DIY fabric printing tutorial

I have been PRINTING!

I have been wanting to print fabric for some time. I briefly considered screen printing, but it seems complicated. Besides, I wanted something quick and simple.

Since I have plenty of stencils (and if you are interested, you can easily Make your own stencil), I decided to use those to create my fabric pieces.

SO today I will show you how to create your own fabric using stencil, fabric paints and fabric. With the help of this tutorial you can easily customize fabric for pillows, totes, napkins and so much more!

So let's begin!

You will need:

fabric paint
fabric medium
fabric
stencil
stencil brush/foam
masking tape 

draft paper/newspaper/to cover your work space

Begin by preparing your work area. Lay your fabric flat, right side up and tape the corners with your masking tape.

Mix a custom color to your liking. I used pastel green acrylic fabric paint and added fabric medium to it to reduce stiffness.

Next, tape your stencil where desired.

Begin stenciling.

Complete the first section.

Then move the stencil to the right and continue printing chevron pattern.

Repeat with the next row on top until you are done.

You can experiment with different colors to create fabulous chevron prints.

To get this look, stencil leaves in colors of your choice. I used yellow, orange and leaf green.

My printed pieces..don't they look lovely?

And..*drumroll please!*.. I turned the lovely grape green chevron fabric into an envelope clutch!

I am loving my new stash of hand printed fabric!

x

TIPS (things I learned along the way):

- draft paper/newspaper will stick to your fabric so once you are done stenciling a row/first section lift the stenciled fabric up and lay it back down again.
- adding fabric medium made the paint a bit watery so be careful with the quantity.

Make your own labels

Hey there! if you've been wondering how to label your handmade crafts and do not own an inkjet printer or afford to outsource the job to some labeling company, then look no further for I have just the tutorial for YOU!

And it is super EASY :d

You will need the following:

1. Ribbon or fabric in your color of choice
2. Scissors
3. Fabric paint
4. Sponge brush
5. Container
6. Palette
7. Ruler
8. Pencil 
9. Tape
10. DIY Printing Kit! 

  

Take out your DIY Printing Kit. The kit contains a stamp pad, stamp handle, platen, tweezers and rubber characters (alphabets, numbers etc). 

 

Select the platen size you wish to use and then using your tweezers set the text you want to use for your labels.

  

Make a mark on the platen half way down the text.

Next, tape down the edges of your ribbon on to your craft table. You need to do this to ensure the ribbon stays put when you start printing.

 (Since I was out of ribbons, I used cotton webbing for this tutorial. Not such a great idea since the material soaked up much of the paint, resulting in a bad print!) 

Determine how long you want your label to be. I wanted my label to be 3 inch long so I marked the ribbon accordingly and pressed down (or mark) at 1.5 inch to get my center point. The midpoint is important if you wish to center your text.

In a palette mix a custom color to your liking (not too thick or too watery). Using your sponge brush apply it on the stamp, covering all the letters completely. If by mistake the color comes on the side wipe it off with a paper towel otherwise you will end up with a messy print.

 

 

Now get printing! Align the mark you made on platen with the mark on ribbon and press down your stamp with enough force to get a nice even print. 

Lift your stamp and ta da! You just created a label for yourself!!! Continue printing down the entire length of the ribbon, applying an even coat of paint for each label.

Leave to dry and then heat-set it following fabric paint manufacturer’s instructions.  

Cut your labels and discard the ones with a messy/uneven print. And you are DONE!

Wasn’t this easy?

x

Have FUN with leaf printing

Hey guys, I am back with another fun tutorial.  You can even involve your kids in this enjoyable activity, and keep them active and entertained on a perfect Sunday afternoon!

  

Getting started, things you will need:

1. Leaves  
2. Fabric paint   
3. Palette   
4. Container   
5. Newspaper   
6. Roller brush   
7. Sponge/ brush   
8. Fabric   

First of all, go out take a stroll in the garden or down the road and collect a nice assortment of leaves. Leaves with interesting shapes and prominent veins make the best prints!  If you want to press them flat, here is how you do it otherwise proceed to the next step.

Spread newspaper on your work space and mix a color to your liking. I went with shades of green (add white to leaf green with a touch of grape green for a lighter shade  and a touch of  yellow to leaf green for a brighter shade) and orange (equal parts orange and yellow with a touch of chilly red and to that mixture add a bit of dull gold and wood brown and you'll get that ochreish shade on bottom left)

Next, place the leaf vein side up on a scrap piece of paper and apply an even coat of paint, but not too thick, with your sponge (or a brush, it will work just fine). Make sure you cover the leaf completely.

Now turn your leaf over and place it on your fabric (paint side down)

To avoid getting paint on your roller, cover the leaf with a piece of  paper and then roller over the top of it like so..

Remove the paper and pull the leaf away carefully to reveal your print.

 Repeat as desired

Let your paint dry according to your manufacturer’s instruction before you heat-set it. 

And I personalized my nephew's onesie and his 'ah-hah' was worth all the effort!

Get creative and try this technique on something other than fabric for you can take this idea in soooooooo many different directions!

TIPS

You can print them on greeting cards

Or on paper and hang as a banner
Or make customized leaf printed gift wraps

 

If you do some leaf printing of your own, do send me pictures. I’d love to see what you guys do with this technique. 

Cheers