Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol: Part One

While at the retreat, I attended a demo about dying fabric with Sharpies (permanent markers) and rubbing alcohol (isopropyl.) I already knew alcohol would make Sharpies bleed, but I’d never seen this particular application.

This is the sort of result you can expect. Cool, right?

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

And this is how you do it:
– Stretch fabric over a drinking glass or vase.
– Secure fabric with two rubber bands.
– Color the top of the fabric with Sharpies.  (The colors will bleed so choose ones that will look good together.)
– Spray the top of the fabric, generously, with alcohol.
– You’re done!  The alcohol will quickly wick down the sides, taking the Sharpie color with it.  Because it’s alcohol it will evaporate quickly and you’ll be done in no time.

Here are a couple of in-progress examples from our retreat.

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Here they are drying. The left one, below, is the same one shown on the left above.

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

It’s that easy!

Here’s our teacher, Cathy Heeter, “showing off” a shirt she had made with this technique.  She matched the colors to this pair of pants.

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Once home, I decided to play with this on my own, on a t-shirt.

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

However, they didn’t bleed quite to my liking, so I sprayed them some more.  That did the trick. Can you see the additional bleeding below?

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

These were my results.

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

I was very happy with them.  After the shirt dried I threw it in the dryer for 20 minutes of heat setting.

Later, I added some definition by drawing an outline with a thin Sharpie.  (Not diluted this time.)  This is purely optional, but I like the effect.

Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol Part One. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

BTW, I put the glass containers inside the shirt, so I was working with the front only.  I’ll bet you could do it either way.

In Part Two I show you how to make the small flowers and other details.

Ellen Lindner

 

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20 Responses to Dying with Sharpies and Alcohol: Part One

  1. Gwen Goepel March 16, 2018 at 8:28 am #

    Thanks for sharing!

    • Ellen Lindner March 17, 2018 at 9:55 pm #

      I’m glad you liked it, Gwen. I hope you’ll give it a try.

  2. Kristin F March 16, 2018 at 11:39 am #

    This is really cool! I like the effect. I like your outlining of the shapes, too. Did you do this outside? I think I read that it’s not good to breathe the fumes from alcohol.

    • Ellen Lindner March 17, 2018 at 9:59 pm #

      Thanks, Kristin.

      I think the outlining adds a lot to it, and you could even add more if you wanted to create petals, etc.

      I did it inside and wasn’t bothered by the smell. However, at the retreat, with about 10 of us doing it simultaneous, we took it outside, which I think was a good idea. (And the Sharpies can smell too!)

  3. Ingrid Bischoff March 16, 2018 at 1:14 pm #

    How fun is that! I wish I lived next door!

    • Ellen Lindner March 17, 2018 at 9:59 pm #

      Hey, if you lived next door, we’d definitely do it together! In the mean time, why not try it on your own? I think you’ll love it.

  4. Susan March 31, 2018 at 10:06 am #

    What’s it like after laundering the shirt? Any fading or running or weakness in the fabric?

    • Ellen Lindner April 2, 2018 at 9:15 pm #

      Hi Susan,

      I’ve only washed it once and I can see no changes. (After it was air-dried, I put it in the dryer for another 20 minutes to heat set it.)

  5. Judy Nelson March 8, 2021 at 3:35 pm #

    can this work on a sweatshirt?

    • Ellen Lindner March 9, 2021 at 6:57 pm #

      Sure! I think it might fade after a lot of washing. But definitely give it a try.

  6. Kay September 3, 2022 at 3:26 pm #

    I always wanted to try this. It looked like so much fun. I think I will try it with my 22 year old granddaughter’s.

  7. Maureen Reid September 22, 2022 at 8:53 pm #

    I have 4 Neon Sharpies, 6 primary color Sharpies, fat black Sharpies, Silver & Gold water-based Sharpies, plus 12 fabric markers! But I want to decorate a brand new never-washed light gray tshirt. Do you think it would work out okay on gray background? Would the Neon Sharpies work best then? Thanks so much for the tutorial, and any helpful advice! God bless! Maureen

    • Ellen Lindner September 23, 2022 at 7:27 pm #

      Maureen, I’m not sure. I’ve never tried it on fabric other than white. Is there an inconspicuous spot where you can try it? Either way, I’d try it on a scrap of white first, just to see what color the markers will morph to. (Some of them change.)

  8. Claudette November 20, 2023 at 11:26 pm #

    I want to try this! Would it work and be permanent on silk? I would to try it on a silk scarf blank. Thank ,

    • Ellen Lindner November 25, 2023 at 5:43 pm #

      Hi Claudette,

      I haven’t tried it on silk, but I’m thinking it would work. Of course, you’d want to test it first. I imagine the color will travel further on silk than it did on cotton. Have fun with it!

  9. Claudette November 20, 2023 at 11:28 pm #

    I had forgotten to include my email

    • Ellen Lindner November 25, 2023 at 6:12 pm #

      Got it. It shows when you post a comment.

  10. Judy March 21, 2024 at 10:46 pm #

    Can they be heat set with an iron instead of using the dryer?
    Thanks

    • Ellen Lindner March 27, 2024 at 9:41 am #

      Yes, Judy, that works well.

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