Fabric paints and washing out.

I painted with fabric paints the other day onto mercerized cotton and then heat set the resulting image.  I am wondering about the feasibility of washing the fabric since I'm not sure yet if I'm making a pillow or a wall hanging.  I know it's good to have some sort of direction when one sets off, but at this point I'm just not sure.  Such is life!

Anyway, I digress.  This morning I took a small sample of the fabric painting....the section where I was trying out my mixed colours, actually, so it's a very small sample.  Nonetheless, I wanted to give it a try.  I was also a bit concerned that, since I hadn't prewashed the mercerized cotton, there might be some sizing left on it that might prevent the paints from totally bonding with the fabric.  No worries.  I took off a small piece (these pieces are getting smaller and smaller) and kept it to one side when I did the washing.  I'm very pleased with the results.

You'll have to look carefully...I'm sorry the bits are so small.  The piece on the left was washed and then re-ironed and the piece on the right was left untouched, just heat set.  I really don't think there was any change at all.  Success!!!
But as an aside, I must mention that the fabric paint definitely changed the hand of the fabric.  The pears almost feel as if they are on paper, which isn't a very nice feature.  And with the fusible webbing underneath it as well, it really has quite a papery feel, but in all fairness, the mercerized cotton has a very crisp feel to it to start off with.  I'm really not sure I would want a heavily painted section on anything I was going to wear although I haven't tried any other fabrics yet.  And I'm a bit reluctant to stitch too heavily into it either.  Perhaps it might be a nice feature to add after all the quilting is done.  Just thinking.....

On to the next stage: I have stitched the pears on to the piece and have started to do a wee bit of hand stitching.  Now I have to convince the cat that I don't have room for both her and the stitching on my knee at the same time.  And she usually wins.  She is such a little pal, how can I say no!

I'll be back...