Tutorial - Stamping on Fabric

Hi all, Kerry here, I'm about to show you my first tutorial eekkkk lol.  I am a huge fan of paperartsy products which Lisa stocks and recently after being on their famous craft retreat Artsycrafts (which has now ended after 5 years)  I have become really addicted to working with fabric in my papercrafts.  I am also quite addicted to my pro and flex markers (which Lisa also sells) and I thought could I combine both together, so after alot of playing and testing I have come up with an tutorial for you.  I have also show some other mediums to colour fabric with, which are not initially for fabric but work just as well.

Firstly I will show you some of the mediums and how they work on fabric, Lisa will be able to order most things so just pop on over to the Craft Place Shop or join our wonderful Facebook Page and ask away lol.

Please note .... this is me just experimenting, and not saying that these products will definitely be ok, and this is just my opinion not the opinion of the official manufactures.
Be warned this post will have lots and lots of pictures ......................

Paint - Most acrylic paints I have used have no problem being on fabric and won't wipe away, they wouldn't be actually suited to wearing or washing but for craft purpose are great.  Another medium which is the best of the best is Paperartsy Fresco paints which have a very chalky appearance that looks fantastic, like acrylic paint they work on loads of surfaces and on fabric I heat set with a heat gun and they don't run or wipe off, I also sometimes forget to heat set but there fine.  They have loads and loads of colours and Lisa is planning on stocking them soon so I shall start collecting the whole collection.

I tested the acrylic paint I had, the top coat was dry brushed on the bottom I sprayed the fabric with water first.

Fresco paint, top dry brushed, bottom watered.

I did find that spraying the fabric with water help dilute and blend the colours on both acrylics.

Now for pencils, I have been very lucky to have the whole set of Faber Castell Polychromos pencils, my OH bought them for me 4 years ago when I was interested in parchment, I never did get to use them as my love for stamps took over the love of parchment (I still do some).  It's only been recently that I am starting to appreciate them, they work great on colouring images on kraft card and helping highlighting the image which you have coloured with promarkers.  So I decided I would try these on fabric.

These worked really well, I felt they covered the fabric well but if you gave it a good rub on paper then it did rub off a bit but these would be good for highlighting some pictures with bits of colours.

I didn't spray with water as they are oil based (I think lol)

Next I used my porfolio's, they are a water soluble oil pastels, they are really creamy in texture, I haven't used them properly yet but hey ho thought I would give the fabric ago, why not lol

The test piece, I used dry on top and sprayed water on the bottom, now after 24hours the dry patch will still wipe away if pressed on paper but the sprayed one seems to be absolutely fine, mind you this could be just because they stain well, but that's great if your only planning on using it on a hanging etc.

Next I used Ranger Adirondack color wash, now they state that they are ok with fabric if there heat set after, so these would be good for colouring large chunks of fabric.

I included a crafty notions spray I have as I know these can work on textiles, but I have only got a gold and red and forgot to test them, but they do state to be used in textiles art (or they say something like that)

As you can see they spray really nicely and I can imagine using masks etc for great effect with the sprays.  Think another tutorial may be called for lol lol.

And last but not lease (nearly forgot) promarkers, I forgot to take a picture of promarkers but you know what they look like, and the test piece

As you can image, they completely absorb through the material but don't rub off.

Ink pads .................

I know that Archival ink pads are fine on fabric as long as they are heat set, I'm pretty sure so is Stazon, I did try Momento but that just wiped off, and of course you can get fabric ink pads, the one I used is part of the well know ink pads Versa and it's called Versacraft.

I found that the versa craft when heat setted didn't bleed with promarkers, how fantastic is that, I thought my first problem would be that most permanent inks are alcohol based, but we all know that you can't mix promarkers (or any alcohol pen) with a alcohol ink pad as they will bleed.  I did try the archival and heat set it but no luck, I haven't tried the Stazon as I assumed it would do the same as the archival.  The versacraft ink pad says it's archival but the stamping on fabric properties obviously made it mega permanent after heat setting it.

Cutting fabric .................. Most of the time I use my die cut machine

The bigz dies from sizzix (most of the Tim Holtz alterations are bigz dies) they cut straight through the fabric, but of course a lot of people have the thin dies.

I used one of the spellbinders dies ................... I but some card on top of the sandwich (before putting it through the machine) as the fabric and die are thin so it just helps it slightly.

As you can see it mostly cuts all through, I put it through about 4 times to get it like this, and then snip

off any strands.

Right lets start stamping .......................

To start I grabbed the scalloped piece of fabric, archival coffee ink pad and a crafty individuals stamp. I knew for the first one I wouldn't be using promarkers so I used the archival ink pad as I feel it gives a better impression.

Next I stamped the image on some copy paper and cut it out, this will be my mask while I stamp the text stamp from creative expressions.

As you can see below, while doing the sides I put another piece of copy paper below the image so I wouldn't be stamping at the bottom of the fabric, or it would be more difficult to line up stamping at the bottom.

Do you want a laugh, if you look closely at the image below the bottom text is up side down doh!!!

