Marbled Jacket

I have been marbling on fabric for about 15 years. I first learned to marble while attending the Southern Highland Craft Guild Fair in NC. I would stand for hours watching the marbling artists demo this very old and fascinating technique.  It grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I went home to Georgia and attempted to teach myself. It took some time to master the technique, many flops along the way, but the  process - always magical.
I love to use marbled fabric in both quilts and clothing. When I make clothing, I create a muslin shell first, even for very simple patterns. I realize that designs look good on the cover, but not always on me. Making shells saves time and fabric in the long run. I make a "shell" out of any light to medium weight fabric - old fabric I'm ready to get rid of. I often use more than one fabric in a muslin shell.
I do sleeves, backs to fronts and collars. I omit the facings, hems and buttonholes etc. I'm interested in the fit and how it hangs. I make adjustments on the shell and pattern before cutting into precious fabric. I also make a copy of the pattern cover to pin on the shell - lets me know instantly what pattern it it.

I'm working with a cotton homespun which clings to any top I might wear underneath, so I decided to add a lining. I dyed a very lightweight silk in navy and green.

To marble on homespun, I used navy and green paint along with a "colorless extender" as one of the paints. Using this extender allows the background fabric to show through in places, giving it more dimension.

I cut out appliques using more marbled fabric and green linen to add a little solid color.

We had a rainy day today - a good excuse to spend the day in my studio!