Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Fabric Painting on Jeans

why is it that it is always your favourite things which get marks on them?

I couldn't believe it when I went to put on my newly laundered jeans and found a big mark on them - what it is or how it got there is anyone's guess!

My first reaction was that they would make a nice pair of holiday shorts but, seeing as we are on a winter holiday in Portugal, and it's quite cold, this wasn't a great idea.

I always bring paint with me when we travel; but because we are travelling in a motor home I can't bring all my paints (that would take a truck lol), but I do always bring some fabric paints.

I use So Soft Fabric Paint by Decoart  because it is by far the best wearing and soft-to-touch paint on the market. I also love the extensive colour range which you can see here  (63 colours!)

I  also use DecoArt brushes

Painting on fabric is just the same as on other surfaces, but I do dip the tip of the brushes in water (only the tip - you don't want to add too much water or the paint may bleed on the fabric. I always try a test piece on the inside of a garment before proceeding)  to minimize dragging on the fabric. 

This is my jeans look now and I do actually prefer them as I like to wear things that are different 




So Soft Fabric Paint can also be used on t-shirts




and cotton shirts (this one below has a removable brooch I made with hand dyed silk ribbon roses)



and this one has rhinestones


a little tip is that it is always advisable to wash garment prior to painting as this removes any starch used by the manufacturer (and best not to use fabric conditioner)

Happy fabric painting - expensive designer looks on a budget!