Many of you have probably used fabric paint before–I’ve used it on t shirts, drawstring backpacks and pillowcases. Here’s another fun way to add color to fabric: Ink Effects. It doesn’t ever crack or feel stiff either because the color actually transfers into the fabric. I received some from DecoArt a few months ago and was able to try it out on this towel that I ended up using as a gift for a friend!
Before you start an Ink Effects project, check the fiber content of your fabric. If it is more than 60% cotton (less than 40% synthetic) you must first prep the area with the base spray and let dry.
My towel is a microfiber with 80% polyester and 20% nylon so I skipped that step.
Free hand paint or print out shapes and paint over them. A toothpick tip works great for getting into really small spaces or lines (like the whisk) Be sure to reverse any letters because everything will be backwards.
When dry, place paint-side-down onto your fabric. Cover with a clean paper (don’t use a scrap paper with any printing on it, the ink will transfer too!)
Move the iron around so you don’t get any iron hole marks. Make sure you go over the edges a lot too so they don’t come out lighter. It will take several minutes. You can peel up a corner of one of the images to see if you like how dark it is. If it still seems a little light, do a few more minutes.
Remove all the paper and let the fabric cool and it’s ready to go.
Have you used Ink Effects before? I think I might let my kids in on the action for my next project. What would you like to see done with it?
To download and print these same shapes, go to the project library at DecoArt you’ll find my instructions again there as well.