| Screen Printing with Thickened MX Procion Dye |
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The beauty of screen printing with MX Procion Dye is the soft hand of the resulting
fabric and the permanent quality of the colour.
When screen printing with inks and paint, the design is often hard. Some paints are not
colourfast and either can't be washed or need extra care. MX Procion Dye is permanent
(although it will fade just like any other fabric if left in direct sunlight over a period of
time.)
fabric and the permanent quality of the colour.
When screen printing with inks and paint, the design is often hard. Some paints are not
colourfast and either can't be washed or need extra care. MX Procion Dye is permanent
(although it will fade just like any other fabric if left in direct sunlight over a period of
time.)
| You will need Frame & Screen
of 12” and a set of 16” stretcher bars or a set of 16” & a set of 20” (2 in a set) “Silk Screen”…. Well, not really silk…. Try sheer curtain material (polyester or nylon)….Or a 110 monofilament mesh screen or 10 XX multifilament. (you can order from www.gsdye.com or www.standardscreen. com) Staple Gun – to staple the screen/mesh onto the frame Duct tape – to wrap the edges of the frame and create a “ledge” around the edge of the frame. Fabric
Soda Ash (1/4 cup per 2 quarts of water – note: this is stronger solution than used for immersion dyeing) Pre-soak Prepared For Dyeing fabric for about 15 minutes then hang to dry. If you are not using PFD fabric, pre-wash and dry the fabric, then soak in soda ash solution. Some people like to iron their fabric but once it is treated with soda ash, it will scorch very easily. You will stretch and pin the fabric to a backing before printing so ironing is not necessary but if you decide to try, keep the heat on a very low setting. Sodium Alginate (to 2 cups water + 2 Tablespoons urea + 1-1/2 to 2 Tablespoons Sodium Alginate) – prepare at least 24 hours ahead. It will be lumpy when first mixed but if you stir it every couple of hours, in 24 hours it will be very smooth.
Start with 3 primary colours and black 30 gms dye + 30 gms urea + 1/2 cup water. Combine in a squirt bottle with a lid. This mixture will keep up to several weeks as long as it is not mixed with salt or soda ash. Newsprint – you can tear it or cut it in shapes Masking tape – you can tape it on your screen in grids or shapes “Contact Paper” (adhesive shelf liner) – cut and stick temporary shapes on screen – avoid clear as it is difficult to see what you have cut. Rolls are at a dollar store. Freezer Paper “stencils” cut and pressed on with warm iron (not hot) Leaves, feathers Little scraps of quilt batting or interfacing types of “mask” shapes. Mesh – like an old onion or orange bag, or large needlepoint mesh. Other Equipment 24” squares of Styrofoam insulation (e.g. 2” thick pink or blue) or some kind of base to pin your fabric onto so you can stretch it a bit and keep it from moving and distorting. Squeegee or old credit card or plaster/glue spreader to spread the thickened dye. Poly/plastic drop cloths. You place them under the fabric on top of the Styrofoam base. You then screen print your fabric and when the dye is dry to the touch, you can roll it in the poly to cure for a minimum of 48 hours. Little yogurt type containers to mix dye and alginate. Rubber gloves Old clothes or an apron “T” pins are good or straight pins with a bead-type end (easy to pull out with rubber gloves) Scissors A little cutting mat and exacto knife or box cutter type of knife. Cleanup rags Plastic spoons – about 6 Dishwashing soap and a brush to scrub the screen. Optional: Foam paintbrushes and rubber stamps to play a bit with the thickened dyes. To print: Place a plastic sheet on the Styrofoam then pin pre-treated fabric on about every 6” along the edges. Place your image (designs or leaves, or masking tape or contact paper) on the bottom of the screen and place the screen on your fabric near an edge. Combine about ½ alginate thickener and ½ dye concentrate in a cup and pour some on the duct tape ledge on your screen. With credit card or squeegee, pull thickened dye back and forth across the fabric. Lift the screen carefully and move it to the next space then continue to print fabric. Let the dry to the touch then you can roll it up or place another layer of poly and fabric on top. Pin the next layer of fabric on and do your next print. Curing: Let the fabric cure a minimum of 48 hours at about 70° F or higher: Rinsing: Rinse screen printed fabric a few times in cool water. Put a teaspoon of soap (Synthrapol, T.N.A. Dyers Soap or if you don’t have them, Dawn dishwashing liquid) in a bucket of water and soak the fabric overnight. Rinse until water runs clear. Permanent Screens VS Temporary Screens
permanent but the design is temporary. On the bottom (flat side of the screen), place masking tape or cut shapes from plastic or paper. Once you “ink” the screen, the paper or plastic sticks to the screen and can be carefully lifted and moved along the fabric. You can cut a design out of contact paper with an exacto knife and peel off the backing and stick the design on the screen. It will loosen eventually with the liquid/dye but you can get quite a few prints before it does. The contact paper stencil can be washed and allowed to air dry then stored on waxed paper or freezer paper to use again. Permanent screens are intended to be used many times. They can be made with a photo/light sensitive exposure on special film or you can order them from custom/commercial suppliers. They are used with a slightly different frame than what we are using for temporary screens. There is often a slot for the stencil to slide in. |
The little frame on the left is made from a small
"Pre-stretched" art canvas. They were at the Dollar
store and the canvas was stapled on a wooden
frame ready to be painted. I just removed the
staples and canvas then used the wooden frame
and stapled the sheer curtain fabric/organza on the
frame.