Onto the next one ...................

I stamped a sentiment from creative expressions using archival ink pad.

I then masked the middle with a cut piece of copy paper, I then secured it either side with masking tape, the flowers I wanted to use from the Paperartsy set HP1109 (which I know Lisa stocks), is a large stamp and I only wanted the top so I masked off where I didn't want, then I stamped with Versacraft.

I found that I need to stand up to get a really good image, the bottom I went right up to the copy paper but the other side I didn't so I could show you that it doesn't really matter either way.  I bought my Versacraft ink pad 4 years ago and I have only used it once then, but wow it lasts as it works really well still.

Next I heat set them with the heat gun. I shall be working through the tutorial with the stamped flowers, the other you will have to check out the That Craft Place Challenge Blog on Sunday as there is a new challenge and I shall be making a wall hanging with the bird scalloped circle, using lots of fabric, stamping, ribbon and even some washi tape!!!!

So the decoration, now the first one I shall be working through has no sewing on (ok so I did sew the beads on), I purely did this as I ended up doing another one as I got so carried away last night I forget to take pictures of me working with the promarkers lol, I think it's because I was watching the olympics and chatting to my mate on the phone and the sewing and colouring was rather relaxing lol.  I have shown the sewn piece later.

Firstly choose your promarkers, a lighter and darker is best, to give a blended feel, obviously you can't actually blend on the fabric as it absorbs too quickly.  Put on a pile of copy paper as it seeps through quite a few pieces.  I work as a part time accountant from home, so all my print outs etc that normally get thrown away, I store and use for these type of things, also any other mistakes like kids homework, pictures, craft templates etc I never throw away.

I have shown here, which took quite a few pics as I was trying to colour while taking a close up photo, which was not easy lol.  Now can you see, the promarkers absorb and spread through the fabric so you really don't need to colour up to the lines, just lightly colour and let spread, I am not too concerned if it goes out of the lines as I think it adds to the overall effect.

Next I take my darker colour and highlight bits, because it spreads it makes it look quite effective without really trying.  The bottom half hasn't had the darker colour and you can see the darker colour makes it really pop.  Also when I stamped this second piece the bottom left handside I shown that you need to stamp really good pressure our it looks quite wishy washi, but of course this would probably look good when doing a background.

So colouring done, now onto the decorating, you can use lots of bits like ribbon, felt, beads, fabric, normal and decorated thread and even little embellishments, wouldn't a charm look good hanging.  I have used a Marianne Creatable rose die with felt. For this one I used glue instead of thread as some people just hate sewing (I used to be one of them!!!) The glue I use for everything and ever since trying it I have never gone back to any other glue is the Cosmic Shimmer glue (Lisa stocks this).

I sewn the beads on (I thought of the glue idea after sewing these on lol, then I used little dots of the cosmic shimmer glue, this is so much better to do if your glueing ribbon as you don't really need alot.

I then cut another of the same shape, for this one I decided only to stuff the middle, so I cut down the extra piece, glue around 3 sides then stuck down.

I then stuffed the middle, I actually used the palette knife I have, then all you need is to glue down, and add your felt rose and then job done.

Picture of both done together ..........................

This is the first one I did, I die cut an extra piece then sewn all around using random machine stitching as I wanted it quite messy (ok I actually can't do neat as I am so new to sewing on a machine so I make it look like I do it on purpose lol).  I left an opening and stuffed all of it, then I sewn either side of the sentiment, I was quite impressed as it looked quilted, are you supposed to just sew through all the stuffing, don't know, I just kept my eyes closed and zipped it through the machine!!!  Then I did two roses with a bead in it.

Close up of the one we have just done, I quite like the look of the stuffed piece through the middle and when on a card will look quite flat.  I also sewn some beads in the little rose.

Another card I did, now this is the first one that made me decide to have a go at a tutorial, I guess I wanted to share with everyone as I was really excited by it all.  

The heart is die cut from Paperartsy tall heart die, then I used the same flowers as above, with the versacraft inkpad, I masked the middle off and instead of a sentiment I stamped a paperartsy mini stamp of bubbles.  Sewn around the side, stuffed and then sewn through the middle.

All done phew!!!  that's if you have managed to get to the bottom, think I probably got a bit excited at my first tutorial lol.  The bits I have used are below under recipe and if you have any questions please just leave a comment and I will get back to you.  Don't forget to check out the challenge on Sunday and see the finished dt piece I have done with the bird fabric earlier.  Thanks for visiting :-) Kerry xxx


Recipe
Stamps - Creative expressions (button florals sentiment, timeless journey script) Paperartsy (HP1109 flowers and mini 15 bubbles) Crafty Individuals (CI-230 birds)
Ink pads - Archival (jet black, coffee), Versacraft by Tsukineko (black)
Calico fabric
Masking tape
Dies - Spellbinders (labels 13), Sizzix (scalloped circle), Paperartsy (tall heart) and Marianne Creatables (LR0162)
Promarkers (mandarin and peach)
Random thread, beads, lace, fabric, ribbon.