Introduction: Spray Printed Fabric

About: The Preval Sprayer is an economical and versatile tool that's great for use in DIY craft projects, home decorating and even home renovating. See what amazing things you can do with the Preval Sprayer in our In…

Do you like to sew? Sometimes you just can't find what you're looking for.

Luckily you can make one of-a-kind fabric using raw canvas and the Preval Sprayer. Read on to learn how.

Step 1: What You Need

  • Raw canvas
  • Painter’s tape
  • Fabric paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Pencil
  • Bone folder
  • Exacto knife
  • Contact Paper
  • and Scissors

You’ll also need:

  • Preval Sprayer
  • Self-healing mat
  • Cardboard or scrap paper
  • Several copies of your printed design

Step 2: Transfer the Design

Trace along the edges of your design with a soft lead pencil. (We used an artist's pencil: B9.) Then, tape the traced image face down onto contact paper and, using the bone folder, transfer the image.

Step 3: Make a Bridge for the Stencil

Your design might need a bridge -- or connector -- to hold floating elements in place like the gaps between the elephant’s trunk and legs. To make the bridges for our design, we drew 2 straight lines from the floating gaps to the edges of the feet and trunk. (See the video for the step-by-step process.)

Step 4: Cut the Stencils and Design

Next, cut out the stencil, and also cut along the bridge lines. When you've cut out the entire design, remove the negative image and set it aside.

At this point, you might use your scissors to clean up any jagged lines or cut away excess from the design.

With multiple stencils cut out, remove the backing from the contact paper and stick it onto the canvas in a pattern you like.

Step 5: Prepare the Preval Sprayer

For this project, add 1.5 to 2 ounces of fabric paint and 1 ounce of water to the jar. You want the paint to be the thickest consistency possible, while still being able to spray. Cap the jar, shake and attach the spray can.

TIPS:

1. Test Spray - Do a few test sprays with your stencils on scrap fabric to test the consistency. The danger in too-thin paint is bleeding edges.

2. Use paper towels - If the design bleeds after finding the thickest ratio of paint to water, place folded paper towels under the fabric to soak up the excess paint.

Step 6: Spray Print the Fabric

Tape the fabric to your work surface. Then, cover exposed fabric with scrap paper and/or cardboard.

Spray a couple of even coats onto the stencil and repeat along the length of the fabric.

Let the paint dry, and then hand paint the bridge gaps with a fine-tip paintbrush to complete your design. When you’re done, use your fabric as is, frame it, or sew it into something special.