Fabric Paint Jumper

Hello! Today, I'm back with the second jumper transformation after last weeks sequin embellishment [you can read about that here].  Today, we are looking at you, fabric paint.  But not just any fabric paint for me, I'm using glitter fabric paint - but you probably expected that, no?

This method actually turned out to be much easier than the sequin embellishment, so if you are after a quick upcycling of an item of clothing, fabric paint is your best weapon of choice!

Firstly, you must protect the inside of your jumper - anything waterproof from a plastic bag to a cutting mat will do - so long as it will stop the paint transferring through the fabric to the back of the jumper.
I also put my jumper on to make sure I knew the area I wanted the design to be transferred.

You can go straight ahead and free-hand a design with a paintbrush or sponge on to the fabric, use a fabric pen to outline any text or shapes, or trace a design with a air-erasable fabric pen, but for todays post, I created and used a stencil printed from my computer:

[You might recognise the design of this stencil from this post]

I only had card to hand and as the design was fairly simple and wasn't going to get too wet from the paint, this was fine, so I printed my text straight on to this.  I then used a cutting knife to remove the text, keeping hold of the 'b', 'o' and 'i' details before laying out on my jumper:

I was able to hold the stencil in place with my hands, however; for some extra help, I really recommend glue dots [easily removed without leaving any residue on your fabric after], double sided tape or even blue tack.  A little paint at a time, I used a sponge to begin patting the paint over the template, small sections in turn:

...continuing across the stencil and adding more paint if needed as I went along:

Once completed, I removed the template, including 'b' and 'o' details to see how the design had transferred.  For a first layer, the outlines were visible, however; not all the glittler paint had transferred in some areas:

Taking a detail brush, I began adding and building up the paint free-hand, finding it easy to follow the lines already transferred from the template:

I added another layer of paint before leaving to dry and only adding a few minor touch-ups a little later.  The packaging recommends leaving for 72 hours before washing and then your design is complete:

...a simple design, but it has transformed my plain sweater into somehting a little more happy.

see you next time x

Notes:

• Another method of applying the glitter fabric paint would have been to start the design off with a plain gold paint, going over the top with a second coat of the glitter paint - but I found the paint dried so quickly and adding extra paint to areas that needed it no problem or more time at all.
• If you can print the stencil to acetate - this will give a durable [especially if you apply several coats of paint] and re-usable stencil.
• Fabric pens work just as well and will give you a little more control of the outlines - a contrasting colour would look blimmin' brilliant [wish I'd thought of this before I'd started/finished].