I stitched the sides of my shawl early this morning. Many have asked about the fabric. It’s unbleached cotton percale fabric. I dyed it red using fiber reactive red dyes and then over dyed fabric in an indigo vat. The indigo dye process subtracted the red dye in places and allowed the natural color of the fabric to show. This process gave beautiful color breaks and color values which wouldn’t be possible if I had over dyed solid red printed cloth in indigo. I’ll dye more cloth in the coming weeks, and blog the process step by step. I’ve gotten many requests to purchase this fabric, so I’ll make some to sell on Etsy along with a few finished fringe shawls. I ordered the unbleached cotton percale fabric online and it costs $15 per yard. This process makes beautiful fabric but the process isn’t cheap. In addition to the fabric, you have the costs of the fiber reactive dyes, the indigo dye, dyeing supplies and chemicals plus your creative time. However, for me the stunning result is well worth the effort. My Momma created and taught me this technique and I do it in her honor. Momma loved fringe!
My shawl is 76 inches or approximately 2 yards long and 45 ½ inches wide. I double folded all the edges because I need to make holes in the fabric to pull the flat fringe through. I used two decorative stitches along the top edge to provide strength to support the weight of the fringe. I’ll place the fringe on three sides, ends and bottom.
DIY Tips: Make several bobbins of thread. I initially made two but needed four. Fold and press over your edges to eliminate having to pin prior to stitching. After stitching press edges using a cotton setting with lots of steam to give a crisp flat finished result. Have fun! It takes longer to dye the fabric than it does to make the shawl.
Fiber Art by Carola 