You'll need:
- Embroidery hoops
- Sheer woven fabric – organza, voile
- Decoupage medium
- Clip art silhouettes
- Full-sheet stickers
- Scissors, large punches or sizzix/cricut cutter
- Screen printing ink made for fabric
- Expired gift card or credit card
- Foam brushes
- Paper plates
- Small containers for sealer and ink
- Cardboard
- Items to print on– onesies, t-shirts, dish towels, aprons, or even paper!
Steps:
- Stretch organza fabric over the small hoop of your embroidery hoop and secure with the larger. Once in place, adjust and pull until fabric is taut.
- Print silhouette designs on the sticker paper and cut out with scissors or use a sizzix/cricut, etc. to cut out shapes. (If you're using letters or something that has a "right" and a "wrong" direction, remember that you'll have to print in mirror-image because you're applying the sticker to the underside of the hoop.)
- On the "flush" or "drum" side of the fabric, apply your sticker. Turn over the hoop and fabric and burnish the "wrong" side of the sticker with a credit card to make sure the sticker is stuck.
- Turn over the hoop and with a foam brush, apply decoupage sealer to the fabric on flush side of the hoop. You can really lay it on thick. Pay particular attention to the edges of the sticker and make sure the sealer coats the edges completely. Carefully turn over the hoop and check the underside to make sure there are no holes or voids in the fabric where you don't want them.
- Lay the hoops flat to dry. Do not prop the hoops sideways or the decoupage glue will run! (I learned that the hard way.)
- Set aside the screen to dry completely. This will take several hours and in some cases overnight. My latest batch took nearly 8 hours, so plan accordingly.
- Once the decoupage sealer is completely dry, carefully remove the sticker. You may have to pick a tad at the stubborn edges. Once most of the sticker is removed, you can run the screen under water to help remove the extra bits.
- After the sticker is removed, you can begin printing!
- Place a piece of cardboard under the item you're printing (or inside, if a t-shirt), to keep the ink from bleeding through. Place the hoop flush-side-down on top of shirt.
- Hold the screen in place with one hand. With a foam brush, dab a small amount of ink to the voids in the mask. Using the credit card, scrape off the excess. Carefully lift the screen off, and look at your beautiful work!
- Follow manufacturers instructions for heat setting your image. Usually you just have to pop the t-shirt in the dryer for a bit.
- Once used, you can get many images from one hoop-screen.
Silk Printing with Tamara Berg
For more with craft expert and host of "The Tamara Twist," visit Tamara Berg at tamaracentral.com.
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