How to make a Tie Dye Tote Bag using Cosmic Shimmer Fabric Paints

Designed by Design Team member Liz Borer

Our design team have been tasked this month with creating something using the new Cosmic Shimmer Fabric Paints. Liz has used her paints to create this pastel tie dye effect with these stunning silhouette butterflies and plants. 

Shopping list:

• Summer Meadow Stamp Set CEC780
• Wild Flowers Stamp Set CEC781
• Butterfly Splash CEC783
• Cosmic Shimmer Lustre Fabric Paint French Pearl CSFLPFRPEARL, Sea Green CSFLPSEA, Golden Lime CSFLPLIME, Atlantic Blue CSFLPATLANTIC, Royal Purple CSFLPPURPLE, Antique Copper CSFLPANTCOP & Graphite Noir CSFLPGRAPH
• Thats Special Touch Mask: Small Polka Dots MASKSMPOLKA, Peacock Mask MASKPEACOCK & All Stirred Up MASKSTIR
• Plain Cotton Tote Pad
• Brushes
• Acrylic Block

Step 1. I decorated both sides of the bag ,so insert a piece of card covered with cling film inside the bag to protect the other side while painting. I coloured the whole of the fabric with the Cosmic Shimmer Fabric Paints, which were thinned with water before applying them . I found it helped to dampen the fabric first and then start applying the first colour in random patches . Pick up a bit more water and blend the colour out onto the fabric .

Step 2 In exactly the same way add the other colours . I used Golden Lime , Antique Copper , Sea Green and Royal Purple . As the colours are blended out they mix with each other creating new colours . I mixed Royal Purple and Sea Green together and painted the handles . If both sides are to be decorated, dry the first side before starting on the other.

Step 3 Mix Atlantic Blue and Graphite Noir and stencil the polka dots randomly over the bag.

Step 4 Mix Golden Lime , Atlantic Blue and Sea Green together to make a bright green . Stencil the Peacock feather design up from the bottom of the bag.

Step 5 Use French Pearl and stencil the swirls from the All Stirred up mask randomly over the bag.

Step 6 Here you can see that I extended the swirls up onto the handles .

Step 6 Using the leaf stamp from Summer Meadow and Graphite Noir paint , stamp leaves over the bag to start the vines . Because the same paint is used it's possible to stamp the stems over the the leaves of the previous image without it showing so the leaves can join together to form a vine . It's interesting that where the black goes over the stencilled colours they partially show through creating a nice texture.

Step 7 The stem of the flower from the Wild Flowers set can be curved to the right or left when stuck on an acrylic block . Stamp the flower as though it was growing from the vines . Curving the stem creates movement in the design. Remember to leave space for some butterflies  ( from Butterfly Splash ) which are stamped with the same paint .

 

These final two pictures show the finished bag , including the butterflies , from both sides . I didn't try to make the sides match , it's more fun to have them looking slightly different !

I really enjoyed using these fabric paints , they are lovely and thick for painting solid areas areas and stamping . They can also be diluted to create washes and still retain the pearly lustre .