Alum Marbling Fabric

Each print is the culmination of a tiny performance in which the artist interacts with a fluid medium revealing their temperament.

Alum marbling fabric.

Bandanas cotton hankies and even t shirts can be marbled not to mention scarves. It bonds readily and permanently to other molecules creating a link between fiber and marbling pigment. The trick to adhering the paint to fabric is presoaking the fabric in alum. Dwight rinsing off marbled fabric while barb and jan watch.

Fabric marbling is the art of floating paints on top of a thick solution called size manipulating the paints into patterns then transferring the pattern to an object by gently placing the object on top of the solution marbling lets you make your one of a kind quilting or other fabric item. Directions for fabric marbling. Fabric scarves ties or other items to marble we used sh silk hankies and mccb mercerized combed cotton broadcloth. Mix 3 tablespoons alum per 1 quart of hot water.

Remember that alum is the compound most commonly used to mordant both fabric and paper. The new jacquard marbling colors are the very best but any of the following can be used. Let the alum dissolve then soak the fabric for 20 minutes. Gently pick up the fabric.

Hang to completely dry before marbling. Textile artist natalie stopka who creates marbled works and teaches workshops on large scale fabric marbling says marbling is a very expressive art. Marbled fabrics drying on clothes line. Laying alum sized fabric on floating paints.

Gently pick up your fabric which would have in turn picked up the paint patterns. You can do this the night before. Our aim in mordanting is to evenly apply an alum solution to our fabric before marbling just enough for a permanent print.