Saturday, April 21, 2012

LuminArte H20s Color Dyed Ribbon

My favorite ribbons are the French dyed silk but they are hard to come by and, when I can get them, I can not always find the right color combinations for my projects.  I have been making my own faux "French dyed" with another color medium.  Today in the class I taught at Posh Scraps ("To Dye For") one of my students asked if we could use H20s by LuminArte to get the same results.  I had no answer.  Now I do!   YES! and the results are even more brilliant and the colors blend more easily.

First, I mixed some of the H20 (Snap Dragon) in its pot and added that to about an 1/8 to a 1/4 cup of water.  Add more water to attain a lighter color and less to achieve a darker one.  I use sateen ribbon as creme or white silk is hard to find where I live.  I submerged the length of ribbon into the mixture and allowed it to set for three to five minutes.  Just before I removed the ribbon, I flicked some more of the H20 straight from the pot on the top of the water.  I raised the ribbon up catching the swirls and set the ribbon on a paper towel.

 Before the ribbon was completely dry, I mixed another color (Key Lime) in its pot.  With a blunt edged paint brush, I edged the ribbon allowing the color to flow into the purple. 
 For this ribbon, I used my fingers to apply the second color by dabbing my finger tips into the mixed H20 pot and 'pinching' the ribbon from both sides.  Most people prefer to use rubber or vinyl gloves but I like the colors that are pulled out with the oils on my finger tips.

 The sky is the limit.   Now, what are you waiting for...go dye some ribbons!

3 comments:

Natasha said...

Love this, Can't wait to try it!

LyndaKay said...

Very, very pretty results.

cheryl mezzetti said...

Jules you are amazing! I love how you showcased the Luminarte on the ribbons. I have found some great ribbons from May Arts that dye easily with Luminarte - they have some wonderful silk and poly blend ribbons!