When fabric has been hand painted, it must always be heat set. The following is recommended.

1. Leave to dry then iron as normal on the wrong side for at least three minutes at the maximum heat setting recommended for fabric type.
2. Larger items can be tumble dried in an industrial dryer (at a laundry).
3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Fold fabric and place it into a double layer of thick tin foil, shiny side in. Make sure the foil is properly sealed. Place this parcel in to the oven. Switch oven off. Leave until oven is cool. Remove, undo and re-fold the fabric and place back into the foil, repeating this process a number of times, depending on the size.
4. Wash fabric in the washing machine on a cold wash or by hand with a mild detergent.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Observe high standards of hygiene when using paint to avoid contamination. Take the paint you require out of the container with a spoon and avoid dipping into container with a brush. If thinning paint with water, use distilled water. Place a few drops of antiseptic into brush rinsing water.

DALA SUN COLOUR works well on all fabrics and once heat set is colour fast. Protect clothes well when working with SUN COLOUR as splashes and spills will be difficult to remove.

WET ON WET PAINTING
Painting onto wet fabric is a simple technique. It is suited to bold, free designs as it produces a soft and lively effect. Water, flowers, fruit and landscapes adapt well to this technique. It is also an excellent way to do a background, the motif being added when the background is dry.
Wet the fabric thoroughly and wring out so that it is wet but not dripping. Practice will tell you just how wet. You keep more control when the fabric is drier.
Draw the design in pencil or paint freehand. Apply fairly strong colours as over-diluted colours tend to look washed out. Once painted, the colours will bleed into one another, varying in their speed of spreading. Sea salt or cheap course swimming pool salt can be sprinkled onto certain areas to create speckled effects. This is especially effective on sea backgrounds. The salt draws the moisture and speckles and spots remain. When the fabric is dry the salt can be shaken off and the motifs outlined, with a liner, to give definition.
SPONGING ON
The paint can be sponged onto wet or dry fabric. Wet fabric allows the paint to move more easily, though the result will be slightly lighter. Saturate a sponge with paint and drag it across the surface. The paint will naturally bleed, so take this into account when planning your design.
COLOUR WASHING
Two or more colours, especially those close on the colour wheel, are very effectively washed together, as a background or border. Again use a sponge or very large brush. Wet the cloth first, squeezing out any excess water. Apply the colours in different places, making sure that they touch and run together. New shades will be created where they wash together.
This is also very effective for a border. It is best to have the fabric dry when applying the paint so that there can be no chance of any bleeding into your design area. I use masking tape around the border, but this is only to give it a straight line. The masking tape does not stop bleeding (but this is minimal on dry fabric) as the dye goes right through the fabric. Apply the second colour when the first colour is still wet for the colours to wash together.
DIFFUSING OR ATOMIZING
This creates a fine speckled effect. You can use an air brush, a toothbrush or spray bottle with a fine nozzle. This is useful for backgrounds and for spraying over flour and water resist. It is not suitable for fine work.
FREEHAND – WATERCOLOUR EFFECTS
The paint can also be painted freehand. Wonderful watercolour effects can be achieved, the percentage of bleeding will depend on the type of fabric used. Try using a fan shaped brush for flowers and a brush with a thin point for stems and leaves. Drop one colour into the other and allow to bleed and blend together.

1. Place your fabric onto a board, plastic sheet or work on the grass.
2. For economy, pre-wet the fabric.
3. Paint or sponge the Sun Colour onto your fabric.
4. While the fabric is still wet, arrange stencils, leaves, feathers, cut outs anything that will block the sun onto the fabric. Acetate cut outs are most effective. Make sure that the stencils are pressed firmly onto the fabric.
5. Sea salt or cheap course swimming pool salt can be sprinkled onto certain areas to create speckled effects. This is especially effective on sea backgrounds. The salt draws the moisture and speckles and spots remain.
6. Allow the fabric to dry in direct sunlight. The paint under the stencil bleaches lighter than the sun exposed backgrounds
7. Remove the stencils and heat set a 150 degrees Celsius for 3 minutes.
8. When using an iron, set it to the recommended maximum temperature for specific fabric.
9. Test on a sample swatch to ensure compatibility.

Using a mixture of flour and water as a resist, spread over the desired area. This can either be over an entire background (so that the motive is painted on top) or around a desired motif.
When the paste is dry, crack it by hand, so that small cracks appear all over. Paint over the paste with the sun colour making sure it penetrates into the cracks. Don’t push it in too hard as it will bleed. Leave to dry. Lift the dry paste with a butter knife or, after heat setting, the excess paste can be washed out.
The fabric can also be dyed first using bright sun colours, then the flour and water resist applied onto the lines of your design in a continuous unbroken stream, with a fine nozzle bottle. Once dry a darker shade of sun colour can be painted over the resist and fabric and left to dry. When the resist is removed, the bright colours underneath are revealed giving you a wonderful result!

This project was developed from a desire for more coloured tiles to be used in mosiac.

Method:
¨ Wet the unglazed tiles so that they will absorb the sun paint evenly.
¨ Apply the sun paint. Spread the paint out with a brush if needed.
¨ Arrange the organic materials or paper cut outs in a pleasing design.
¨ Place outside in the sun and allow the tile to dry. (Allow the sun paint to process).
¨ Remove the organic materials or paper cut outs.
¨ Rinse the tile to remove the excess dye under running water.
¨ Place the wet tile in an oven with temperature set a 150 degrees. Switch off the oven
¨ Allow the tile to cool in oven before removing. To obtain a heat resistant tile, seal with a matt varnish. To seal tiles for mosaic, use white wax polish.
ADVANCED TILES!
Occasionally tiles don’t turn out the way you planned them! Don’t despair. Use the method below for a unique tile:
¨ Place Dala casting rubber in a fine liner bottle.
¨ Using the casting rubber as a resist, line a design onto the tile.
¨ Allow to dry (The liner will go on milky and dry clear)
¨ Using a paint brush brush on a layer of paint over the entire tile, allow to dry.
¨ Remove the resist by simply pulling the casting rubber off.
¨ Seal with matt varnish, or white wax polish.

