Sun Print Fabric with a Twist

Dyeing fabrics is a great way to customize anything for yourself. This Sun Print Fabric with a Twist project from Lynda Heines is one of those summer craft activities that will give you something personal, as well as a chance to hang outdoors. It's unique because it's a sun printing project that involves a textile paint. This ingredient can stimulate dye and give you a more colorful piece of fabric. Projects with fabric were never this diverse. Switch up your fabric dyeing with something new.





Materials:

• Highly concentrated textile paint
• Fabric -works best on natural fibers including cotton and silk, but can be used on any fabrics. For best results, wash fabric to remove any dirt and sizing.
• Sponge brush
• Water and water container
• Plastic
• Stencils, leaves, cutouts – anything you want to use as a mask

Ingredients:

1. First, prepare your work area. Cover a surface with plastic. This is where you will be painting.
   
   
    
2. Then cut fabric to sizes. Here are some stencils and masks.
   
   
    
3. Next soak fabric in water.
   
   
    
4. Lay out a few pieces on the work surface. Smooth them out as much as possible. Work with just a couple pieces since they need to remain moist. If you are working out in the sun, the material will dry fast.
   
   
    
5. Add textile paint. Small squeeze bottles make it easy to apply the paint. If you are using regular containers, just dip the brush in and paint onto the fabric.
   
   
    
6. Now add more water to the brush to spread the paint around. Keep adding more paint and water until you are happy with your fabric color.
   
   
    
7. Add the masks. This could be stencils, household utensils, cardboard cutouts, leaves, etc. Make sure to pat the masks down so they have contact with the fabric which will keep the sun from those areas.
   
   
    
8. Now is the hardest part – waiting for the sun to do its thing!
   
   
    
9. To set the paint, iron for three minutes on the wrong side of the fabric. You can wait for it to dry longer after that.