Alum Marbling Fabric

Directions for fabric marbling.

Alum marbling fabric.

Remember that alum is the compound most commonly used to mordant both fabric and paper. Hang to completely dry before marbling. Let the alum dissolve then soak the fabric for 20 minutes. Methocel or carageenan best waterbased paints.

Fabric marbling is the art of floating paints on top of a thick solution called size manipulating the paints into patterns then transferring the pattern to an object by gently placing the object on top of the solution marbling lets you make your one of a kind quilting or other fabric item. Bandanas cotton hankies and even t shirts can be marbled not to mention scarves. Dwight rinsing off marbled fabric while barb and jan watch. Gently pick up your fabric which would have in turn picked up the paint patterns.

It bonds readily and permanently to other molecules creating a link between fiber and marbling pigment. You can do this the night before. Fabric scarves ties or other items to marble we used sh silk hankies and mccb mercerized combed cotton broadcloth. Each print is the culmination of a tiny performance in which the artist interacts with a fluid medium revealing their temperament.

Gently pick up the fabric. The trick to adhering the paint to fabric is presoaking the fabric in alum. Laying alum sized fabric on floating paints. Mix 3 tablespoons alum per 1 quart of hot water.

Textile artist natalie stopka who creates marbled works and teaches workshops on large scale fabric marbling says marbling is a very expressive art. The new jacquard marbling colors are the very best but any of the following can be used. Our aim in mordanting is to evenly apply an alum solution to our fabric before marbling just enough for a permanent print.