Machine Washable Hand Painted Clothing
Have you ever been interested in beautiful custom clothing, only to find out that you have to hand wash it? How fast did you hit the "close" button?
If you are going to spend money on hand painted clothing, wouldn't you like to know that it is high quality and machine washable?
At Fingerprints Boutique, you can purchase hand painted clothing that is
Hand Painted Clothing Techniques
My first experiments with hand painted clothing were disastrous! Not only was the clothing stiff and uncomfortable, but half the paint cracked or faded in the washing machine!
Before Washing After Washing
This Dalamatian shirt was one of my first hand painted clothing attempts. You can see how faded and cracked the shirt looked after a few washings, even though it is scrunched up. It was barely recognizable when I got rid of it a few months ago.
My initial thought was, "I can't sell this! I wouldn't buy it myself!" As a mom, I was not willing to sell hand painted clothing that is not machine washable.
Instead of giving up, I began doing research on hand painted clothing, talking with experienced fabric painters. Over time, I have developed my machine washable hand painted clothing by using
High Quality Paint
Using the wrong paint can cause stiffness, fading, and cracking. I had been using craft acrylic paint, which does not adhere very well to fabric fibers without textile medium. At first, I thought about adding this essential ingredient, available at most craft stores, to my acrylic paints.
Another fabric painter told me about a high quality paint called
DecoArt SoSoft. This acrylic-based fabric paint has
the perfect amount of textile medium already added.
My new DecoArt SoSoft paints applied smoothly, drying to a soft glossy finish with vibrant colors. When I took the hand painted clothing out of the washing machine, I was elated to see colors just as vivid, with
no fading or cracking. After the shirt had air dried, it looked exactly the same and felt even softer!
Once, I ran out of black in DecoArt SoSoft and substituted Tulip Soft, which is a totally different paint. The result was puffy paint that started flaking off! Because of that experience, I never mix brands or types of paint.
Proper Fabric Painting Techniques
After a few months of great success with my new paints, a customer contacted me to say that one of her hand painted shirts had cracked. Another customer said she saw cracking on a pair of hand painted jeans after three or four washings.
Yet another customer sent me these pictures to show that she had slight cracking on her pumpkin shirt after a few washings. Although they were not nearly as terrible as my first attempts, my heart sank to my feet.
Before Washing After Washing
If my hand painted clothing was not machine washable, even with the new paints, could I stay in business?
Once again, I contacted experienced fabric painters who introduced me to more advanced fabric painting techniques.
Watering Down the Undercoat Paint
Too much of even the right paint can cause cracking or fading. Since my hand painted clothing is highly detailed, I had to find a way to use less paint for the same effect.
Since the problem was with denim and colored shirts, I began watering down my layer of white undercoat, which is absolutely necessary for maintaining the brightness of the colors.
Wet-on-wet Fabric Painting Technique
There were times I would let that white undercoat sit overnight before applying the colors. While hand painted clothing should never be rushed, too much dry time between coats or layers can cause fading and cracking.
The fabric painting technique that solved this problem is
wet-on-wet. With a thinned undercoat, I was able to easily apply color while the paint was still wet. I also learned to add shades and highlights to wet paint.
I chose one of my most complicated designs, the unicorn, to test this new fabric painting technique. Even with many colors, including quite a bit of white, the unicorn looked and felt great after washing!
Before Washing After Washing
These pictures of the hand painted unicorn look almost identical! Even though I labeled these when I uploaded them, I was taken aback by how similar they looked! If you look very closely, you can see that the second picture is a little closer to the shirt than the other, showing the entire horn. Even the glitter paint looks the same! (The white dots in the second picture are merely glitter, which shows better in the closer picture.)
Quality Fabric
Rib knits, sweater knits, spandex, nylons, and other kinds of stretch fabrics are not good choices for hand painted clothing. Even high quality fabric paint can crack as these materials stretch with wear and washing.
I prefer to use cottons, cotton blends, sweatshirt fleece, and denim. Silks are also a good fabric for painting, although I do not currently offer any.
Even quality fabrics should never be chemically treated. The detergent used in prewashing should be carefully selected, to be sure there are no additives like bleach, fabric softener, or oxi-clean. The prewash process should also include extra rinsing to be sure that all detergent is out of the garment.
Hand Painted Clothing Results
My designs stay brilliant and vibrant, even after frequent wear. Since my hand painted clothing is so comfortable, I feel confident even creating designs for babies! My customers frequently tell me how pleased they are with the quality of my merchandise!
Satisfied Customers
The following pictures were sent to me by a repeat customer who has had continued success with washing her hand painted clothing.
She purchased this hand painted Husky family tee shirt as a Father's Day gift for her husband in 2006. These pictures were taken February 2007, after almost a year of machine washing and wear. Even I was stunned by how fantastic this shirt still looks!
Since I hand painted the design before I learned the wet-on-wet technique, there is some minor cracking in the puppy closeups. Due to the tremendous amount of time and paint required, I do not currently have this design available.
Another repeat customer says:
"I love Jen's hand painted clothing. The details are amazing and they are so much better in person than the pictures. I have bought hand painted clothing before and was really disappointed, but these are great. The quality of the shirts and pants are amazing. I have washed and accidentally DRIED Chloe's set three times now (well my husband did) and they look as great as when we first got them. I definitely highly recommend Jen's work!"~Deena Licht of Tulsa, OK
Guaranteed Products
You can be confident that you are purchasing hand painted clothing created by a mom with moms in mind! Your items are guaranteed against cracking and fading!
At the small chance that my hand painted clothing should ever crack or fade, I do offer free touch-ups at my own expense. Please see my Personal Guarantee for more details.
Before Washing After Washing After Washing Closeup
I hand painted this turkey shirt for my daughter for Thanksgiving 2005. She also wore it last year. These pictures were taken in April 2007, a year and a half later. Although it was not worn often, this hand painted shirt was washed and dried several times. Not even the glitter paint has faded or washed off!
Hand Painted Clothing Washing Instructions
Some designs have so much detail and paint that they must be Hand Wash Only items.
This is indicated in the specific listings of any hand painted clothing that requires hand washing! If it does not specify, then it is machine washable.
I include washing instructions with each purchase. If you do not receive washing instructions, please let me know! For your convenience, they are as follows:
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Turn garment inside out.
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Use mild detergent without chemical additives like bleach, fabric softener, or oxi-clean.
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Wash with cold water on gentle cycle.
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Line dry.
I use regular Tide detergent myself. Scented detergent should not affect the clothing. I recommend avoiding the dryer, since the high heats of some dryers can cause minor cracking or fading in hand painted clothing.
Before Washing After Washing
I hand painted these frog princess jeans for my daughter in August 2006. Since she wears them all the time, I lazily threw them in the dryer many times. You may see similar fading if you repeatedly put your hand painted clothing in the dryer.
