Crafty Hoarding: Fabulous Fabrics—Using Fabric with Stamping.

Here's an article I wrote a few years ago. The projects may be old, but there are still some great tips I wanted to share.

Using fabric on your cards is a fun way to add color and texture to your stamping. You may have bits of fabric in your studio already, but even if you don’t fabric is an inexpensive purchase. A fabric store will probably sell small lengths that are just right for you. An eighth of a yard will measure four and a half inches by the width of the fabric. This should be sufficient for almost any card-making project you imagine and it won’t set your stamping budget into a spin, either.
100% Silk Peau de Soie is stamped using dye ink. Nylon tulle is added underneath the fabric flower for extra depth and interest.


Buy several different types of fabric and experiment to see what effects you can get at home. You can stamp on silk or cotton, organza or linen and you will get wonderful results!
Purchased Linen Tag is stamped using pigment ink.

You local store will have just what you want, or you may find ready-made fabric items elsewhere that are just begging to be stamped!
Pre-made Organza Pouch is stamped with pigment inks.

Tips on working with fabric:
1. If you fabric tends to ravel, you can bond it on the back with fusible interfacing, stitch it with a zigzag stitch on your machine, or use a product such as June Tailor’s Fray Block.

2. Try letting your fabric fray on purpose and make a fringed/frayed edge.

3. Fabric that is cut on the bias (45 degree angle cut diagonally from the edge) is less likely to fray.

4. When stamping on a sheer fabric, be sure to place a piece of cardstock underneath the fabric to soak up the extra ink. Let the fabric dry completely before moving it.

5. Experiment with stamping a solid image onto a textured fabric like linen or burlap to make in image and remove some ink from the stamp. Do a second stamp onto cardstock to get an interesting pattern from the weave of the fabric!

6. Striped or patterned fabric cut or torn into strips makes a great ribbon accent on a card.

Credits:
1. Floral & Paisley stamps from Stampin Up. Sentiment stamps from Purple Onion Designs. Paper from Bazzil, Club Stamp, and unknown. Organza drawstring pouch unknown. Brilliance metallic inks used on cardstock, Colorbox pigment inks used for stamping on organza. Vellum pieces inside pouch are stamped with Stampin Up dye inks.

2. Stamps from Home Impressions, Hero Arts, & Stampin Up. Linen tag, patterened paper & chipboard alphabet tiles from Lil’ Davis. Bread twist ties and acrylic purse tile from Club Stamp. Brilliance pigment inks used on linen, and Ranger Distress Inks used on cardstock.

3. Stamps from Club Stamp. Cardstock from Bazzil; patterened paper from Close to my Heart and Creative Imaginations, stitched with Coats & Clarks rayon embroidery thread. Hand-dyed pearl cotton is from Minnamurra. Button, flower & hatpin unknown. Stampin Up dye inks used for all stamping.