Rust revealed

Today I'm unveiling my rusted fabric I started on Day 2 of AEDM.  In all honesty, I knew I would be gone much of Sunday, so I started this project yesterday (Saturday).

I took the package outside because I didn't want to open the bags of rust in my house.  I also took my Kalanchoe out for a bit of sun before the big freeze which is supposed to hit us Monday.

Wearing protective disposable gloves, I carefully opened and removed the rusty fabric.

The fabric was still wet with vinegar, and the rust was flaking badly.

As I was removing the rusty "people," I realized I had not laid the fabric flat when I first started the project, causing ripples in the rusted fabric.  My dancing people were mere blobs of rust.

I took the rusted fabric inside and washed it in baking soda water.  I left my disposable gloves on, because this fabric was rustier than any I'd seen in the past.  After allowing it to sit for a few minutes in the baking soda water, I removed the water and repeated the process, adding more baking soda.  This time the fabric responded, and it was now safe to remove my disposable gloves and touch it.

Please, please remember to always wear protective disposable gloves when dealing with rust, rusted fabric, and rusted parts you are playing with.  The rust can get into your bloodstream and mess with the hemoglobin in your blood.

Once safe to handle, I washed the fabric in soapy water, then rinsed it.  I hung it on my front railing to dry.

I knew it wouldn't take long for the fabric to dry, because the wind was blowing hard by the time I took these photos.  I hope to create something from the smaller piece before the end of the month, but I plan to give the long piece to a friend so she can make either a skirt or shawl from it.

Of course, I was so disappointed with the outcome of this fabric, I quickly headed to my basement studio

and auditioned these two king size bed sheets I was given, both of which I've torn pieces from in the past.

As an aside, I can't stress enough, if you want to save money on fabric, buy (or get friends and family to donate) old bed sheets at the thrift store.  You'll get far more yardage for less money than if you buy new fabric.  This is especially true if you are dyeing or rusting fabric.

I decided the lighter blue sheet was better for the task at hand, but, because it was 100% cotton, I knew I had to iron it before I could lay out my dancing people.  Although I ironed the fabric, there were still a few wrinkles I had to deal with.

As I laid the pieces in place, I continued to straighten the fabric.  Yes, I'm wearing disposable gloves because of the rust.  Please note that "one size" gloves do not fit all, although these labeled "small" fit better than ones I've used in the past.

I continued to layer and fold the fabric,

straightening as I folded

until I had all the pieces in place.

However, it wasn't until I had added the vinegar to the fabric that I realized this is where the real straightening needed to happen.  I also realized I needed to start with less fabric, if I truly wanted these dancing people to rust properly.

So I'll let this fabric rust for a few days, then, if it doesn't produce the dancing people as I hoped, I will try for a third rust session with a shorter piece of fabric.

As always, thanks for stopping by.  I genuinely appreciate your comments and visits.

For Day 10
of AEDM, I showed a disappointing rust experiment, and started a second one with hopes it will turn out better.