Screen printing fabrics for Quilting
So I’ve been toying with this idea for a while but finally took action to screen print some fabrics for use in quilting. The idea of being able to create unique images and short run prints was really appealing to me, and I wanted to screen print specifically for quilting purposes. I also love the freedom of creating something unique but can also be produced for others to enjoy and screen printing gave me this freedom. With this all in mind I will be releasing a line of screen printed quilting fabrics, unique images inspired by our fantastic country. Sign up to my newsletter if you want to know more about accessing unique screen printed fabric for quilting or actually any kind of sewing!
So a little bit about the process of screen printing. Firstly you need a design, and to decide upon the amount of colours included in the design. A single colour is far simpler to screen print than multi colours over a larger area. (Screen printing multi colours on a t-shirt is easier than over fabric lengths!) Given my studio space is rather limited, I opted to go for only single colour and a limited size of fabric to print onto. At this stage fat quarter will be my maximum size. Perfect for quilting with though! Whilst I may be dreaming of 5m plus fabric runs, my space sadly just doesn’t allow it. But maybe one day!
Drawing the image for the screen print… this is the first fun part. Then creating the screen for printing with. I’ve used two methods (one as an exploration – iron on heat transfer vinyl onto the screen, and the tried & true method – get someone to process your screen for you).
A quick insight into burning a screen; the process uses chemicals that can be finicky and you need a good set up (i.e. a dark room/area) to get it right, again not something I have at the moment. So whilst I have the knowledge, I decided it was far better to allow a professional to burn my screens, especially considering they are large screens! If I was doing a t-shirt print, probably would do it at home, but again, so much easier for a professional to do it. You literally email off your design and it comes back on a screen ready to print. So exciting!
Using the heat transfer vinyl is an interesting process, and is good for smaller prints but does have its downside...like weeding a complicated design (yep, that's me). A movie helped...
I have found that the screen prints come out good but haven't been expecting it to produce super fine lines or super detailed work either. Also don't know how long the screen image will last, time will tell. It is great to experiment with and play with designs as well for smaller screen printing projects.
So the screen is done, ready to use. What fabric to use?
I am using 100% cotton fabric from the Devonstone collection.
The cotton is a beautiful fabric suitable for all sorts of sewing adventures, but importantly quilting. The other advantage of using a reputable supplier for the cotton is not only the quality but also the knowledge that “Wheelie Bin” green will always be that colour (plus their names are COOL, and so Australian!). Imagine a screen print on Galah! (a very pretty pink colour) What image would you use?
Inks were another important consideration for me when screen printing. I wanted to be as environmentally friendly as possible, so am using Permaset Aqua Inks. They are nice to use and give a lovely durable result and importantly are water based and totally environmentally friendly. They are 100% solvent free. (Note- I just like this product there are no affiliations with it)
Then the fun part of mixing colours to print and the actual screen printing onto fabric. One day I’ll video it, but not today! Then heat treat the fabrics to ensure it is fixed and ready for use. I have lots of exciting ideas for uses of the screen printed fabric, new patterns are in the works! Unique images deserve a special pattern right? Screen printing on fabric is such a fun process and I am excited to be able to share some of my work with you.
These designs (and others) are in the process of going onto my website. I am excited to be showing my screen prints to the world at the Perth Sewing & Craft Extravaganza in June.
From there they will be available online through my website. To stay tuned for the latest updates on my fabric and patterns... join my newsletter. This will give you early access to things & special discounts.
Plus you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram @breakawaydesign to stay up to date.
I love what I do and am excited to share my journey with you.
Happy sewing
Anita : -)
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