How to Paint on Fabric, An Inexpensive Way to Dress Up Your Windows
When I first got into painting, I always wanted this set of country curtains that had a pattern on it I adored, but I just couldn’t really afford them. I had 2 sons at that time and they were 40.00 per window–and keep in mind, I had 10 windows in that room–LOL! The crafter in me wondered if I could do it myself and found that I can! I even got the gumption to sew the same style myself and for less than a 10th of the cost, I got my curtains. It was fun, easy, and a lot cheaper than I ever realized. That was it, I was hooked. I did table cloths, runners, place mats, you name it, I painted it, right down to clothes. If this is something you’d like to try, then join me in painting on fabric. Now for the list of supplies.
1 bottle Deco art textile medium
An assortment of acrylic paints, I used deco art paints on my projects
Cotton fabric; cotton works best on all painting projects, but prewash all fabrics to remove sizing and to preshrink them.
Assortment of brushes, natural bristles or synthetic ones. I like Donna Dewberry’s brushes for my work.
An old towel to place under the item your painting. This will protect your table too.
Erasable tracing paper or washable transfer pen
Now we’re ready to paint!
1) Iron out your item. If painting a valance, make sure it will fit on the towel as once you start to paint, you’ll have to wait until it dries to move it. I find it’s best to work on an ironing board, as it’s long and narrow enough for curtains. Draw in your design.
2) mix your first color with 1/2 textile medium and 1/2 acrylic paint. Mix well and begin to paint. I find that when I am painting fine lines, I add some water to thin the paint out, but not too much as the paint may run and smear on the fabric, so play with that first on a scrap piece of fabric. Once you’re ready, you can begin to paint. Try to keep the paint easy to flow as you paint your fabric. I find that it’s easiest to do one color at a time, and allow the paint to dry totally before I continue to the next color. Also, when painting fine lines, its best to do it fast! Seriously, if you go too slow, the paint tends to pool up on you, and smears are likely to form.
3) Once you’re done painting, allow your piece to dry for 24 hours to allow the paint to cure in. Iron on the reverse side to help set the paint in.
4) If you would like, you can wash your curtain in cold soapy water on the gentle cycle with no bleach. Dry and iron (again, on the back–do not touch the iron to the paint) and it’s ready to go.
Here are a few simple tips that I found work great, too, when painting on fabric:
Using a template to keep your curtains uniform is easy. Simply dry-brush on some of the paint on a stencil brush, remove the template, and fill in.
If you would like to use a stencil, let the paint nearly dry out after its been mixed. Use like you would any stencil paint.
There are no limits to what you can paint. Have fun and use your imagination.
