Love the idea!  How do you treat the fabric for dying?  I am thinking that eashing is enough.  Or maybe treat according to the fabric paint label?  Could i use plain old acrylic craft paint?  So many questions!  Thx for any answers!

I read this article with great interest. I have one question. Once completed, will this fabric be washable, or dry-cleanable, etc.?

Great idea, and I'd like to incorporate this into some overalls I'll be making for my grandchildren. Laundering after the fact was a concern to me, too, so I tried the Plaid (fabric paint) site and found some excellent information on preparing for dyeing and laundering hand-painted fabrics. Just Google "how to launder hand-painted fabrics" and click on the wwwDOTplainonlineDOTcom site this search will generate.

I did a project with 24 first graders last year using this technique.  We colored with crayons and fabric paint markers onto practice fabric squares,  then onto our real quilt squares.  After heat setting with a hot iron (use parchment paper between iron and fabric), I fused the practice squares to washed cotton t shirts,  then turned the quilt squares into a great quilt which was auctioned at the PTA.  Proceed went toward their classroom needs.  The shirts have held up well after repeated washings.

If they do fade a bit, you can always repeat the coloring process.It is all great fun and easy to do with children.

Kathryn

Give me a break this is nothing new.  We did this very same thing in the 5th grade. 50 some odd years ago.

I love this technique and am surprised that it hasn't been more publicized.  I taught art and we used this technique and got some very professional looking results.  It's a great way to create pillow animals.  Just transfer a simple line drawing of an animal and then color with crayons. I did the back and front of the animal. After coloring, cut out, leaving a margin for sewing the two halves together. I used black dye instead of paint, which created a nice batik effect.  After drying and ironing out the wax, I stitched the two halves together, leaving a space open to stuff the animal. I hand stitched the opening after stuffing.  I used good quality muslin fabric and just washed it good to get out any sizing before using it.  One tip I would like to add is make sure that you color heavily, laying down a lot of color.

I think  you mean “washing,” not “eashing.”

…

Quilting Arts Editor Vivika DeNegre has some answers for your questions::

"The artist didn’t dye the fabric, it was painted. However, she used PFD (prepared for dye) fabric. If you don’t have PFD fabric, use a cloth that has been thoroughly washed and rinsed, and use no softeners or sizing when drying or ironing.

The artist used Createx airbrush paint for her project. You can also use diluted acrylic paints on fabric, but they tend to change the hand of the fabric.

I would suggest using this technique on a piece that would not need to be laundered …  but if you had to wash the piece, follow the instructions for the type of paint that you use. As one of the commenters noted, you can always apply another layer of color if it fades."

Hope that helps! Amber