Making a Backdrop

• 1). Purchase cotton muslin at the local fabric store. Try to find the widest cut you can (about 9-10 feet if possible). Wash the fabric in a washing machine, then either air-dry or use a dryer. Washing will allow the tape to better adhere to the cloth.
  
  
• 2). Lay the fabric out and use the straight edge or yardstick to draw a straight line along the edges of the fabric for trimming. Cut on the line with the scissors. Try and make the edges as straight as possible.
  
  
• 3). Use the fusible tape and carefully run it along the straight edges.
  
  
• 4). Fold those edges over neatly, so the tape is sandwiched between two layers of fabric. Run the iron over the fold to create a sharp crease. The heat from the iron will melt the tape and fuse the fabric together, making a seam. This will protect the edges from fraying.
  
  
• 5). Hang the backdrop by draping it over a bar or pinning it to a wall. To use a pole or rod with the backdrop, place tape along the top edge of the fabric, fold over 4-5 inches and iron to fuse the fabric together. This will create a loop that you can run a curtain rod through.
  
  

Dying the Backdrop

• 1). Purchase dye at the fabric store and prepare it according to the instructions on the box. This will be messy, so use rubber gloves and prepare your work space ahead of time.
  
  
• 2). Wash the fabric, preferably with warm to hot water. Since it is going into the dye solution, there is no need to dry it.
  
  
• 3). Dissolve or mix the dye with hot water on the stove according to the dye instructions. The hotter the water, the brighter the color. Salt can be added to make the color even brighter.
  
  
• 4). Mix the dye in the bin and carefully dunk the fabric in, making sure the entire backdrop is allowed to absorb the dye. You may need to add more hot water to fully submerge the cloth.
  
  
• 5). Keep the fabric submerged for at least 30 minutes. Rinse the fabric thoroughly in a sink, preferably a work sink.
  
  
• 6). Wash the fabric in the washing machine to remove residual dye. Air dry the fabric to keep it from shrinking.