DIY Tie Dye with Red Wine

Easy Do It Yourself Dye

 I'm obsessed with Fabric, especially canvas. It's natural, it's strong, it has more uses than a swiss army knife... and it can be a challenge to Dye. There's nothing I love more than a challenge. 

I also love red wine. 

Here is how I use Red Wine to Dye Fabric, including so-called "non-dye-able" Canvas, and a shirt I never wore:

Supplies: 

White or light colored fabric (I used cotton)

2+ cups Red Wine

Rubber Bands or Hemp Twine

Oven

Clean Baking Pan

Jar or Bucket 

Iron

An Old Towel

Supplies laid out ready to start dying fabric

 Step 1: Tie up items to be dyed. If you bind it with more wrinkles you will end up with more light colored areas after you are done. The tighter you tie or band it up the more areas of light color will remain as well.

Cotton articles tied up and ready to be Dyed with Red Wine

  Step 2: Steep the items in the Red Wine for at least 2 hours. I let mine soak for 4 hours.

A white shirt after soaking in red wine for 4 hours

Step 3: Squeeze the wine out of the fabric. Leftover wine can be saved to re-use next time you want to dye but the color won't be quite as strong. For really dark dye wring until no liquid drips. For lighter dye wring as much out as possible.

Wine Dyed items being laid flat to dry in the oven

 Step 4: Lay items as flat as possible on your clean baking sheet. Try not to let them touch or overlap so the color doesn't bleed from one article to another. Your baking sheet must be clean or you risk discoloring your dyed items. I covered mine with foil just to be safe.

Wine Dyed clothing and fabric drying in an oven

 Step 5: Set oven at 170 to 180 Fahrenheit with damp dyed items inside. The combination of heat and drying with the wine pigment still on the fabric helps set the color. Make sure to set a timer so you don't start a fire. I checked on my items every 10 minutes. The small items took about 20 minutes to dry fully while the shirt took over an hour. I didn't want to put freshly dyed items in the dryer in case it might leave color behind which is why I chose to do it in the oven.

Check your items every 10 minutes: Safety First!

Step 6: (This step is optional. I did it to make sure the color was fully set.) Lay your old towel on an ironing board. Iron dyed items as you normally would. The heat will help set the color so it won't fade with washing. The towel prevents your ironing board cover from getting any color on it if your dyed articles aren't fully dry yet.

Small test items in a Red Wine Dye Project

Step 7: Hand wash dyed clothing and fabric in warm water to get rid of any pigment that didn't set. This way the color won't spread to items you don't intend to dye when you wash it after regular use. After dying an article you should avoid washing it in hot water to keep the colors bright.

Gorgeous color and pattern from Red Wine Tie Dye

 And the finished product... 

I like this shirt so much better with the natural earthy rouge dye than I did when it was plain white. I think I'll actually wear it now!

Thanks for reading!!!

Click here for more great DIY ideas or visit the other Tiny Tipis Blog to learn about recycled urban gardening.

 Tiny Tipis is a small handmade company providing environmentally friendly products to help customers reduce their carbon footprint. We focus on using high quality materials with attention to detail and running our company as close to zero waste as we possibly can. All shipping materials are recyclable, compostable, and/or biodegradable. See more of what Tiny Tipis does for our planet at any of the links below: 

 

facebook.com/TinyTipis

pinterest.com/TinyTipis
TinyTipis.blogspot.com

instagram.com/tinytipis/
TinyTipis.etsy.com

 Thank you for being environmentally responsible!!!

As You Wish...

     Sometimes relationships aren't all they are cracked up to be. Sometimes you butt heads and chase each other round and round about daily worries. Sometimes the stress of life works it's way into our happy place.

     With the move coming up and a bunch of other major changes coming up in our life my honey and I have been finding the rough spots. As a loving wife I feel it is my job to find creative ways to brighten his day and help put him in a good mood. One of my simple ways to show him I care is to write a message for him on the mirror in our bathroom. I use our sons bath crayons that he never plays with and change the message each time I clean the mirror. Today I wrote "As you wish..." for him because he loves The Princes Bride movie. It's a small way to show him I care that doesn't cost me anything (maybe 5 minutes of time) and who wouldn't want a little positive message every time they look in the mirror!?

     If you don't have bath crayons (also called soap crayons) you can use dry erase markers. The darker colors work better. Sometimes if the message isn't easy to read you will need to make the lines thicker. The only downside to dry erase markers is that when the bathroom gets really steamy from the shower the message can start to run. It's not a huge deal but you will want to use the soap crayons for messages that you want to last longer.

