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PAINTING ON KNIT
All you need is paint and your imagination:
Wash knit
Wash and treat your knit fabric as you usually would in preparing the garment/item. Leave the side seams open until after painting, this will be easier to handle the item to paint. Cotton yarns or blends seem to work the best, however, experiment. Fuzzy yarns tend to distort the painted design BUT, then again you might want that effect.
Kinds of paints available; Fabric paint; Acrylic pant; Textile Medium. You can mix colours to get the colour you are looking for. Read all instructions on paint container for special instructions. Some paints will air dry to a permanent colour after approx 24 hours. Some paints you need to heat set the colour with a dry iron.
Flat short bristles brushes, they come in various sizes; Sponges; Sponge shapes; lace fabric used as a stencil. Your own handprint. Try some different vegetables cut. Paint free-hand. The sky’s the limit and beyond!
Fairisle patterns; paint on knit yardage; garment piece(s) with single motif; only paint part of a fairisle pattern; paint all over pattern.
NOTE: Try these techniques on fabric; wood; plastic; paper; walls; just look around, what can be painted?
Use a plastic cover on your table or paper to protect table/work surface; keep paper towels handy for spills and ooop’s; Have cardboard or something firm for under the part you are painting for a firm surface to work on,
Do not have the paint too wet and runny as it will run under the stencil. You can make your own stencil by using a purchased Mylar sheet and cutting out a design. Lay the stencil onto the fabric, hold firmly down with one hand while you dab the paint onto the stencil with the brush. Slowly pull up the stencil, one bit at a time, wipe off stencil ready to use again. Be careful not to put the stencil on top and/or too close to the wet paint. If you are painting two colours with one stencil, think of what colour you want on top. Red flower first, then new brush with Green paint for leaves or vise versa..
The stamps should be a good thickness to see all details on knit. I like sponge brushes to dab the paint onto the stamps then press stamp onto fabric. Be careful to place firmly on fabric and lift off carefully. The hard surface under the fabric is handy here.
Here you so many options; two colour fairisle. Choose a lighter colour yarn that you will be painting to show the colour. It is like painting by numbers, only the numbers are in your head and imagination. Use stick or stin brushes, depending on the size of area you are painting.
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| Stencil and sponge designs. | Fairisle | Fairisle diamonds plain and painted. |
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| Plain and painted Fairisle | Iron on design and then painted freehand. | Plain fairisle then painted and shaded for depth. |
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| Squares before and painted | Painting on chunky yarn. | Garter carriage cherrys - plan and painted |
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| Roses - look how they come alive | Garter carriage teddy - painted you can see him | Garter carriage, you cannot see any design until you add paint |
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| Burst of colour and painted bag | Single motif, plain and painted | Plain and painted |
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| Stencil air ballons | Add colour to a star design | Garter carraige cannot see design, but add some paint and it comes alive |
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| Lots of colour can be added to this design | Stamped flowers and leaves | Stencil heart on a little girls dress |