

Tools and materials

Understanding fabrics

CH A P T ER 2: DE SIGNING
PAT T ERNS
20
22
26

General pattern design tips

Hand rendered patterns
Computer rendered patterns

PA RT 2:

CH A P T ER 3: BL E ACHING
34
38
42
46
48
50

Removing color
Abstracts
Basic patterns
Motifs and artworks
Gallery
Practitioner interview

CH A P T ER 4: DY EING
56
60
64
68
72
74
76

Natural dyes
Dip dyeing and over dyeing
Tie dyeing
Batik
Shibori
Gallery
Practitioner interview

CH A P T ER 5: PRIN T ING
PAT T ERNS

CONTENTS

80
84
88
90
92
94
96
98
102

TECH NIQU ES

Placement or all over printing

Block printing
Heat transfer printing
Digital printing
Screen printing
Pen and ink
Stenciling
Gallery
Practitioner interview

CH A P T ER 6:
EMBEL L ISHMEN T
106
108
112
114
116
118
122
126
128
130

Sequins
Beading
Zips
Fringes
Studs
Toys and trinkets
Stitching
Buttons
Gallery
Practitioner interview

As a general rule, natural materials such as wool, cotton,

and silk are easier to dye than artificial materials such as
polyester. Different fabrics take dyes in different ways, and
therefore to avoid disappointment it is important to use the
correct dye for the fabric content.

PA RT 3 :

GOING PRO

158 Working with a digital

printing service
160 Developing a collection
164 Marketing and selling
your designs
166 Practitioner interview

168
170
174
176

Generally cellulose fibers such as cotton, linen,

and hemp need a reactive dye, so-called as they react with
the fibers in the fabric. In addition to the dye, soda ash, and
sometimes salt is added to fix the dye. Fabrics made from
fibers such as wool, angora, and alpaca are known as
protein fibers and require the use of acid dyes, which
require the water in the dye bath to be slightly acidic; this
can be easily achieved with a squirt of vinegar. Fabrics made
from mixed fibers are less straightforward to dye, and
require a combination dye.

Useful resources
Glossary
Index
Acknowledgments

Tutorial:

One of the most commonly used designs on fabric is a repeat pattern design, and
this tutorial demonstrates how to create a simple tile repeat pattern in Photoshop.

Whenever using filters for a repeat

pattern project, remember to flatten
your layers in order to apply the filter to
all layers.

Its a good idea to include the

dimensions of the tile in the name of
the pattern, in case you design several
similar tiles at different sizes.

Use the offset filter to shift your image

side to side and up and down. It is a
great way to review your pattern, as
well as find bad seams or holes.

Having too many patterns in your

patterns palette will considerably slow
down Photoshop. After you are done
with a project, reset the patterns to
declutter your Photoshop.

Open the image in Photoshop, go to Image, and

then scroll down to Image Size. Set the pixel width
and height to the nearest even number (divisible by
two)you will need this dimension when using a
filter later on. Here, the document is set to 5000 x 5000
pixels, as we want to create a large fabric pattern
design. Press OK.

31

T ECH N IQU E S Dyeing

Tutorial:

Hints & tips

Begin by creating a square design or drawing and

scanning it into your computer. When creating a
design, its best to fill the whole square, edge to edge.

The main difference between hot and cold water dyes lies in
the intensity of color that can be achieved. As
its name suggests, a hot-water dye requires you to
effectively simmer the item to be dyed on the stove
in the dye solution. Depending on how large the item youre
dyeing is, and how deep the color youre aiming for, you can
leave the fabric in the dye solution for anything from ten
minutes to an hour and a half.Cold-water dyes can create
some pretty pastel and pale colors, but cannot imbue a really
deep or dark color to fabric.

Preparing fabric for dyeing

COM PUTER
RENDERED PAT TERNS

Tie-dyed fabric

HOT A N D COL D WAT ER DY E S

Dyed silk cushion cover

Needlepunch
Embroidery
Punching
Appliqu
Foil embossing
Gallery
Practitioner interview

30

While there are specialist repeat pattern Computer Aided

Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software packages
available for those working in the decorative, textile,
fashion, and packaging design industries, this isnt always
affordable for small businesses and individuals. Creating a
repeat pattern in Photoshop is an ideal solution.

Batik fabric

In addition to synthetic dyes, fabric can also be colored with

natural dyes made from plants and flowers, nuts, berries, or
even tea.

CH A P T ER 7: SPECI A L IST
T ECHNIQU E S
132
138
142
146
150
152
154

Tie-dyed fabric

To create your tiled pattern, go to Filter, Other, and

then Offset.

Hints & tips

TO OL S A N D M AT ER I A L S

LINOLEUM
BLOCK
PRINTING
First, draw the design. If its simple you can work
straight onto the linoleum, but if its fairly
symmetrical its useful to draw it on tracing
paper so you can check that both sides are the
same.

Next, trace the design onto the lino block using

carbon paper, and then go over the lines with
ink. If you have a really steady hand you could
probably skip the ink stage, but its useful to
make sure your lines are accurate, and to
prevent smudging while youre cutting.

Carbon paper
Pencil
Pen
Lino block (around 5mm in thickness)
Wood or lino cutting tools
Foam roller
Fabric paint
Water-soluble pen
Pre-washed fabric

Some people find woodcut tools useful for

cutting lino, particularly a V gouge. Woodcut
tools are easier to sharpen than lino tools; but,
depending on the kind of mark you want to
make, you could use anything from an ice pick
to a craft knife. Cut all the outlines first, and then
clear out the bigger areas using U-gouges of
different sizes.

Remember, if your design is

something that reads better in a
particular direction (like lettering) it
will need to be reversed, as the print
will be in reverse.

Fabric printing requires deeper cutting

than for paper printing, because the
lino block is pressed onto the print
surface, rather than the other way
around.

For fabric printing, thicker lino is

often easier to print with; about 1/4in
thick is great.

Its important to keep lino warm when

cutting, so that it stays fairly soft. This
minimizes the risk of the tools slipping
and ruining your block or your fingers.

Next, roll the paint out onto a flat, non-porous

surface with the foam roller. Roll lightly, and
keep lifting the roller to get the paint spread all
the way around it. Experiment a bit until you
have a feel for the kind of coverage you need.

Pick the inked block up by the edges, turn it

over and place it onto the fabric. If youre doing a
rigid repeat or using more than one color, youll
probably need to mark out some positions using
a water-soluble pen. Then apply pressure, either
by leaning on the block if its small enough, or
using a roller if its bigger than your hand.
Lift the block straight off so you dont smudge
the print.

Roll the ink lightly onto the block. Make sure that
its all covered; looking at it from an angle helps
you see the shine of wet paint. Youll also be able
to see if youve inked any bits that arent meant
to print.

1
26

T H E BA SIC S Designing Patterns

2
27

86

T ECH N IQU E S Dyeing

6
87