One creative way to introduce color into your wardrobe is by choosing your own colors and painting them yourself! This is a fun way to flex your creative muscles by creating your own designs and playing with paint – something I definitely don’t do enough of. After you paint the fabric, choose a fun pattern to show off what your work! I chose a free pattern, Peppermint Ruffle Sleeve Top, and hacked it by extending the bodice to turn it into a shift dress.

Here’s a look at the final outcome:

Materials:

• 3 yards of 44″ unbleached muslin from Hobby Lobby
• paintbrush of your choice – I had this one laying around that I purchased from a craft store, nothing too fancy!
• paper plate (or any piece of cardboard) that will act as a paint palette – make sure it’s durable enough that the paint won’t bleed through!
• if painting inside, a large tarp or big piece of cardboard to put underneath your fabric to protect your painting surface. Using cardboard also gives a sturdier surface which helps achieve smoother brushstrokes
• acrylic medium for fabric
• acrylic paints – I used red and pink tubes of Liquitex paint, chosen because it was the same brand as the fabric medium. You could definitely use any type of acrylic paint.

Instructions

• prewash and dry your fabric – this is to remove any residues that may be on your fabric so that your paint will adhere well!

• mix fabric medium with paints 1:1 – I didn’t do this using any exact measurements, I just eyeballed it
• paint! I used the pink first, followed by the red paint.
• allow to dry overnight! It seemed mostly dry after about 5 hours but just to be safe I waited overnight.

• sew up your fabric into a garment to show off your work! don’t forget to take pictures 🙂

Do you all have any tips or tricks for painting your fabric? Share them below 🙂

Danica