Fabric Painting Custom Patches (Patreon)

This Wednesday, I'm teaching a class on DIY denim fabric patches. This means I had a month to figure out how to uh, CREATE those denim patches.

I've used acrylic markers on fabric before (the mushroom totebag I painted during the Simptap review), and of course, as a kiddo and as a cosplayer, I'd used fabric paints, fabric markers, and even fabric crayons, but it'd been awhile since I'd used fabric paints for fabric, and when the St Charles Parish Art Lab voted to do denim patches for the June Art Lab (to celebrate America's 250th Anniversary), I thought that was a perfect time to try a few things.

Originally, we planned on doing designs using bleach pens, but

1. Tide no longer makes bleach pens

2. I was able to get bleach pens, but they're large and hard to handle

3. Bleach pens are very stinky and require washing after 30 minutes. then you have to let them dry fully before you can paint on them or add decoration.

So Bleach pens do work (sorta), but I wanted some other options, since we'd ben working in a confined space with no windows to open.

I have puff paints (they're fun for various craft projects, including leading for faux stained glass or 'icing'), but I wanted something that was a little more paintable, so I ordered Tulip brush on fabric paint to try out as well as some foam brushes. And while the class is PROBABLY using iron on Needle and Thread denim patches from Michaels, I also ordered a couple yards of dark denim, prewashed and shrunk them, and cut them to size.

I've found when teaching adults, you'll always have folks who prefer a template to follow, so I decided to KISS and order some flag stencils as well. I also purchased some fabric pencils for weirdos like me who insist on doing their own thing.

As things arrived, I tested them out on denim, and felt like I wanted something smaller and more nuanced- fabric markers. Tulip makes a fabric marker, but it's dye-based and not suitable for darker fabrics, so I ordered Artistro fabric markers.

Let me warn yall- these are not different from their regular acrylic markers- they dont contain enough plasticizer to hold up to wear and tear on fabric, and they're not more opaque. THey also have limited ink flow. If you want to use acrylic markers on fabric, I recommend something with a pump action (like the Simptap markers mentioned above), and suggest finding a way to pretreat your fabric so it has a surface finish (does anyone know of a gesso that works for clothing? This would be ideal) so you don't waste so much ink/paint saturating the fabric. I'm going to try Ohuhu's new refillable acrylic markers at some point to see if those will fit the bill.

The fabric patch class prep ended up becoming a rabbit hole for me, and not only did I create several demo patches, but I have ideas for so many more. I even ordered the sort of rhinestones people use for diamond painting and did a patch of rhinestone fireworks- that glue is about as stinky as bleach, but dang if diamond painting isn't relaxing. I can totally see the appeal. Or maybe that's the fumes talking.

Different brands of fabric paints require different treatments- some do not require any heat setting at all (like puff paint), and some require a low iron on the back of your fabric after your fabric art has cured for 24 hours (Tulip brush on), so always read your directions.

I recorded my process so there will probably be a video eventually, but I still wanted to write up my thoughts and share my findings with yall! I'd really love to create rubber stamps with the Cajun and Creole flags and make denim patches to sell, but that's a later problem, as I still have to teach Wednesday's class!