Flora, Fabric, and Paint

You are going to love the artistic touch to today's post and project.  My little sister, Ann, is here to wow us, but let me introduce you first.  Readers, meet Ann.  Ann likes to tell stories of my sly, mischievous chicanery as a child.  Don't believe a word she says.  Actually, do.  She has a memory like and orangutan, or an elephant [or some sort of zoo animal.]  She remembers everything!  She also is a culinary whiz.  I like to rely on her to introduce me to new and exciting recipes because I'm lazy.  And forgetful.  Better than either of those qualities, she has a heart of platinum [yes, platinum because I like platinum much more than gold], she is honest and stands more firm in her beliefs and with more confidence than most anyone I know.  One of my favorite memories I have of her is flying in for her wedding and staying up until 3 the morning of her wedding, doing final stitching to her wedding gown, talking pre-marriage talk.  Ann and Brendon are parents to sweet Mary Deane who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis.  Ann has handled it with solid faith and grace.  Now they are expecting child number two!  [a boy, by the way, which we were never able to figure out how to make happen.]

Enjoy her painted project.

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Buttons, piping, ruffles, inverted pleats, embroidery--all great ways to add personality and flare to a garment. But, bring fabric painting into the picture and it opens up a whole new world of choices to the creativity process. Here's the how-to:

1:

Start out with a sketch to give yourself a rough idea of what you'd like to paint.

2:

Transfer your sketch onto the fabric using a removable writing utensil

It's easiest to do this before you sew the garment together. Keep in mind any alterations that will be done to it (such as an inverted pleat in this example) and to match up your painted design at the seams.

3:

Using Textile Medium (found at most craft stores) you can turn any acrylic paint into fabric paint by mixing 2 parts acrylic with 1 part Textile Medium.   I believe they do sell fabric paints already in numerous colors but using this kind gives you the freedom to make the exact shade you want.

4:

Start painting! Be sure to take your time; painting on fabric takes more patience (and paint) than painting on other smooth surfaces.

5:

Let your design dry for 7 days.

6:

Heat-set your design by turning the garment inside-out, placing cloth on top of the paint and iron at the highest allowed setting for the fabric. Iron each spot for about 20 seconds, moving the iron slightly back and forth to prevent scorching. And you're done!

Mary Deane modeling the finished project

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It's fantastic, Ann!  And I think Mary Deane loves it--I could eat those cheeks!