Dyed Cloth Gift Wrap

MARBLING

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Oversized white cotton napkins
• Rit All-Purpose Liquid Dye - we used Coral and Kelly Green
• Large baking sheet
• Spatula
• Small squirt bottle
• Wooden stick
• Plastic table cover or paper towels
• Foam shaving cream
• Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-wash fabric to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption.
2. Prepare your colors according to the bottle instructions and fill the small squirt bottles with the dye.
3. Fill your baking tray with shaving foam and use a spatula to smooth it out.
4. Take the dye bottles and simply drip the colors around onto the foam. You can use a stick (or even a pencil) to swirl the dye in patterns as desired.
5. Once you're happy with the design, take your fabric and place it on top of the foam.
6. Use your hands and pat the fabric gently into the foam - use very little pressure.
7. Allow to rest for about 2 minutes.
8. Pull the fabric slowly off the foam and place on a surface you have covered with plastic, newspaper or paper towels.
9. Use your spatula and drag the foam off the napkin. Don't worry if you don't remove it all. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
10. Mix ColorStay Dye Fixative with hot water following the package directions. Place the napkin in the fixative for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Rinse in cold water and dry. Iron if needed.

SPLATTER DYE

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Oversized white cotton napkins
• Rit All-Purpose Liquid Dye in 2-3 colors - we used Coral, Kelly Green and Aquamarine Plastic table cover
• Small jars or glasses for the dye
• Brush
• Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-wash fabric to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption - leave wet and place on plastic table cover.
2. Prepare your colors according to the bottle instructions. You will need about ? cup of each color.
3. Dip the brush in the dyes and splatter onto the fabric.
4. Mix ColorStay Dye Fixative with hot water following the package directions. Place the napkin in the fixative for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Rinse in cold water and dry. Iron if needed.

EASY ROPE SHIBORI

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Oversized white cotton napkins
• Rit All-Purpose Liquid Dye - we used Coral
• Plastic table cover
• Plastic container to hold the dye
• Rope
• Scissors
• Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-wash fabric to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption - leave wet.
2. Prepare your dyebath according to the bottle instructions.
3. Fold the fabric in half diagonally. Double tie the rope around the folded fabric - as many times as you want.
4. Let the fabric rest in the dyebath for 4 minutes - or longer for a more saturated color.
5. Remove from the dyebath, squeeze out excess dye but keep the tied rope in place.
6. Mix ColorStay Dye Fixative with hot water following the package directions. Place the napkin in the fixative for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove the cloth from the fixative and cut the rope off.
8. Rinse in cold water and dry. Iron if needed.

Furoshiki is a simple and fun way to wrap gifts with cloth. It's not only beautiful but also way more sustainable. The wrapping isn't discarded - you can reuse it to wrap another gift, use as a napkin, dish cloth, table décor or a bandana even! This project uses inexpensive large cotton napkins, but you can also use muslin or flour sack dish towels. You can use various dye techniques to dye your material. Visit RitDye.com for inspiration and instructions. We used Easy Rope Shibori, Marbling and Splatter Dye techniques here - directions below.

Basic Furoshiki
Place your gift diagonally in the center of your fabric. Wrap one side of the fabric around the gift and tuck the end of the fabric underneath the gift. Wrap the other side around the gift and fold the fabric so it has a neat fold on top of the gift. Now fold in the sides a little the same way you do when wrapping something in paper. Put the sides together and tie in a simple knot at the top.

Two Knot Furoshiki
Place your gift diagonally in the center of your fabric. Bring the non-adjacent corners together and tie a knot. Bring the two other corners together and tie another knot - this one should be just above the first one. Adjust them a little so the knots look like a flower in bloom.