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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

How To Print On Fabric At Home. Economical Way.

How To Print On Fabric At Home. Economical Way.

We all are fascinated by different things in life. Some of them, we like to the point of obsession. You can say this about me when it comes to block printing. ;) I've been fascinated by it so much that almost every third fabric in my shop is a block printed fabric of some kind. Although, I love it, there are times I don't get the design of my liking. So I came up with an idea of making my own printing techniques: i.e. Block Printed Designs.

Two days ago, I took a decision to take some serious action. I started gathering my tools for block printing. My mother always says: "If you don't have what you need to make something, you can always make do with what you already have. You will realize that you have it only when you look closely at it." She means that if you want to make something, you don't require fancy tools. All you need to do is search for things or equipments that are already present at our home which can be used as those tools. It took me a full day to get all my tools in one place.

So here are my tools:

A stencil
A potato
An okra (Ladyfinger in English)
Brushes
A sharp cutter
Voile fabric
Fabric paints
Fabric pen
A cardboard
Some scrap fabric to clean your hands, brushes, etc

Procedure:
First, I used some scrap fabric to brush up my skills as I've done fabric block printing only once before. Here's what I came up with:


Then, came the grand finale. I finally made my own handmade block prints on a lovely light as a feather voile fabric. Here's what I came up with:

For this print here, I used a stencil and a brush. It required great patience, finishing, precision and spoiling for several yards of fabric before I could accomplish this design. I have listed this damask fabric in my shop for those are interested in it.


Hand Painted Fabric Custom Block Print Damask Tree On Voile


Damask Fabric Custom Made
Hand Painted Fabric Damask Tree On Voile


For this one, I used a potato. I made a freehand design on the potato and made it into a stencil. I know, I won't be able to use this stamp forever. But, it didn't stop me from experimenting with it because it's fun.:


For my third print, I used an actual vegetable. Voila! the great multi-purpose okra or lady finger! Not only do I love eating them, it is a great tool in getting a fabulous block prints.


To view more pictures of these block prints, go to my fanpage. These are just a few examples. I'll be making more of different designs very soon. Till then, I'm off to my block printing laboratory. :)

4 comments:

  1. Oh yes. I totally agree with what your mom says. I love the okra prints too! Anyways, how are you and the baby doing?

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    Replies
    1. Both of us are doing great Reshma. Thanks for asking. Both of us started talking with each other in baby language. It's a fun sight to watch. ;)Thanks for commneting on my blog.

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  2. I didn't know okra could do this~~ Ty, for sharing this great idea~~

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  3. Sherry, not only okra but anything with interesting texture can be used for block printing.

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