I saw this old barn in Kansas and it made me think about fabric in a new way

I was driving for work about six months ago and passed this barn that was half falling down. The wood was all weathered and silver, but the side that still had some red paint looked totally different. I mean, it got me thinking about how time and weather change stuff, you know? I tried to sketch a jacket idea based on it, using a heavy canvas that starts a deep red on one shoulder and fades to a bleached gray on the other sleeve. I'm not sure how to get that fade to look natural though, maybe with a dip dye or sun bleaching the fabric first. Has anyone tried making a piece that mimics something worn down by the elements?

4 comments

4 Comments

shane3271mo ago

That idea about sun bleaching the fabric first is interesting, but I've found it's really hard to control. Sun bleaching tends to make the whole piece lighter in a patchy way, not a smooth fade from one color to another. For that red to gray fade you described, dip dyeing the gray section first and then overdyeing the red part might give you more even results. You could also try using a spray bottle with bleach on dry fabric to get a more weathered, random look.

pat_murray531mo ago

Yeah, the sun bleaching thing is so hit or miss... I tried it on an old denim jacket hoping for a soft fade and it just came out looking splotchy and weird, like it got sick or something. The spray bottle trick with bleach is way better for that worn out look, you can kinda control where the light spots go. What kind of fabric are you working with? I messed up a cotton shirt once because the bleach spread way more than I thought it would on that material.

patricia321mo ago

Honestly it's just a t-shirt, right? Not like it's some fancy art project. If it looks weird you can just tie-dye over it or something.

williamhenderson1d ago

Hold on, you said you messed up a cotton shirt with bleach. Cotton is the most common thing to bleach, it's like the basic training fabric. If you can't get that right, maybe the spray bottle method isn't as easy as it sounds. I'd be scared to try it on a good piece of canvas after hearing that.