Hawai'ian flower blocks

I saw this in a Martha Stewart Magazine--however, I've changed it a bit.
She says to just use heavy paper and acrylic/fabric paint.
I used freezer paper, cut the flowers and then ironed it onto white fabric.

I then used alginate and mixed it with some dye and salt. I added enough water to make a thick, soupy mixture and sponged it onto the fabric inside the stencils. There was very little bleeding under the edges of the freezer paper. Next time, I will make the mixture a bit thicker, more like jelly than gravy.

I put it outside to dry faster, then brought it back in and ironed it to set the dye. Then I proceeded to rinse it out with a garden hose on a wire mesh (in this case a chick cage). I chose to do this, because I knew I didn't want the fabric touching itself when it was being rinsed.

I found out a few things that I will do next time:
1. Always rinse with the dye paste side down--the paste will rinse out easier, instead of sitting on top of the fabric and subsequently lightly dyeing the white surround.
2. Make sure that the whole piece to be rinsed is supported flat--unlike the bottom sample in the above picture. The dye will bleed down with gravity and water.
3. Make sure that your freezer paper is securely adheared.

The above picture is the blocks drying in the sun, draped on the porch benches. Overall, it turned out pretty nice....can't wait to do some more with my Mom this summer! And then quilt them. Maybe even do a whole cloth.....somehow.