Okay, so I cheated a little!

[tiedyejudy]

As any of you who have tried it know, tieing and dyeing a peace symbol is a real challenge, to say the least!  Even following Tom and Martine's instructions, I find that I get mixed results.  But people are always asking for it.  So I decided to go a slightly different direction.  I scrunch dyed a shirt, then used a screen I made to screen on the symbol using dishwashing gel with bleach to discharge the dye.  I'm very pleased with the clean image I got:
I can use the screen to either discharge dye or overdye using thickened dyes... there's always another solution!

Judy
P.S.  Is the image too small?  Should I make a larger one?  Let me know what you think...

[2D4]

Love it Judy! Should sell great.
Love the scrunch color too.

My eye says it's a little high on the shirt. What size shirt is it? It might be a little
small on larger shirts.

Jo

[tiedyejudy]

Thanks for your feedback, Jo.  This is an XL shirt, and I'm thinking it could stand a bigger image.  Lower is good too.  I'm never sure where an image should go!
Judy

[Jaja]

Thanks for sharing - really clean image you're got! Have you done your screen using paint or have you used cut-out from selfadhesive wallpaper?

[tiedyejudy]

I used water-based house paint to block the area around the symbol.  That way it lasts longer and I can use a long time. 

[mishoga]

Judy,
That's great! The lines appear so crisp. I like it.
Maybe make the peace sign a bite bigger with thicker kines for the larger sized shirts

Mishy

[zeppenwolf]

Very nice LWI work, with or without the peace sign.

Could it be bigger?  Yes.  Lower?  Yes.  And in keeping with that, bigger, fatter lines... Yes.

But here is where I'll differ 180 from other opinions here.  No offense; that's why they make different flavors.

For me, the sharpness, the distinctness, the whiteness of the sign works against the shirt as a whole.  I would much rather see, (after lowering, enlarging, thickening), the sign to have fuzzy, indistinct edges-- like a bleeding.  Like maybe using the bleach gel after mixing with water, so it bleeds somewhat in into the strictly-speaking non-image surroundings of the silk-screen.

Also, ("What, he's not done!?!"), and this is important, (to moi), I would really really like to see some "transparency" in the peace sign.  Meaning, not so starkly white, meaning that the underlying LWI pattern is *STILL* visible.  See what I mean?  That way, the peace sign is a *part* of the shirt, not like an added thing, separate, almost like it was plastered on like a sticker type of feeling.

Well... there it is folks.  Can I at least get kudos for sticking my neck out and offering an opinion even when it seems contrarian?

 

[tiedyejudy]

Thanks for your input, Zep!  I do appreciate constructive criticism, believe me.  I see your points, and may do some further experimentation along those lines.  I did make a screen that had a larger image (greater circumference, thicker lines), but ended up not placing it far enough down again.  It's hard to accurately position it because of the screen frame.  At any rate, I was not satisfied with how it looked, so have abandoned the project for the moment... other projects have taken precedence.  But I will play with your suggestions when I get a moment, and think they may help the overall appearance.  I promise to post pix when I do, okay?
BTW, the 'transparency' issue is an easy one to resolve.  I'm using dishwashing gel with bleach, so all I have to do is wash it out sooner and it will leave more of the dye showing.
Stay tuned...
Judy

[pburch]

How to position your motif is an important question.

I once made a wonderful drip-dyed mandala on a shirt, centering it in the exact center of the shirt. Mistake! Maybe it would look okay on an extremely slender person. On me, it really emphasized my belly.

I now center all circular motifs in the middle of the chest.

Paula

[deb]

But on a maternity shirt it'd be way cool on the belly!

[Jaja]

How to position your motif is an important question.

I fully agree - once I managed to tie-dye two circles (got as a vertical axis reflection) in the height of armpits...
on women's t-shirt.

[deb]

It's more fun if you do that on purpose! 

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=10913730

[Luna]

Very nice, my girls love the peace sign but I have no idea how to make it, do you mind sharing how you made it please?

Thanks

[tiedyejudy]

Hi, Luna.  As I stated in my original post "I scrunch dyed a shirt, then used a screen I made to screen on the symbol using dishwashing gel with bleach to discharge the dye."
I made the screen by stretching sheer curtain fabric over canvas stretcher bars, which can be purchased at any art supply store in the fine arts section.  I attached the screen using a staple gun and stretching the fabric snugly... not too taut, but enough so that there aren't any wrinkles. Then I used duct tape to cover the wood stretcher bars, and also to create a 'well' around the edges of the curtain.  I don't have a picture of the peace sign, but here is another screen I made to give you an idea of how it will look:
  This is the top of the screen.
  This is the bottom.
 I traced my design onto the screen with permanent marker, then used acrylic house paint to paint over the 'negative' space (background, sections inside the peace sign).  I put the screen on some pieces of wood to let the screen dry.  By the way, I used a squeegee to apply the dishwashing gel:

When I was ready to screen the design, I inserted a piece of  foam board between the front and back of the shirt, stretched the shirt taut, and clamped or pinned the shirt to the board.  Then I placed the screen over the front of the shirt and positioned the symbol where I wanted it.  Next I poured some of the diswashing gel  into the well, then used the squeegee to spread it over the design.  I squeegeed from top to bottom, then caught the gel from the bottom well with the squeegee, then returned it to the top well and squeegeed it over the design again 3 or 4 more times.  All the while I am holding the screen firmly with my left hand, to keep it from moving.  Once I finished applying the gel, I carefully  lifted the screen off of the shirt, then I let the shirt sit until the gel was dry.  Then I removed the shirt from the board and rinsed the gel out, and laundered the shirt.
If you don't want to go to all that trouble, you could make a simple one by tracing the design onto a shirt and use a bleach pen to draw over the tracing.  I have also created smaller ones using sticky back foam to cut out the design and mount it on plexiglas to use as a stamp. Here is one I did using fabric paints:
 
Hope this gives you some ideas!
Judy

[Jaja]

Talking about restists, had anyone tried paste from fine wheat flour?
It's not immersion resist but still alot of fun with it. Just let it dry out after application and then apply color/dye with foam roller.
Easy to wash off.
Could be used to resist textile paints or thickened MX dye.