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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Print your own Fabric


As you can tell, Stephanie and I have been obsessed with stencils lately.  They're easy to make and reusable.  And you can seriously stencil EVERYTHING! Like fabric:

Materials:
     -paper and writing utensil
     -thick paper (see #2 for more advice)
     -xacto knife
     -cutting mat or a piece of thick cardboard to protect surfaces from xacto knife
     -fabric paint or watered down acrylic paint
     -paint brush and cup of water for cleaning
Steps:
1. I used this tutorial from Design Sponge to create a repeating pattern.  Keep in mind that this will be a stencil and your details will have to be closed shapes so ensure clean and organized cutouts.
2. I then taped the pattern onto a larger piece of paper to give the stencil a border.  I advise using a thick piece of paper to make your stencil out of.  If not, your stencil will over time curl and break.  I used a hot press illustration board, but they can be expensive and difficult to cut through.  Card stock would be appropriate.
3. Next, simply just cut out your stencil through both the pattern and the paper/ card stock.  Be sure to cut out the stencil over a cutting mat or a piece of thick cardboard to avoid damaging home surfaces.
4. Remove the pattern that you created and taped over the card stock. So your thick and sturdy stencil should remain.
5. Place stencil on desired piece of fabric.  I just used some unbleached muslin that I had laying around.
6. For paint, I just used some acrylic paint that I watered down to make it softer when it dries.  When painting the stencil, place some paper towels behind the fabric so the paint doesn't bleed onto the surface below.  Try to apply the paint at a consistent angle around the edges of the stencil for cleaner shapes.
7. Repeat and continue to paint your stencil/ pattern on the fabric.  Rotating your pattern will cause your design to not meet up correctly.
8. When you have completed painting your fabric, iron over the pattern and throw it in the wash.
9. Congrats! You're done!!  Enjoy making your own custom fabric!

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