How to Decorate and Embroider With Paint

Question

Embroidering with a needle and thread is a beautiful, but time consuming art form. One way to add color and dimension to a garment is to use fabric paint. There are a variety of fabric paints on the market. Brushing flat paint onto cloth adds color to the fabric, but allows the texture of the fabric to show through. Dimensional paints sit on top of the fabric. These paints come in a variety of colors and textures including glitter and puffy paint.

Answer 1

1
    Wash the fabric. Choose a natural blend fabric to work on. Wash the fabric or garment before painting. Do not use fabric softener or a dryer sheet. These chemicals affect how the paint adheres to the fabric.

    2
    Place cardboard on the work surface and place the fabric on top of the cardboard. If painting a finished garment, slip the cardboard inside the garment so that the paint doesn't bleed through to the back of the clothes.

    3
    Draw the design on the fabric with a water soluble fabric pen.

    4
    Shake the bottle of paint for 10 seconds. Turn the bottle upside down and tap the tip of the bottle on the work surface to force any bubbles away from the tip.

    5
    Squeeze the paint bottle on a scrap piece of fabric to practice. Make several straight and curved lines to get a feel for the paint. Note how much pressure and how quickly you need to move the bottle to create the desires line. When you are able to draw a solid line, move to the garment.

    6
    Trace the marked lines on the fabric. Scrape the tip of the bottle on the fabric. This helps the fabric absorb the bottom layer of paint. This keeps the dry paint adhered to the fabric after washing.

    7
    Allow the paint to dry for four hours before moving. Let all fabric paint dry for 72 hours before washing.