For our recent ad in Notebook magazine, Lincraft used my hand-painted cushion project. Detailed instructions available here. With a little more explanation below.
Wash and dry your fabric before starting.
To hand paint dye on fabric you need to use it in a concentrated form. We are rebelling from the packet instructions. Yeehar! Make up the concentrated dye – but then don’t dilute it – use it in the concentrated form, so the dye can really sink into the fibres and stay where it should go.
You will get some bleeding – which is to be encouraged and that adds an excellent softness to your design, but you can restrict the bleeding somewhat by painting on to the fabric dry (not wetting it as the packet suggests). The bird (above) was painted on to dry fabric)
This dot effect was made by painting on to wet fabric – for as much bleed as possible.
I painted lots of circles, then filled in the gaps between the circles to give it a white dot effect. The irregularities give added visual texture.
Once you have painted the cushions – let them dry and then wash them by hand and in the washing machine to take out any excess dye. When they are finished you might like to embellish your design with some embroidery thread – picking out the sillouette or adding detail, and if you are inclined – add some more detail in the form of appliqued shapes.
Of course you can use any cushion insert, but there is nothing quite like sinking into a down pillow. Down pillows can be fluffed up to look good again any time (unlike fibrefill) and are – I think – an investment well worth making.
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