Using Color Magnet

One product we enjoy using when we are dyeing fabrics or t-shirts at Quilt Camp is Color Magnet by Jacquard.  It attracts additional dye to the spot where it is applied.  We have used it successfully in both an immersion dye bath and in an ice dye.

The first step is to apply the Color Magnet to your fabric.  Because Thermofax screens are our focus, we often apply it just as we would paint through the screen.  We put a small amount of Color Magnet on the top area of the screen and use a squeegee to pull the Color Magnet through the design.  A word of caution - Color Magnet is thinner than the textile paints we usually use, so more care must be taken not to use too much.  It is easier for extra to seep through the screen.

Another way to apply the Color Magnet is with a piece of sponge.  Here it is done with a sponge dauber which has a handle but a cut up piece of sponge would also work, either a natural sponge or the type used to wash cars work well.  This example shows it being applied to a wooden stamp.

Just as with paint, you have to be careful when applying to the wooden stamp so that the excess doesn't flow into any grooves.  If it does, it could also print on your piece beyond the area of your stamp.  This process works best using a piece of thick craft foam under the fabric. This foam absorbs some of the pressure when you push down on the stamp and helps make contact only where the image is on the stamp.

The Thermofax screen of a Luna moth design (below) looks nice on a desert green MX Procion dye which was an immersion dye bath.  Only the desert green color was in the dye bath; the darker color of the moth is from where extra dye was attracted to the Color Magnet.  The color in real life is more green than blue as this photo would indicate.  The fabric was soaked in soda ash first and then dried and ironed prior to printing with the Thermofax screen.

The same dye was used with a Thermofax screen of sunflowers.  Notice that you do need to be careful not to drip the Color Magnet on your fabric as any place it touches will now attract additional color from the dye.

Oops, I guess this part is destined to be cut out as an applique.

Below is the same dye bath of desert green but the Color Magnet was applied with the wooden stamp instead of the Thermofax screen.

The wooden block is a bit more difficult to use than the Thermofax screen because the Color Magnet is trickier to apply evenly over the wood of the stamp.

Our newest ginkgo design Thermofax screen worked nicely with the Color Magnet.  This screen and two other new ones have recently been added to the shop.  We hope you try this product and let us know how it works for you.