Cut a piece of sheer fabric a couple of inches larger
on all sides. Make about a half inch fold on one side
of the fabric and staple it to the back on one side of
the frame. Pull the fabric taunt and smooth and
staple the opposite side onto the frame (make as
many folds as it takes for the fabric to fit to the back
of the frame. Now fold an end of the fabric, smooth
and make it taunt then staple it down. Finally staple
the remaining end.
To keep the paint from seeping under the wood and
edges of the screen, cover the first 1/2" of the mesh
and up around the frame with duct tape. Begin on
the inside then tape the outside to match the duct
tape over the mesh and wrap it around the outside
wood. Little ends of duct tape can be used to patch
corners if they don't exactly meet.. You can make
one end a little deeper to create a "well" to pour the
dye on.
This construction is not rocket science and doesn't
have to look "pretty" as long as it works.
"Pre-stretched" art canvas. They were at the Dollar
store and the canvas was stapled on a wooden
frame ready to be painted. I just removed the
staples and canvas then used the wooden frame
and stapled the sheer curtain fabric/organza on the
frame.
Cut a piece of sheer fabric a couple of inches larger
on all sides. Make about a half inch fold on one side
of the fabric and staple it to the back on one side of
the frame. Pull the fabric taunt and smooth and
staple the opposite side onto the frame (make as
many folds as it takes for the fabric to fit to the back
of the frame. Now fold an end of the fabric, smooth
and make it taunt then staple it down. Finally staple
the remaining end.
To keep the paint from seeping under the wood and
edges of the screen, cover the first 1/2" of the mesh
and up around the frame with duct tape. Begin on
the inside then tape the outside to match the duct
tape over the mesh and wrap it around the outside
wood. Little ends of duct tape can be used to patch
corners if they don't exactly meet.. You can make
one end a little deeper to create a "well" to pour the
dye on.
This construction is not rocket science and doesn't
have to look "pretty" as long as it works.
If you wish to make your own frame, it is a pretty
simple task. The frame below right is made from
simple stretcher bars found in a craft store. A set of
12" and a set of 16" makes a nice frame to start out.
simple task. The frame below right is made from
simple stretcher bars found in a craft store. A set of
12" and a set of 16" makes a nice frame to start out.
Another option is to just cut out designs in
contact paper and stick them directly on
mesh. Instead of mounting on a frame, I
created flat framing with duct tape on each
side, then I just sponge the thickened dye on
the design.
contact paper and stick them directly on
mesh. Instead of mounting on a frame, I
created flat framing with duct tape on each
side, then I just sponge the thickened dye on
the design.
This frame is the small one I made with the
little art store canvas frame described on the
right above. I used "Mod Podge" to make a
wavy edge and painted an off-centre square
with more mod podge. The centre didn't
block the paint totally so I ended up cutting a
contact paper square and sticking in directly
on top of the centre mod podge square.
On pre-dyed fabric I screened on the red
"frames" and allowed them to dry to the touch
then I screened on the black animals.
little art store canvas frame described on the
right above. I used "Mod Podge" to make a
wavy edge and painted an off-centre square
with more mod podge. The centre didn't
block the paint totally so I ended up cutting a
contact paper square and sticking in directly
on top of the centre mod podge square.
On pre-dyed fabric I screened on the red
"frames" and allowed them to dry to the touch
then I screened on the black animals.
Click on Inspirations Page 5 for more samples.
Harmony Hand Dyes hand-dyed Fabric MX Procion Dye Shiva Paintstiks Tisdale SK Sask Saskatchewan Canada
Sodium Alginate can vary depending on how finely it is ground. 1 kilogram of very fine ground powder is
"fluffier" than a coarser grind. You may need 2 teaspoons of fine grind to equal 1 teaspoon of coarse
grind but the weight of both will be the same.
"fluffier" than a coarser grind. You may need 2 teaspoons of fine grind to equal 1 teaspoon of coarse
grind but the weight of both will be the same.