I currently teach several hand-dyeing workshops using techniques that I’ve developed over many years, but I’m always looking for new and fun ways to work with fabric and dyes. Jacquard’s Color Magnet is definitely one of those fun products.
Color Magnet is a paste that you use to transfer a design to a piece of fabric prior to dyeing, and during the dyeing process the dye is attracted to the color magnet design which makes it stand out boldly against the background color. You can transfer the design using a silk screen, a stencil, or a stamp. What I like most about this product is that it doesn’t change the hand of the fabric the way that some fabric paints will do, and the fabric remains nice and soft.
The first step is to transfer the design then allow it to dry. I transferred the design using a mini silk screen that I made by cutting a stencil from stencil plastic then taping some cheap sheer fabric to the upper side. This is a quick and easy way to make a silk screen.
On white fabric the paste dries yellow.
But this is what it looks like after the fabric has been dyed red – the design really pops out.
I also transferred the design onto a piece of fabric that was already dyed a pink color.
Then I overdyed the fabric using turquoise. The background changed color of course – pink+blue=purple. But the color magnet sucked up the turquoise because that was the color of the dye. Magic! The designs are a bit chipped because I scrumpled the fabric when I dyed it however I quite like the way it turned out. And the trick is to use a slightly diluted dye bath so the design stands out in contrast.
Try it for Yourself
If you want to try it yourself you can find Jacquard Color Magnet here on Amazon.
