Part I : hand dying the banners or canvas (Total Time is about 30 min to dye all six pieces and however long it takes to dry them)
I used the Maya Road canvas banner which come in two different types...single point and double point. Either one works for this banner or any canvas piece for that matter. I used Maya Mists in Emerald Metallic for the green banners, Glimmer Mist Cranberry Zing for the pink and Glimmer Mist Coffee Bean for the tan. All of these are available from the store and may be purchased at any time. I did my dying in a throw away roaster or basting pan that I picked up for a dollar. This protected my sink and counter.
I found that hand dying rather than misting the canvas saved on the amount of mist I used and that I was better able to regulate the color intensity this way.
Step one: shake the bottles well and remove the lid putting a few drops of the first color into the tin roasting pan.
Step two: Add the water a bit at a time. The more water you add to the mist, the lighter the color will be on the dried canvas. The Maya Mist has more intense color and less sparkle than the Glimmer Mist so I added a bit more water to that color when I prepared it.
Step three: place the banner pieces one at a time into the dye, making sure all edges are infused with the color by using your hands(with or without rubber gloves) or a pair of tongs. I did 2 canvas pieces in each color. ( I also dyed some tulle, some tags and some ribbons in the same color for future use).
When you pull the piece out of the dye, if the color is too uneven (I find that part of the vintage-y look actually), you can rinse some of the color off under cold water and pat color back onto the piece or submerge it in the dye again. I dry these pieces on a paper towel (textured gives fun soft patterns into the drying pieces) or an old towel.
After I finished with one color, I stored any left over dye into a small lidded jar for future use. The dye can be removed from your hands with Fantatix Kitchen cleaner which I found to work better than plain soap. This also applies to appliances that may have been splashed.
Step four: I put the piece outside in the sun to dry weather permitting. Otherwise you can place them over a heat vent or drying rack being sure both sides dry. I do not advise putting them into the clothes dryer. You can also use a heat gun or hair dryer to set the color, which speeds up the drying process.
We'll take a break here for any questions you might have and then come back in this same post for PartsII: the letters (this step only takes about 5 min) and Part III: embellishing the banner pieces ( the most fun part!)
PART II: lettering.
I used Tim HOltz Grunge board letters as I love how they absorb color. I painted mine and then inked them but you could Glimmer or Maya Mist them as well.
Step 1: I painted the letters in a metallic gold and let it dry.
Step 2: I used a brown Brilliance ink pad and tapped it over the embossed parts of the letters and "distressed" the edges of the letters by dragging the end of the ink pad over the edges of the letters. For tight corners, I dipped a Fantastix tiny tipped applicator into the ink. I use to use q tips but found they smeared a bit too much.
Brilliance inks need to be heat set or air dried over night before they set up.
PART III: embellishing the panels
In general, I placed the letters and made a light pencil mark (that could be covered by a letter) where they would go on each of the four middle panels. Then I embellished around that area and attached the letters last. I found if I did it the other way putting the letters on first, I was apt to get glue on them. I used a clear drying very tacky glue like Scrappy Glue or Aleene's Tacky Glue to attach all the embellishments. Double sided red tape did not hold for me but I live in a very humid part of the country. All lace used to edge the panels was put on the back of the panels. Ribbon and trim was attached to the front.
End panels: I took a length of satin pleated ribbon (Websters' Pages....from the ACOT store) and formed the circle for the wreath. I overlapped the ends, glued and glued ribbons. I used a bit of Stickles to outline the panel.
"N" panel: I put the ribbon on the front following the stitch lines. I used Stickles on the flowers to high light them just a bit.
"O" panel : I ran the Brilliance ink pad over the white lace to 'age' it and heat set the ink. .
"E" panel: The lace was already a soft pink which made assembly for this one easy. I used ready made flowers (also in the store...see the supply list given in the crop forum)and just enhanced them a bit.
"L" panel: I got really carried away with this one. I used lace (doubled) and glued on the back, ribbon trim on the front and Stickles in a line on the bottom!
The last panel is a duplicate of the first. I ran a length of sheer wide wired ribbon through the holes on each and placed large knots on either end for easier hanging.
The nice thing about these panels and that you could even do the backs in "Welcome" and place it in a door or window, or "Spring" and use it another season.
Hope you enjoyed this...please pm or post here if you have any questions at all. Thanks for taking my class
WAS a TIKI BAR GIRL AND ALWAYS WILL BE
