Fun with Fabric

Well I decided to have a play with the fabulous So Soft Fabric paints by DecoArt...only £1.45 each in the webshop !!!! They are super soft brush-on acrylic fabric paints that are opaque and give excellent coverage and washing durability and don't require heat setting. Brilliant for brushing-on, stamping, sponging, or stencil painting.

These are the colours I stock which I feel is a good colour palette.  I made the flesh colour by simply mixing the pale pink, orange and white, and the browns by red/orange and a little black, and sometimes yellow to create a warmer, lighter tone.  There are so many possibilities to custom make an abundance of other colours just from these twelve.

If you don't feel confident drawing free hand - I would draw my design in pencil first and then go over it in a fabric pen - you could always use your stamps and either a fabric or a dye based ink.  The baby design I stamped using fabric ink, but the bag...and an apron reading 'Domestic Goddess' (not shown)  were stamped in a dye ink and have remained permanent after washing.  Because I was colour mixing, I felt it best to complete all that colour before moving onto the next.  Those paints were beautiful and fluid and painted on with a brush easily.  Whilst I have painted the baby design on a square of fabric, this easily could be incorporated into a patchwork project.  The dots were simply created with with the point on the brush handle.  The only other tips, besides working in one colour before moving onto the next, would be to think about what lies furthest away or underneath, when you  begin painting.  So I began with the flesh because it is 'underneath' and the clothes are on top. And be careful not to smudge your work.  Recommended drying time is 48-72 hours, although I washed mine in just over 40 hours and the colours remained fixed.

The possibilities of what you can personalise are infinite.  When painting on canvas you will find that you may need to stipple your paint into the grooves of the weave, and as a precaution, just in case the colour went through onto the inside of the back of the bag, I placed some scrap paper between the layers.  These paints are suitable for all ages and abilities....what fun you could have with children painting on plain T-shirts, it could even be a party activity.  So what are you waiting for ?????  Don't forget to email me photos of your creations :)

Christine