Have fun creating a colorful tie-dyed clock with Adirondack® Color Wash™!
Tie-Dyed Flower Clock By Roni Johnson
- Materials
- Instructions
- Clock Works, Walnut Hollow, walnuthollow.com
- Foam Board
- Fabric Scraps
- Batting
- Iron
- Spray Adhesive
- E6000, Eclectic Products, eclecticproducts.com
- Rubber Gloves
- Rubber Bands
- Stapler
- Awl
- Optional: pinking shears
Instructions
Preparing the fabric:
(1) Pre-wash all fabric material to remove sizing.
(2) Working with one piece of fabric at a time, gather in sections and secure with a rubber band. Continue until each piece is banded. For this project, four (4) different types of material was used to add a textural feel and look: White Linen/Wild Plum; Cotton Eyelet/Denim; Plain White Cotton/Lettuce; Coarse Burlap/Butterscotch.
(3) For this next step, it is highly recommended that rubber gloves be worn and to work on a protected work surface (maybe even work outside!) Working with one color at a time, wet the banded material.
(4) Mistwet fabric with Color Wash, making sure to rotate and cover the entire piece. Repeat this step with each section of fabric. (Note: change rubber gloves or wash them off with each color change to minimize mixing of colors.)
(5) Once all pieces are dyed, remove all rubber bands, lay flat and let dry.
(6) If sections of fabric did not get enough or any color, not to worry. Mist with additional Color Wash and water or simply mist the areas that have an excess of dye with water and let it saturate the areas you want dyed. The whole idea of this project is to get an uneven colored, “tie dye” effect.
(7) Decide which fabric is to have a smooth or wrinkled finish; iron those for a smooth finish. In the example, all but the leaves are ironed.
Assembling the Flower:
(8) The Foam Board is the backing for the fabric. Cut five (5) circles, five (5) flower petals, one (1) larger circle of the flower center, two (2) leaves and one (1) 5” x 8” backing piece. (Hint: use bowls as circle templates.) The flower petals are cut using the same free-hand oval pattern as the leaves.
(9) Cut the fabric to create the leaves, flower pointed petals and round petals, leaving a ¼” border beyond the Foam Board pieces.
(10) Cut the material for the clock face with an extra border of 3″ of fabric.
(11) Working on a protected surface, spray each piece of Foam Board with spray adhesive and apply the dyed fabric to each piece. Set aside to dry.
(12) Assemble the clock flower center. Still working on a protected surface, spray large Foam Board circle with spray adhesive and lay the foam batting directly it. Lay the fabric over the batting and flip the foam board over. Staple the excess material to the foam board. (Tip: staple one side, then place the next staple opposite the first. Continue until the entire piece is secured.) Cut away any excess material.
Assembling the Clock:
(13) Cut a 3″ square into the center of the backing board. Lay the backing board onto a protected surface and adhere each piece of the flower to this board using E-6000, starting with the circles, followed by the pointed petals and leaves. Be sure to leave access to the cut square in the back of the base.
(14) Create a small hole in the center of the clock face with an awl; this is where the clock works will be added.
(15) Adhere the clock movement over the square in the base using E-6000. Set aside to cure (this may take 24-72 hours depending on climate and weather conditions).
(16) Once cured, thread the clock stem through the small hole in the front of the clock face and attach the clock hands per manufacturer’s directions. Attach desired numbers to the face in their proper position. (Note: while all numbers for the clock are included in the clock making kit, only 12/3/6/9 are used for this project.)
(17) The clock is finished! To add a sparkly touch, apply Stickles™ Glitter Glue to the fabric.
