# Ideas for "rotting" fabric?



## Rockerella (Aug 30, 2005)

Anyone have ideas for making fabric (satin) look as if it's rotted? My costume is Corpse Bride and I want areas of the dress to look convincingly hole-y, threadbare and decomposed. Short of battery acid..LOL.. I'm fresh out of ideas. Will full strength bleach work?


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## Skulkin (Jul 27, 2005)

Tie it to the car (or bicycle) and drag it. I know I sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I know people who have done it. I'm just a little leary of the satin being too...well...satiny. Do you have an old piece of satin to try first? 

I have poked holes in fabric with scissors, torn some parts, put them in the dryer to fray them, then airbrushed decay/blood colors onto them, too. I've just never done satin.


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## Mindcrime (Sep 6, 2004)

If you don't have a test piece, a car, or even a bike, might do too much damage at once. I would try a fine grit sandpaper and rub it by hand. (Even a power tool here would be asking for trouble.) Also, try sprinkling some fresh, dry earth between the sandpaper and the fabric. It will embed the dirt into the mesh of the fabric. Fine sand will work if you don't want it to look 'dirty.'


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## Rockerella (Aug 30, 2005)

The car idea is really great and creative, but won't give the control I want for different spots on the dress. I can just see my neighbors now, watching me drive, dragging a wedding dress behind. The entertainment of that alone almost makes it worth it! 

That's a great idea Mindcrime. (Is that as in "Operation: Mindcrime"? One of my all time favorite albums.) I'm likely to sand off as much skin as fabric, seeing as I'm a bit clumsy, but you're probably right about using a Mouse, still not enough control. Adding dirt, too - ingenious. Dry dirt is most plentiful here this time of year. LOL.


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

You can crush the fibers by pounding the material with a hammer.
Place the spot you want rotted away on something like cement, a brick, or a chunk of steel, and whack it with a hammer, you have excellent control of the damage.


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## Rockerella (Aug 30, 2005)

Lurks in the shadows said:


> You can crush the fibers by pounding the material with a hammer.
> Place the spot you want rotted away on something like cement, a brick, or a chunk of steel, and whack it with a hammer, you have excellent control of the damage.


Except for the damage to my fingers....LOL.... would be a great realistic touch if she were bloody. J/K. 

That's a great idea, too! I'll just have hubby supervise so I don't lose any necessary digits. (I really am a total klutz....)


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## MsMeeple (Aug 21, 2004)

Rockerella said:


> The car idea is really great and creative, but won't give the control I want for different spots on the dress. I can just see my neighbors now, watching me drive, dragging a wedding dress behind. The entertainment of that alone almost makes it worth it!


Well hopefully they aren't like our neighbors. For our first party, Pieter wanted to come as someone run over by a car. The instructions on the site said to run over some clothing to leave tire marks on them. Well we don't have a car (a dutch thing) so we asked the neighbor to run over them for us haha He said, sure I'll do it...will even do it with Pieter still in them lol He was joking...I think lol

It didn't work and we ended up drawing on the tire marks.

MsM


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## ScardeyCat (Sep 10, 2005)

Maybe misting with some paint is good. Careful, but doing it while you are wearing it will give you a great idea of the finished product.
You could also try to tea or coffee stain it, to give it the color of old faded fabric. That's a little easier on the fabric.


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## ScardeyCat (Sep 10, 2005)

Just thought of this too -- you can add an extra layer of ripped cheesecloth to wear on top of the whole thing, it will give it a more torn up texture. You can dye it easily with tea stains as well.


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## Rockerella (Aug 30, 2005)

*Thanks Mindcrime!*



 Mindcrime said:


> If you don't have a test piece, a car, or even a bike, might do too much damage at once. I would try a fine grit sandpaper and rub it by hand. (Even a power tool here would be asking for trouble.) Also, try sprinkling some fresh, dry earth between the sandpaper and the fabric. It will embed the dirt into the mesh of the fabric. Fine sand will work if you don't want it to look 'dirty.'


The sandpaper worked marvelously! Thanks for the idea. Anyone else wanting to distress fabric, this is the method I recommend.


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## MsMeeple (Aug 21, 2004)

Rockerella said:


> The sandpaper worked marvelously! Thanks for the idea. Anyone else wanting to distress fabric, this is the method I recommend.


Did you happen to take pictures of it? I'd love to see how it turned out.

MsM


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