Especially when you look at the cost of some of the new printing systems that have just come on the market!

I’ve stuck to my tried-and-true methods of printing on fabric.  Things like stencilling, image transfers or just plain old painting directly onto the fabric itself.  Of course, appliqueing painted motifs also works…

I’m reconsidering my position after reading this great tutorial for DIY screen printing from Craftgrrl.  She’s broken down the process into easy little steps, and doesn’t use anything fancier than a simple photo editing program, printer, embroidery hoop and some Mod Podge to get some great results.

The result?  A process that looks a heck of a lot more approachable than professional screen printing.  Just add it to the list of new things to try…

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

Cheap & Easy Screen Printing?

Why sun print on fabric of course!

To sun print using acrylic paints, you’ll need cotton fabric (I like a densely woven quilting cotton) Pebeo Setacolor transparent textile paint (only the transparent colors will work for sun printing).  You’ll also need a work surface outside, paint brushes, and objects to sun print with.

1. Mix the paint half and half with water (it won’t work otherwise).
2. Lay the fabric down on your work surface and either spray or brush it with water, until it’s evenly coated, but not dripping.
3. Use paint brushes to paint the color on – be creative, use different colors and brush strokes!
4. Lay the objects on top of the fabric that you want to sun print with.  I personally find that flat items work the best.  In fact, I’ve had really good luck with inexpensive foam cut-outs from craft stores.  Any item that you lay on the fabric will leave a white area after the paint dries – almost a batik-like effect.
5. Let the fabric dry thoroughly, and then remove the masking items.
6. Heat-set the fabric and be creative with it

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – sun printing on fabric

And you want to make something that captures their beauty.  How about using the flowers themselves?

Flower transfer or flower pounding, allow you to use the natural pigments in the flower to transfer directly onto paper or fabric.

I’ve taken a flower and laid it face-down on a piece of duppioni silk (cotton broadcloth works beautifully as well):

Cover it with a piece of paper towel and start whacking away with a hammer!  Okay, so you’re not trying to pulverize it… be gentle and tap it

Keep tapping until the paper towel looks like this:

Now carefully peel the paper towel & the squished flower off the fabric… and it should look like this:

Let it dry thoroughly and it’s ready to use.  I’d recommend using a UV protectant spray to keep the color intact – some flowers may fade over time.  Flower pounding generally works best with thin flowers, thick petals may just turn into mush and not give you a clear imprint.

all images: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day – flower transfers

I love how this swatch turned out… but the bleach didn’t do a darn thing on the other two!  So be forewarned, do your swatches first before you start bleaching yards of fabric for your next project

Post from: Blisstree

how to of the day: using bleach pens to print on fabric, part two

Did you know that you can use those bleach gel pens to print on fabric?  That’s right, I’m abusing fabric again!  Depending on the fabric you can get anything from dramatic white lines to soft, hazy marks on the fabric.

You’ll need fabric (cotton is the safest to start with, bleach will destroy certain man-made fibers), a bleach gel pen (in the laundry aisle of your grocery store) and a bleach-neutralizing chemical.  You can get expensive ones from dyeing & fiber art supply companies – but I’ll let you in on a secret…  Tap water conditioner for fish does the same thing, for a quarter of the price!  Just make sure to buy a bottle that removes chlorine.

Before you get started, you’ll need to protect your work surface.  I’m working on a plastic covered surface.  Just remember that bleach is a toxic chemical, so take the appropriate precautions!  Use gloves, work in a well-ventilated area and protect your eyes.  Remember, you’re following these instructions at your own risk – I’m not responsible for any consequences.  Okay, I’ll take responsibility if you end up with really cool fabric

Follow the directions on the pen and start drawing!  Each fabric will respond directly – in fact, look at what the green fabric has done in just a couple of minutes of sitting with the bleach:

When you’re happy with how the fabric looks, add it to a bucket of water with the bleach remover already added.  Let it soak for half an hour or so and then wash normally.

I’ll show you how the samples turned out tomorrow

Post from: Blisstree

how-to of the day: using bleach to print fabric