Beautiful paper serviettes readily available from gift shops or plain coloured tissue paper are ideal to bond onto fabric using Dala Waterproofing Medium.
The technique is simple:
¨ Cut out your design from the serviette or use the whole piece. It can be cut with a pair of scissors or torn gently to form a rough uneven edge. It is easier to work with small pieces.
¨ Mark the area on your fabric where you wish to place the tissue with pencil dots. Paint the area with a thin layer of waterproof medium.
¨ Separate the two white layers of serviette from the top design. You will only need the top serviette, but make sure to remove both (2) white layers.
¨ Place the top layer directly onto the waterproofed fabric while the medium is still wet, face up. Work carefully as the tissue is fragile. Once on the fabric, avoid removing as it may tear.
¨ Apply another layer of medium on top of the serviette working from the centre out remove any bumps with one firm brush stroke. Make sure to cover the edges. Dip a finger in medium and gently rub over design to flatten if required. It may appear slightly “antiqued” in appearance which is normal.
¨ Leave to dry. Once dry, iron on a medium setting directly onto serviette, increasing heat slightly. The medium fuses the serviette into the fabric and as it is sandwiched between two lawyers of waterproof medium, it is suitable for washing.

Care for my Dala Glass Liner?
Liners often become clogged and dry. We suggest you remove the applicator nozzle after use and wash it in hot water to remove any product from the delicate tip. The liner is water based and can become slightly thicker with the loss of water through evaporation. Small amounts of water can be added to the product to remedy this. If you wish to apply a very delicate line and find the product too thick, heat the liner by placing in a cup of boiling water. The hot product will now flow faster allowing you to produce fine, delicate outlining.
Clutch pencil nibs can be placed inside our applicator nib to give a finer line than the standard lid. These nibs often need to be taped in place to prevent spillage.

CREATING A WINDOW OR TILE DECAL USING GLASS GLAZE

¨ Using your choice of Glass Liner trace your design on a piece of acetate. For successful lining, slice just the tip of the nozzle at a 45 degree angle. When squeezing the line out through the nozzel the hole should always face you so that the line comes out not as a flat line but as a raised line.

¨ Once the liner has dried, colour the design in with Dala Glass Glaze using a kebab stick. Note never shake the paint before use. Simply stir with the rear end of a kebab stick.
¨ When applying paint, always work around the lined area first. This forms a bond with the liner. Once having completed this, flood the remaining area with paint.
¨ Allow to dry – for a successful finish the acetate must be kept level. If you don’t do this, the paint will run to the lowest point and produce undesirable results.
¨ Cut your design and apply a line of stencil glue around the edge of the back of the acetate. Allow to dry (the glue will become clear when dry)
¨ You may now stick your decal onto a window or a tile. Note the decals may be removed and repositioned without having to reapply the glue.
¨ Alternatively you can glue a piece of coloured foil on the back of the acetate using stencil glue and glue a magnet or a brooch back on the back to make a fridge magnet or a brooch.

TAKE PAINT OFF
Paint your article with undiluted paint. While the paint is still wet, press your stamp onto the wet paint. This will take off some of the paint.
You won’t be able to see the end result immediately, but when your paint is dry, the impression of the stamp is lighter than the rest of your background.
This technique is more dramatic if you use darker colours. Lighter colours leave a subtler imprint. But remember to work fast, or your paint will dry and the technique won’t work!
PUT PAINT ON
With this technique you apply a thin layer of paint to your stamp and then press onto your fabric.
Note that when stamping with t-shirts place cardboard between the front and back of the t-shirt. Always use a sponge when you put paint onto your stamp. You can choose between a high density sponge, a sponge applicator, sponge roller or a sponge pad.
Be careful not to apply too much or too little paint. If you apply too much paint the stamp creates a smudged effect. If you apply too little paint and the stamp does not leave a bold impression, you can realign the stamp and press again.
If you use this technique, it is always better to use a lighter background and a darker colour to print with. Remember that with this technique the background must be dry.

CREATING A WINDOW DECAL
Equipment :

• Acetate sheet
• Cellotape
• Kebab stick
• Paper towel
• Design
• Craft knife

Procedure :

1. Trace a template of your design on the A4 paper (add on 1cm to each side to allow for shrinkage)
2. Tape the acetate sheets together with the design template
3. Apply the paint appeal straight from the bottle, colouring in one section at a time
4. Use the point of the kebab stick to gently smooth out the surface of the applied product and to ensure that adjacent colours are touching
5. Allow to dry thoroughly (2-3 days). A certain amount of shrinkage will occur.
6. Peel the whole design off the acetate backing and measure. If design is a little too large, trim the edges with a craft knife.

Tips

• Use the paper towel to wipe off your kebab stick before using it for a different colour
• Colours can be mixed to create new shades
• Keep your empty bottles to use in future for mixing new colours
• If an area looks messy or is damaged whilst drying, allow it to dry completely and then peel the design off the acetate, cut out just the damaged area using a craft knife, place it back onto the acetate and re-do the missing section, allowing it to dry thoroughly once again