First shot at painting on cloth questions

Jayhawk

Double Actioner
I did searches on painting tee shirts and got some good info. I want to try painting some butterflys on squares of cloth for my MIL who does quilting. Not sure what material to use. There is a quilting shop nearby and they will have suggestions. I'm thinking a high thread count cotton. I've got Creatx paint. I saw where it is common to put down a layer of clear first then heat with iron? General procedure would be helpful. This may end up as a baby blanket and will need to be washable.
 
High thread count cotton is great for airbrushing . You will need to wash your fabric to remove any sizing on the material or you will have uneven coverage. Createx is very good on fabric if you spray a clear underlayer your image will be cleaner with less fuzz . If you spray directly on your fabric (no underlayer) and heat set it will last longer. I made a corset out of cotton and airbrushed a blue morpho design on it about 20 years ago and it still looks good.
1 . Wash your fabric
2. Paint with or without underlayer
3. Heat set your design
 
A good cotton (100%) will be fine. My wife does quilts and we prewash & dry before cutting the squares. A pre coat of trans base will keep the nap down and control overspray ( light coat, cure with a hot iron and you're good to go). After you spray the butterflies, iron again to cure the Creatx and you will have good washability. Don't go too heavy with the paint to maintain a soft feel, on some of my early t shirts, I over did some of my whites (on black) and while not scratchy, I could feel a "stiffness". Yeah, think screen printing thick!!!
 
Some of the guys on here use golden gac 900 as the base layer on the fabric before painting. its a clear base and once ironed its set gives you a nice flat smooth surface to paint on.
 
I wouldn't use either. Muslin doesn't hold up well in the wash. Muslin is usually used to make mock ups of patterns not to make garments you will actually wash. Linen is a finicky fabric that requires gentle washing and drying . The best fabric for airbrushing in my opinion is cotton in a woven or knit . Woven material is what is commonly used for quilting and a knit would be t-shirt material.
 
Actually before someone tells me muslin is made of cotton I'll explain why I said it's not great fabric. Muslin is made of shorter cheaper fibers that make a more course thread than what is used to make a better grade quilting fabric. Also the weave is more loose than a better grade fabric.
Sorry I'm giving you a little bit of the science behind fabric making.
 
IMG_0815.JPG IMG_0815.JPG IMG_1666.JPG I shot a couple practice pieces onto muslin with Wicked and 4012. Problem is I'm doing this inside and think probably should use a respirator. My buddy Danny is always there and he won't wear one, so maybe I need to rethink the material. Will dyes work? Is the prep the same?
I've been studying up on fabrics. Interesting subject; here's a little blurb onPFD(prepared for bye) vs RFD (ready for dye) fabric. I have some pfd but haven't tried it yet.
Danny is throne with wings. Other is the test shots I made
 
You are prepared you don't need to wash your fabric if you bought pfd fabric. The reason for washing is to remove the sizing on fabric . You can't use fabric from Joann fabrics without washing it. The type of cotton used for the rest of the quilt should be used to make your squares . The tests look very good and could be used as wall art!
 
What would happen if use Comart mixed wit GAC900,, would that heat set? I don't think these things are going to get washed but could happen. Only reason is to avoid the "Wicked" fumes.
 
I'm not sure how durable comart is . I have a feeling it will not withstand a washing . I don't use gac900 but a test will only cost you a piece of fabric and a few drops of paint.
 
Those look great !!! I'm happy you posted your paintings . I was curious to see how they turned out.
 
Looks great... They would have made a super addition to the quilt, you could always try to convince Danny to leave the room and do a few with Createx!!!
 
Back
Top