Vintage St. Micheals Marks and Spencer brown 55% linen, 45% cotton vest. Very lightweight. Size L. Says 12 on the label but seems smaller.
Flower Hammered with Candy Stripe Cosmos and Violets
Fabric Preparation
Part One: All clothes are first "scoured"- a deep, hot water clean for any oils or discolouration that could effect part two.
Part Two is the fabric treatment that helps the flower's dye bind to the fabric. This part is called "mordanting". All fabrics are mordanted using a 24hr alum preparation.
Part Three: Fabrics are washed again in a mild soap and hung to dry
Part Four: The art and time-consuming task of flower hammering. Flowers express their dye into the fabric.
Part Five: Fabric with flower hammering is then ironed at high heat to further help the dye from the flowers to adhere to the fabric.
Fabric After Care
Washing
I find that machine washing eco-printed fabric is fine, although I recommend hand washing for very special items. Some fading will likely occur. More important is to use a gentle washing detergent. Most washing powders and liquids are too harsh and will quickly strip off the natural plant dyes. Castille soap or soap nuts, which can often be bought from health food stores or co-ops work well.
Drying
UV rays in sunlight will also fade dyed fabric over time. After washing eco-printed clothing, dry them in the shade or at least turned inside out. Bring them in as soon as they have dried and store in the dark. Also, try to avoid wearing eco-printed clothing if you will be in direct sun all day. If flowers begin to fade, you can flower hammer more on top.
