Rust Dyed Fabric

The rust dye technique fits perfectly with my overall theme of vintage things and re-purposing.  It is very easy too, simply arrange some rusty metal pieces on a plastic tray, cover with plain prepared-for dyeing fabric and spray with a solution of 50% water, 50% white vinegar.  Keep fabric moist until desired effect is achieved (could be a few days).  Here is a glimpse of my latest round of rust dyeing:

I still have to wash out the fabric, so I'll post updated pictures of the fabric itself next week.  I've heard recommendations of washing the rust dyed fabric in water with a handful of baking soda in it to fix the rust.  I do not treat the fabric with soda ash, nor do I use other wash detergents in the rinse out.

I've had difficulty in securing rusty objects, despite my habit of frequenting junk auctions.  The problem is not a lack of rusty things, but the prices!  A while back at my local auction, I had my hopes on a medium sized tackle box filled with rusty scissors.  I had visions of fat quarters imprinted with the scissors, would have been a great seller at the quilt shows.  The box of scissors went for $17!  Much, much more than I wanted to pay.  They were rusted, they should have been cheap!

The antiques dealers are asking what I think I way too much for rusted stuff... $6 a piece for rusty tools, for example.  I thought that rust would drive the value way down.  I don't know if people are buying them and refinishing them to use again, but still, for the work one would have to put into it, paying anything over $1 doesn't make sense to me.  Of course, for what I want to do with rusty junk, it further ruins them, so they'd better be cheap to start with.  I'm just going to make them worse, but it is all for making unique fabric.