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Handpainted Table Runner

Our Place : Episode OPL-258 -- More Projects »
PHOTO
Designer Michelle Newman shows how to create a handpainted silk table runner (see photo at right).

Materials:

freezer paper
silk
iron
spray bottle with water
fabric paint (Dye-Na-Flo brand was used on the show.)
paintbrushes
salt
silk thread
embroidery needle
batting
beaded trims

* Note: The source of inspiration for this project was a snapshot of a Santa Fe sunset that Michelle took with her Pentax camera. The brilliant colors melded together and blended beautifully, and she wanted to reproduce that in this project.

Steps:

  1. Lay freezer paper on a flat surface and iron silk onto the paper. This prevents the silk from moving around and keeps the paint from soaking through.
PHOTO

Figure A
PHOTO

Figure B
PHOTO

Figure C
  • Dampen silk with water from a spray bottle (figure A).

  • Dilute fabric paint with water--the more water, the more pastel the color will be.

  • Paint the fabric, overlapping the paint so that the colors bleed into each other, from lightest to darkest (figure B).

  • Before the paint dries, sprinkle it with salt to make a starry effect (figure C).

  • Paint the second piece of fabric (this will be the back of the table runner) with a dark color to simulate the night sky. Sprinkle with salt.

  • Add water to metallic gold paint until the paint has the consistency of soup. Wet a brush, then tap it so that the gold sprinkles onto the fabric. Let dry.

  • Dry the fabric in commercial dryer to set the paint.
    • PHOTO

    Figure D
  • Sew the top and bottom pieces of the fabric together with batting in between (figure D). Embroider with rayon floss, if desired.

  • Add trim as desired.
    • Resources
    batting products
    These products are typically available at Michaels, Jo-Ann's and Wal-Mart.
    Fairfield Processing Corp.
    Website: www.poly-fil.com

    fabric paint--Dye-Na-Flo
    Rupert, Gibbon & Spider Inc. / Jacquard Products
    Website: www.jacquardproducts.com

    Handpainting Fabric: Easy, Elegant Techniques
    by Michelle Newman, Margaret Allyson
    Watson-Guptill Pub, 2003
    Guests
    Michelle Newman
    Textile Designer, Opulent Textiles
    Fabric painting workshops are available.
    E-mail: Michellenewmandesigns@hotmail.com
    Also in this Episode
    Our Place : Episode OPL-258
    •Handpainted Table Runner
    •Bronze Sculpture
    •Hammered Bronze Finish
    •Trade Secrets
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