by Jayne Guinan ‘21

making a CYANOTYPE hoodie : step by step edition 

materials:

• solution a - ferric ammonium citrate 

• solution b - potassium ferricyanide

• cotton fabric 

• jersey blend hoodie 

• pane of glass

• negatives

• embroidery needle 

• embroidery thread

Part 1:

**do NOT expose to sunlight**

1.  mix ½ cup of solution  a with ½ cup of solution b  

2. in a dark room (seriously, NO sunlight) paint this solution onto the cotton fabric wherever you want the material to be blue

   1. note that until exposed to sunlight the solution remains a green shade 

   2. be warned: the thicker the fabric, the more the solution will bleed beyond where you paint it 

3. let set (withOUT sunlight) for 24 hours or until the material is fully dry 

   1. for jersey blend fabrics put in the laundry dryer on low 

Part 2:

1. in a dark room, position your negative onto a test piece of cotton

2. cover with a pane of glass 

   1. this ensures that your image does ot move throughout the exposure 

3. bring outside and place in direct sunlight 

   1. any green fabric that you do not want to turn blue must be BLOCKED FROM THE SUN 

   2. so tape over sections if you are looking for a defined edge 

4. let set for 5 minutes 

1. asses image to determine if details have been overexposed or underdeveloped 

   1. if overexposed - repeat process and reduce time exposed to the sun

   2. if underexposed- repeat process and increase time exposed to the sun 

1. take test piece of cotton and rise in cold water until the water goes from green to clear

   1. be warned: using warm water will cause for the image to wash out 

1. let dry overnight  

   1. do not stack images or throw in the drying machine while wet as it may cause images to bleed together 

2. to note about times: 

   1. Cloudy 

      1. for a uv. index of around 1,  roughly 15-20 minutes of exposure 

   2. Sunny 

      1. for a uv. index of around 5, roughly 7-8 minutes of exposure 

   3. Very Sunny 

      1. for a uv. index of around 8,  roughly 3-5 minutes of exposure 

1. arrange cotton prints onto jersey knit hoodie 

2. roughly stitch print around edge 

3. then if you want to…

   1. try again!! This is a process and it's pretty unique to each image and highly weather dependent so have fun with it and walk in with an open mind about what you want to create !!