Getting a Little Rusty

Every once in a while, I get the urge to rust some fabric....I don't use it a lot in my work but it does add a very distinct look when I do.

So a friend of mine gifted me with an unusual gift but one I went wild over. There are several of us from the Southern Highland guild that are working on pieces for our Wabi Sabi exhibit opening June 30 (more on that later). I was thinking of using some rust...so love the box ...

this wonderful heavy chain came in.

When I rust I like to use a variety of fabrics including mercerized cotton, silks like noil or crepe du Chine...organza is another favorite. I mix them all up and use a solution of half white vinegar and half water...pour it over and cover with plastic to keep it moist.

In the warm weather, it rusts quickly and within a day I was ready to rinse and iron.

So some of the results....I'm not sure which is which as far as fabric but I know I used mercerized cotton, noil, silk broadcloth and organza...and was

very happy with the results...

All fabrics worked well and were "very" rusted.

On another note, on a recent day trip to Little Switzerland which is on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I came upon this wonderful 2 seater bike....

which has been hanging on this wall forever...(we've gone to this area before)

And also this wonderful sled...

It might be fun to incorporate these photos and rusted fabrics into a small piece.

Puttin' Away the Rust

I like to create rusted fabric in warm weather when it's nice to be outdoors and the sun speeds up the process.

My rusting for this year has come to an end and I'm happy to move on to something else.

I did one last batch of scarves to put away for future sales - some with good results, others not so good.

I used a lot of my indigo pieces as I thought the white areas were a bit strong and hopefully the rust would tone them down.

This was done on a crepe du Chine which always gives good results.

The chiffon scarf is probably my favorite and enough rust to make it interesting.

Some scarves were just overdone with rust.

Like this one - way too much rust. I think part of the problem was I layered the scarves so they had rust touching them from the layer beneath and then more rust on top. Also, I scrunch them up and some parts don't touch the rust, I think it's going to be the right amount, but sometimes, it's just too much.

I think some of these will be good candidates for pieces in a quilt, we'll see, all is not lost.