Technique of the Week #4 - Pentel Fabric Dye Pastels

Project Hours: About 3
Design and materials: about 1 hour
Execution: About 2 hours
This weekend I was in Zion, IL for a quilt retreat, and I needed a portable, yet artistic technique to try.
I got these fabric pastels at a recent local quilt show, and they are very much like using art pastels for paper.  They are soft, get all over your hands, and smudge very easily.  But they are pretty neat.  I used a white fabric background for this piece, and used my koi fish design from last week in reverse.
Follow the directions about ironing, and be sure to cover the work like they say to.  The dye will migrate to your covering surface, so make sure you don't put it face down on the ironing board.
I washed this with some harsh hand soap to see if the color would fade or wash out, and my wash water was clear and there was no fading!  The fabric was slightly waxy before it would get totally wet, but still has a nice hand.
The price for a set of these can't be beat, so give them a try!