Stenciling on cloth- Best products/ methods?

Question

I am making a dress for a renaissance festival- no, it will not be historically accurate..

I want to use a spray fabric paint to stencil on a pattern on the bottom of the skirt.

I bought a product from hobby lobby:

I bought the "upholstery fabric paint"
http://www.simplyspray.com/

I liked the color and the price, and the fact it was not a "on the top" kind of paint.

It runs really bad and can't be used as a stencil.

The company makes a stencil spray- has anyone used this product? how "Raised" is it on top of the cloth? The company says the stencil stuff is thicker.

Is there an agent I can put into the cloth to stop the bleeding of the stencil? That will wash out?

I will give it try today

Answer 1

The spray-on might not be the best choice for your stencil. They tend to be less crisp than other methods and not as easily controlled. Have you considered using acrylic paint and textile medium and sponging the paint onto the stencil? Very easy to do with many more color choices and control. Simply choose your color (craft acrylics work fine) and add up to a 1:1 ratio of the textile medium (the more medium, the softer the hand of the fabric when dry) and use a sponge brush to apply the paint to the stencil. It works best if you use a spray baste adhesive to tack the stencil to the fabric first too. When the paint is dry, press the fabric to heat set the paint. Heat setting isn't absolutely necessary but it tends to soften the paint a bit and smooth it. Once dry and heat set, the paint is permanent and wash fast.

Golden's, Ceramcoat and Liquitex are three brands of textile medium that are available at Michael's.

Answer 2

I agree with Delta, sponging your stencil will give the design a crisp edge, and spraying will make it a softer, fuzzy edge. Whatever method you choose, you will have to lay the skirt flat and do one section at a time, letting each section dry completely before you move on to the next.
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