     My honey had to run off to work before I changed the mirror this morning so I will have to wait till he gets home to see if he likes it. Some of the other messages I've left him are "You make me Smile!" and "You're Amazing!" but a simple "I love you" is always nice too.  :)  What messages are you going to leave?

For more updates like me on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest! Also make sure to check out my Recycled Urban Garden Blog if you love a green thumb. Thanks for Reading!

Confessions of a Crazy Crafter

     Sometimes I think Springs and Summer are my favorite months. I feel incredibly productive with so many hours of light! One of the things on my plate this summer is leading a charity event for an animal shelter. I chose the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter to help on behalf of Artist's Helping Hands for many reasons.
     - They are a no kill shelter meaning they do not put animals down if they don't find owners.
     - They aided many people that evacuated during the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado.
     - When our dog found his way to their shelter they called to let us know and took such good care of him while he waited for us.

Cassius the Great and my wonderful little man pose for me.

I'm excited to collect donations during the month of July 2012 for them and have already seen a great show of support from the charity group. I hope to hand out treats to some of the animals when I deliver the donations. If I am able to I will make sure to take pictures and post them.

     One of my personal projects this month is a cloth book of shapes for my son. Using an old pair of jeans and some colorful fabric scraps I've managed to cut out squares, diamonds, circles, rectangles, ovals, stars, and triangles. I am then sewing these onto large pieces of fabric which will become the pages. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I give it to him. Books are his favorite "toy."

     As I face moving in some 45 days I find myself hoping this next home will be a place I can stay for a while. With 3 bedrooms, a greenhouse, and an area inside large enough for me to start making full sized tipis it sounds like heaven to me. The yard is a decent size as well (though it needs a lot of work) and I hope to get permission from the landlord to keep chickens. It's a big move. The house needs a lot of work... cleaning, repairs, TLC, and such. The price is right though and despite all my nervousness I'm really excited to start on such a large project.

     As far as Tiny Tipis goes I must say it is well. I recently filed my LLC forms making it an official company. It's the first step in taking things to the next level. I've also been evaluating ways to expand and offer more choices. One way I plan to do this is by offering hand painted bags. These are fairly easy to do, don't take up extra space in my currently small home, and the end result is making my customers very happy. For each new design I keep a stencil that can be traced on the canvas and then paint each one by hand with acrylic paint. I could cut corners and iron on printed designs but I don't want to loose the personal touch the hand painting adds not to mention the higher quality end result. I plan to start a line of more modern ones as well that will feature graffiti style art.



     For my own closet I decided to go through it and start recycling and upcycling my old clothes. A work in process is this thin shirt. It had holes at the hip seams that needed fixing and I decided to start giving it a new life. As soon as I finish it I will post a step by step blog on exactly what I did to it. Of course I had to add some lace to it.  ;)

I love lace  <3 <3 <3

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DIY Painting Tips for Tipi Tepee Teepee Owners

Canvas is the preferred choice for painting by artists today. Art Supply stores everywhere sell per-stretched canvases that have already been gessoed for you. These manufactured canvases are great for everyday practice or the traditional commissioned piece but what do you turn to when you want something that is unique to start? Tiny Tipis offers you an idea: Paint Your Own Tepee. Tiny Tipis offers custom paint and bead work but we understand that some people may want to take the art into their own hands. Thus we are handing out any of our knowledge for free so you can customize your own canvas teepee. The tips that follow in this article can be applied to Tiny Tepees or Large Teepees as well. 

When you start your painting adventure you will need to have the following items handy:

• Paint Brushes of various sizes. For a softer line use synthetic bristles, for a more crisp and clear line use natural bristle.
• A container of water. Make sure you use a container you don't care about in case you want to toss it afterwards.
• Acrylic Paints in the colors you will be using. The choice of acrylic paint is important and will discussed further below.
• An Acrylic Thinning Solution such a Flow Release, Liquitex, or anything comparable that you find at your local hobby store.
• An old rag you can wet and dab with in case of spills or mistakes.
• A board or hard surface you can use as a palate to mix your paints on.
• A strong string, straight edge (ruler), drop cloth, and a pencil.

The type of paint you choose will effect the final product greatly. Two standards must be met for the paint to be as sturdy as possible when finished: It must be Acrylic and it must be Fluid. Fluid refers to water based and can be thinned with water but is not recommended as this changes the pigment content (making the colors less vibrant) and the ability of the paint to bind to the surface of the canvas. If you aren't sure by looking at the label then ask someone who works at the hobby store, they should be able to direct you to the correct paints.

