Finishing Printed Fabric

Properties & Qualities

Application

Art Furnishing Product

Qualities

2D Colourful Textured / tactile

Colour

Blue Orange

Sample Information

Date of Creation

February 24th, 2023

Dimensions

100 cm x 50 cm

Culture & Context

There are many different ways to fix a design onto fabric.The two main ways with printing are wet heat (steam) or dry heat. It depends on what you have used for printing. Dye print pastes tend to be steamed to set the printed pattern. Whereas pigment print pastes use dry heat. Here you can see images of pigment printed fabric so I use a heat press to set the colour and pattern on to the fabric. This means it will wash better and last longer.

Process & Production

Once I have finished my design I let it dry. If there’s time I like to leave it on the print table to dry for one to two days. Then I take it off the table, making sure all tape and pins are removed, and place it into the heat press. I use teflon sheets to protect the press, one under the fabric and one on top of it. The heat press is pre-heated to 150°c and I put the fabric in for 2 minutes. With a wall hanging I often have to put different sections of fabric in one at a time until all of the wall hanging is complete. I could also use an iron but this is a bit inconsistent in regards to heat and timings. Once the fabric is heat set I wash it out. The rule of thumb is cold (water), hot (water), cold (water). This rinses out any excess pigment, excess binder and rinses off soap. On the hot/warm wash step I use Metapex (also called synthrapol) to wash the fabric. This is a good, concentrated, soap agent that stops colours from running on to lighter areas of the fabric. You need the littlest of drops for this. If hand washing then rub the fabric gently together or I will wash on a cool setting in a washing machine on a short cycle. Metapex is also great for cleaning the fabric before you print in order to take off any coatings on the fibers therefore making the cloth print ready. Ring out/spin then hang up to dry. With linen I spin it in my separate small spinner. Then I iron it damp on the back of the fabric. This takes out folds well, as linen is prone to crease.

Recipe Details

Equipment/Sundries Used: Heat pressLarge sink/basin for hand washing or a washing machineMetapex 38 – approx 1 teaspoon per 1 litre of water / 1 small cap full for a machine wash – not a lot.SpinnerClothes HorseIron + Ironing board