I love plaid
My last purse had a lovely plaid design in blue and pink. Besides the design I found this purse to be very functional. Not too small and not too big. Just the perfect size. I could put all my stuff in it and it had a extra long shoulder strap (yep, one of those awkward tall woman problems). I felt really sorry when I noticed it was broken. I started to look for a new one with the same functions. And with plaid. Because I love plaid. It is such a classic pattern that reminds me of cosiness and warmth.
I couldn’t find one. So I decided to make one myself.
Dyeing and painting textile
I used to work with Decorfin textile colours, but I find these colours far too expensive. I love to work with acrylic or poster paint but disliked the way it stiffened the fabric. At first I added water to make the paint more liquid, but when I applied the paint to the fabric, the colours started to bleed. Searching the web, I came across the textile medium of Creall. Diluting acrylic or poster paint with this medium (and a bit of water) is a great way to prevent the fabric to stiffen or the colours to bleed.
Fabric painting with Creall tex mix, and poster paint
When dyeing textiles I only use fabrics made up of natural fibers, such as 100% cotton. This time I turned unbleached cotton into a handbag with a plaid pattern.