Week 2: Funky Sharpie Socks

Although this craft was finished on time, the blog was not completed until today.  I had a side project that took precedence.  I made a card box and flowered headbands for my sister's wedding, which was yesterday.  Neither of these crafts qualify for my official craft project, because I had to purchase specific supplies to complete them.  I did use many things that I had on hand, but not all.  They turned out beautifully, and I may post them in a separate blog at a later date.

With all crafts I attempt for the first time, there are almost invariably some snags, some unforeseen problems and adjustments that I take note of for future attempts.  It's part of the process for me.  Making mistakes is the best way for me to learn.  This craft had a few issues.  But I had fun doing it, and have learned from it, and that was the point! 

My wonderful husband, who has been my wonderful husband for two months now, gave me a colorful array of Sharpies as one of my birthday gifts this year.  I was excited to be able to put them to use right away!

Supplies needed: 1 pair of white socks, 1 bottle of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol,  Sharpies in assorted colors.

Helpful to have: disposable gloves, large plastic bowl (to catch alcohol drips).  Plastic cups and rubber bands were used in the original craft (see link below).

Here is the Pin the idea originally came from:

http://pinterest.com/pin/159174168051571987/

I decided that I really wanted to try out this technique.  But I didn't want to waste a lot of ink & time on something large or expensive when I'm still getting the hang of the nuances involved in printing on fabric with Sharpies.  I'm cheap that way.  So my solution?  A pair of white socks (that I already own, of course).  My theory going in was that if it didn't work out, I still got practice, and I could still wear the socks around the house, anyway! 

This is really a very straightforward idea.  Draw a design on the fabric. Make it reasonably simple, keeping in mind that the colors will spread when the alcohol is applied.  Don't use the alcohol until  you're finished with the entire design, or you'll have to wait until the alcohol is dry before continuing to draw.  

About halfway there. This is pre-alcohol.

Drip or squirt a small amount of alcohol onto the fabric.  Let it air dry for a while.  Toss it in the dryer to set the colors.  And you're done!

Kinda cool.  The designs faded & bled too much though.

 
This craft turned out differently than I expected.  The colors bled unevenly and irregularly, but I think that has more to do with my alcohol application technique and the irregular fabric than anything.  I didn't use a dropper, and I didn't stretch the fabric over a cup with a rubber band, as instructed in the tutorial where I got the idea.  The craft it was based on used a cotton t-shirt, which has a very even weave and is not made to absorb moisture the way socks are.  I may go back over them in some places to fill in the gaps that resulted.  I also noticed that the colors did still run a bit after drying, washing, and drying again.  I didn't think that would happen at all.  But my feet got damp in the rain the day I wore them out, which may explain some of the problem there.  Perhaps socks aren't the best idea for Sharpie designs.  

But as stated before, this is the way I learn!  Trial and error.  Attempting something new followed by analysis.  What worked?  What didn't?  Why?  And if I can make these mistakes, maybe others who attempt it will see how and why things turned out or didn't.  

In any case, I'm ready to start with this week's project, and hopefully have the next blog up in a day or two. Maybe earlier.  Eh, we'll see how it goes.