Fabric printing with colored pencils, ballpoint pens, & co.
Painting fabric - that’s really cool. Especially if you can also make your design permanent and washable. For a long time, I thought this was just a myth. That is, until I tried it myself. A while ago, I already showed you how fabric printing with stamps, metallic printing, and screen printing on fabric work. In this post, we’ll look at another way to design fabric yourself.What do I need for fabric printing with colored pencils, ballpoint pens, & co.?
You need HeatnBond Ultra Hold* as a medium to draw and paint on.
*
You’ll also need the fabric you want to print on, pens of your choice, parchment paper, and an iron.
Which pens are suitable for painting fabric?
I’ve tried ballpoint pens, colored pencils, Edding markers, gel pens, and wax crayons. Basically, anything that adheres to the carrier film is suitable.Which fabrics is this fabric printing technique suitable for?
It’s suitable for all non-stretch fabrics. This is because HeatnBond is inelastic. If it’s ironed onto a stretchy fabric and then stretched, it will tear. I’ll show you this further down in the post. Canvas, woven cotton, sailcloth, and similar fabrics are suitable.Instructions: Fabric printing with colored pencils, ballpoint pens, & co.
For this test, I tried all the pens I could get my hands on directly on the HeatnBond.
This is what my prepared HeatnBond looks like now:
I didn’t think that the fabric print would appear mirrored afterwards... But I’ll show you a trick for that further down. Now the HeatnBond is ironed onto the fabric with the film side down (paper side up). I ironed it on setting 3 without steam.
After ironing for about 8–10 seconds, the HeatnBond had bonded firmly to the fabric.
This is what the print looks like from the other side:
After cooling, the film can be peeled off very easily.
Printing fabric with wax crayons
There are two methods here, and both work (there are probably more, but I haven’t tried them all).Method 1: Drawing on the fabric with a wax crayon
Iron the HeatnBond onto the design with the film side down.
The heat from the iron melts the wax slightly. The HeatnBond seals the color.
Method 2: Drawing on the HeatnBond with a wax crayon
This version also works, but the result isn’t as satisfying as when you draw directly on the fabric. The HeatnBond has a slightly grainy, uneven texture that catches the wax. This makes it difficult to apply the color evenly (you could, however, try heating the wax and using a brush...). :)
The process is exactly the same as with colored pencils & co.
The heat from the iron also causes the color to bleed slightly here.
Can you also wash the printed fabric?
I washed the printed fabric pieces in very hot water. Everything stayed right where it was:
Can you iron the printed fabric?
Yes and no. The HeatnBond melts when it comes into contact with heat. I would smooth out the fabric after washing it and, just to be safe, place it between two layers of parchment paper when ironing.Can you also print on jersey with this method?
I tested that too. However, without success. The printing worked well.
But when the fabric is stretched, the HeatnBond cracks.
What is fabric printing with colored pencils, ballpoint pens, & co. suitable for?
For decorating cotton bags, backpacks, etc. You could make a really great activity out of it for a child’s birthday party, for example! You can also use this method to make size labels for self-sewn clothing, because the HeatnBond is completely smooth after ironing and doesn’t scratch the back of the neck.And if you first draw the design on the carrier paper as it should appear on the fabric afterwards, you can then copy patterns, numbers, or letters from the film side—take a look:
I got my HeatnBond Ultra Hold from Amazon.
Order HeatnBond Ultra Hold now.*
Did this guide help you? Then don’t forget to like SewSimple on Facebook! Happy simple sewing, your Sabine
P.S.: Do you also want to know how to sew curves and corners with an overlocker ? P.P.S.: Of course, I’m also happy to share my tricks for sewing over thick areas!
Comments
Comments are loading …