Once you have gathered your supplies you are ready to decide what design you want to paint on your tipi. Stencils work great and are very easy to do. The more geometric the pattern the easier it will be as well. Decide if your tipi will be displayed standing up in a cone shape or laying flat in a display. If your teepee will be displayed flat then you can paint on it as you would a regular canvas. If you plan to set your teepee up after painting then you will need to consider the 3D nature of it. Here are a few tips on making simple designs for a standing tepee:

• To paint horizontal stripes: Find the Center of the Tepee 2 inches above the Tie Flap. Anchor one end of your string here so that neither the tipi or string changes position. Find the point where the string meets the edge of where you want your stripe. Place the pencil at this point on the string and secure it by tying it in place or holding it firm with your fingers. Pull the pencil around the tipi in a semi circle where you want your stripe. Don't draw too dark or use a pen in case you mess up. Keep repeating this where you want the edge of a stripe to be until you have all your guide lines drawn.
• To paint vertical stripes: Find the Center of the Teepee two inches above the Tie Flap. Mark this spot and ensure the tipi and mark won't move while you are drawing. Line one end of your straight edge up with the mark you made just above the center and the other end where you want the stripe to start at the base. This way the stripes will taper as they go toward the top creating the illusion of a taller Tipi.
• To paint triangles along the base: Decide how many triangles you want around the bottom of the tipi. Divide the length of the hem by how many triangles you plan to paint and use this number to make the bottom edge of a stencil. The other two sides of the triangle will be equal to each other. Smaller triangle sides will create a shorter border around the base of the teepee while longer sides will make a taller border. When your get your stencil made lay it on the canvas and trace around it lightly over and over until you have the whole hem covered.

Now you are ready to paint! Use a drop cloth if you are doing this indoors on floors you like or gather clean rocks to keep the edges from blowing up if you are doing it outside. If you are painting a Tiny Tipis brand Tipi I would suggest indoors since they are small enough to run away from you with a good gust before they get staked down.

If you desire the paint to stay on the surface like it would with a traditional stretched canvas you will need to gesso the surface first. If you want the paint to soak into the canvas more then you won't need to worry about that.

Mix your paints according to the directions on the labels. Remember you can use water to make your acrylics thinner and soak in better but water will destroy the bonds of the paint quicker than product made specifically for that. The purpose of thinning is so that the paint soaks into the canvas more and also to reduce the chance of the paint cracking as it gets older or if you have to fold the tipi cover. If you plan to set your tipi up outdoors I highly recommend Fluid Acrylics By Golden Acrylics in conjunction with their brand of Flow Release. This will withstand the test of time and the elements better than anything else on the marker but they are pricey if you are on a budget.

If you make a mistake while painting quickly dip your rag into your bucket of water and dab the mistake. Don't rub! This will spread the paint around making your mistake even bigger! If you gessoed your canvas tipi cover first it will be a little easier to clean up any mistakes. Go slowly when painting close to the lines since a slight twitch of the hand can cause your perfectly smooth line to look jagged. The smoother your lines the more professional the painting will look.

When you are done painting make sure to let the Tipi Cover dry for at least 4 hours before moving it. If you move it before the paint dries fully you risk drips, smears, and areas of darker pigment where the paint pools.

   This informative article brought to you by Tiny Tipis LLC. Tiny Tipis is a small handmade company providing environmentally friendly products to help customers reduce their carbon footprint. We focus on using high quality materials with attention to detail and running our company as close to zero waste as we possibly can. All shipping materials are recyclable, compostable, and/or biodegradable. See more of what Tiny Tipis does for our planet at any of the links below:

 

facebook.com/TinyTipis

pinterest.com/TinyTipis
TinyTipis.blogspot.com

instagram.com/tinytipis/
TinyTipis.etsy.com

 

 Thank you for being environmentally responsible!!!

Why Do I Make Tipis in a Series?

Lacing Pin Strip on a Tiny Tipi accented with Rose Petals

As an artist, seamstress, and tepee maker; I am inclined to find a special beauty in each thing that I create.  The artist in me strives to give a personality to each little tepee while the seamstress demands perfection in every seam. With teepees I decided to make them in a series much like a painter would make a series to show how they studied a subject from every angle. The resulting tipi cover is impressive.

What is a series?
     According to TheFreeDictionary.com a series is:
              1. a group or connected succession of similar or related things, usually arranged in order

 I define my series by pattern and material. I research the tipis of the tribe I chose and translate it into a functioning miniature version. I then use this teepee pattern to sew as many small tepees as I can from one batch of canvas.

I buy canvas according to quality, quantity, and price. Sometimes I buy as little as 5 yards and other times I buy much more. The amount of canvas isn't as important to me as the properties of it. One cut of fabric becomes a single series of tiny teepees. In this way each tepee becomes a work of art even when the canvas is blank.

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