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Screen Printing for Quilters

Screen Printing for Quilters

  • Briefly: If you thought Screen Printing was complicated, think again. This ebook teaches you a fun and easy way to create inexpensive original fabrics Read more
  • Type: E-books
  • ISBN: 978-0-473-62332-6
  • Author: Shirley Goodwin
  • Skill Level: All levels
  • Techniques

    Screen Printing

    FAQ About Patterns

    Question: Where do I find the download I purchased?
    As soon as you make a purchase, you are directed to a Thank You page which will have a link to download your pattern.
    We also email you the 'Thank You' to your email inbox which includes the link to download your pattern. Please check your spam/junk box if you do not receive this.
    Question: I've clicked the download link and nothing happens, what should I do?
    Chances are the pattern is downloading in the background. Give it a moment then check your file app (iphone) or download folder (in My Files or File Manager on android) to see if the file is there. If it isn't, before trying again, try the suggestions in the trouble downloading question below.
    Question: I'm having trouble downloading the pattern, is there anything I should do?
    Yes, the most important thing to do is turn off any popup blocker. Popup blockers prevent the download window from being seen by you, yet we will not know about it so each time you try, it will appear to us that you have attempted to download the pattern.
    Here is a full list of things to try:
    • Ensure that no pop up blockers are enabled
    • Ensure you are using a stable connection - wifi is better than phone data
    • Clear your cache and cookies
    • Try a different web browser, as well as private windows to rule out any browser issues
    • Ensure the web browser is up to date and that the latest device software is up to date
    • Try another device, like another computer, tablet, or mobile phone
    Question: What if I exceed my download tries?
    Don't fear, we will always make sure you receive your purchased pattern. If your download link expires, simply email us and we will send you a new link.
  • Tags: Ebook, fabric paint, make your own fabric, original fabrics, screen printing, tutorials

  • Regular price $32.00 AUD
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    • Description
    • Requirements

    If you thought Screen Printing was complicated, think again. This ebook teaches you a fun and easy way to create inexpensive original fabrics. Create your own designs and discover the joys of being able to screen print your own fabric.

    You will explore how screen printing can provide color and texture to your quilting and textiles without the need to use traditional methods. This is a fun and easy set of instructions suitable for all levels. Please note: This ebook is NOT about printing t-shirts and does not cover traditional commercial-type screen printing methods.

    As an added bonus, when you purchase this ebook you will get two bonus tutorials too. One on how to make your own screens for screen printing and another one for how to make fabric paints.

    Part ONE

    • Preparing your workspace
    • How screen printing works
    • Making paper stencils
    • Learning methods to apply paint

    Part TWO

    • Making more permanent stencils
    • Positive/negative printing
    • Words and letters
    • Mixing colors

    Part THREE

    • Making resist stencils using interfacing
    • Printing layers
    • Making abstract screens
    • Printing with household items

    Part FOUR

    • Color
    • Making your own frames
    • Printing yardage
    • Printing onto clothing
    • Discharge printing

    Included a the bottom of this page is a number of Screen Printing Suppliers and a Glossary of Terms to refer to.

    WHAT YOU NEED

    • Screen 10” x 14” (minimum), 20’ x 24” maximum. You need to get a fairly coarse mesh, 8XX or 10 XX (32T or 42T in metric). (see notes below)
    • Squeegee (see notes below)
    • Paint (see notes below)
    • Several newspapers to make a thick layer that you can cut and print on
    • Around 1 yard/meter of cotton batting or felt to go over the newspapers
    • Around 1 yard/meter of heavy cotton fabric (eg duck, canvas or similar) which will be the top layer - the printing surface
    • An old china plate to lay your squeegee on
    • Small plastic containers (I use yoghurt containers) to put your paint in
    • Some plastic spoons for the paint
    • Scissors (not your best fabric ones)
    • Freezer paper for stencils
    • Masking tape and duct tape
    • A couple of cheap artist’s paintbrushes
    • Mask-Ease or clear Contact (shelf) paper
    • Some pieces of thin plastic the same size as your screen - you could use old plastic file covers, acetate
    • 2 to 3 yards/meters of cotton fabric. You can use any plain white, dyed or colored fabric, any color, as long as it’s clean and ironed
    • 3 to 4 yards/meters of white or muslin (calico in Australia & New Zealand), washed and ironed
    • Several pieces of dark commercial fabric, any size
    • Half a yard (meter) of medium weight sew-in Vilene (interfacing)
    • X-Acto or craft knife
    • Notebook and pen/pencil
    • For cleaning screens - some mildly abrasive cleaning powder such as Ajax, and an old toothbrush or nail brush

     NOTE ABOUT SQUEEGEES

    There is no need to rush out and buy an expensive screen printing squeegee at this stage. You can use the small plastic scrapers available from auto parts or hardware stores; wallpaper smoothers; Bondo scrapers; or other plastic scrapers. Your squeegee needs to be small enough to fit inside your frame and stiff enough not to bend (and break) when you apply some pressure to it. One of my squeegees is a grouting tool used by tradesmen. Window/shower squeegees are not suitable.

     NOTE ABOUT PAINTS

    You will need at least 3 colors, and at least 4 oz per color. The primary colors are good, and I like to add a jar of white as well to make pastels. You can use transparent or opaque paints, but if you plan to use dark fabric as your background, you will need to use the opaque ones so that they’ll show up properly. Sometimes the paints are referred to as “inks” in screen printing, so watch out for that if you are buying online. You can use any paint that is suitable for textiles and fabric, however the paint you buy needs to be quite thick. Thinner fabric paints, such as Setacolor and Jacquard Textile paints, are not recommended as they are more difficult to control, try to avoid these. You could also use thickened dyes if you are familiar with this - however, this class does not cover dyes.

    There are endless brand names, depending on which country you live in - I am using New Zealand paints that are not available elsewhere which is why I don't list them. Sometimes they are called paints, sometimes they are called inks - it's all the same thing. You can even use ordinary acrylic house paint, but that tends to change the feel of the fabric and harden it.

     NOTES ABOUT SCREENS

    The screens we’re going to use are made with a wooden frame, with mitered corners, and a polyester multifilament mesh stretched tightly over this. At one time, the screens were made with silk as this gave the best results, hence the name “silk screening”. There are different sized meshes for different types of screen printing, with very fine ones used to produce detailed work on paper, and more open mesh for fabric, such as we’re going to use. The mesh number, ie 12xx, refers to the number of threads per inch. This is divided by 2.5 to get the metric equivalent.

    You may have a screen made from polyester monofilament instead of polyester multifilament. Here are the equivalent sizes :

    Multifilament Monofilament Metric equivalent

    8xx is the same as 80-90 is the same as 32-36T

    10xx is the same as 110-120 is the same as 44-46T

    12xx is the same as 120 is the same as 48T


    SCREEN PRINTING SUPPLIERS:

    USA/CANADA

    UNITED KINGDOM

    AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

    These are a few known suppliers - there are many others.


     GLOSSARY

    Flooding/the flood - Lightly distributing the paint across the screen prior to making the print. The paint sits in the mesh at this stage.

    Pull/pulling - the process of moving paint down or up a screen in order to make a print

    Resist - something that is applied to a screen to stop paint from going through it. The resist can be all over the screen, or on parts of it.

    Stencil - a paper or plastic layer containing a design that allows some paint through the holes

    Stroking/the stroke - a pull that involves enough pressure to move the paint from the mesh onto the fabric, creating the print.

    Thermofax screen - a commercially produced screen made from a photocopy of a design. Not covered in this class.

    Well - the area at the top and bottom of your screen, on the inside, where the paint is placed.