Rust dyeing!

Inspired by an article in a recent copy of Quilting Arts. What fun!

You soak the PFD fabric in water first, wring it out well and then soak it in vinegar. Then you lay rusty bits and pieces on it and under it and scrunch it all up so the rusty bits are in as close contact with the fabric as possible. Then you lay it there for a while- apparantly the longer it lies, the more diffuse the colour becomes whereas laying it in the sun to fast-dry, will produce more distinct areas of rusty images. Then you soak it in an alkali like baking or washing soda and Bob's you uncle and Sally your aunt.

Now both girls and I scan the ground where-ever we are, for rusty bottle tops, pieces of rusty metal - ANYTHING with rust! The girls come home with rusty nuts and bolts and I ooh and ahh. (Mom's so easy to please these days.) I have a biggish bowl full - was telling a friend about it, and she took me around to a rusty old water tank she is about to have carted off - we broke off several pieces. She laughed at how delighted I was. Probably wise to have an up-to-date tetanus shot, if the pieces are sharp, as these were.

What I do find is that quite a lot washes out, even though it leaves the mustard colour, and only a few areas take the very distinct dark areas. I re-vinegar it and rearrange everything again about 5 times - after all it just lies there so doesn't take much time and each brown splotch is so rewarding! I don't neutralise in-between.

I have an eye on the rusty old braai grid next - can you imagine the griddy pattern? It's only vinegar after all, not any caustic stuff.