Eco Print T-Shirt Part III

The t-shirt has dried and been ironed and now it is time to leave it a little while longer before rinsing it for its final reveal ... but in the meantime, here are photos of the t-shirt

I am very pleased with the imprints achieved from the raspberry leaves and the purple Japanese maple. The smoke bush leaves were not as defined as usual, but they do add more to the overall imprint of the piece.

The background is a soft gold that will probably wash out a bit but I am delighted with this, my first attempt at eco printing on a finished garment.

Eco Print T-shirt - Part I

I have been interested in trying to eco print on a finished garment . . . I see this as a challenge because of the finished seams and construction details (sleeves!) but also as a way of achieving a design on a specific part of the garment.

I purchased a plain inexpensive cotton t-shirt for this first attempt and I scoured it to remove impurities from the manufacturing process and then pre-mordanted it with alum and soda ash.

I chose leaves from which I could be sure of getting some imprint (raspberry, rose, Japanese maple and smoke bush) but I also added some unknown grasses along the lower edge.

In between the front and back of the shirt I inserted fabric that had been soaked in an iron-rich solution.

The shirt was rolled between layers of plastic onto a thick wooden branch and the outer edge was covered with plastic before being wrapped tightly. I then simmered the bundle in water with iron and onion skins for two hours.