Instructions for Heat-Setting Fabric Paint on Fabric
- 1). Cover the ironing board with a piece of scrap cloth. Make sure the cloth covers the entire ironing board.
- 2). Place the painted fabric on the ironing board. The painted side of the fabric should be face down against the scrap cloth on the ironing board. When placing the painted fabric on the board, make sure that the fabric lies completely flat and that all bubbles and folds are flattened. If the painted areas on the front of the fabric touch against each other, the paint may mix and mess up your design.
- 3). Turn the iron to the “cotton” setting and wait for one to two minutes for the iron to heat up. Iron over the back of the painted fabric for three or four minutes, constantly moving the iron to prevent burning and to make sure the entire design is heat-set evenly. If the entire design does not fit on the ironing board at one time, move the painted fabric when you finish heat-setting the first section and iron the next section the same way.
- 4). Wait at least 24 hours before washing the heat-set fabric. Some paint manufacturers recommend waiting two or three weeks before washing, even after heat-setting the fabric. So, if you don’t need to wash the painted fabric right away, it’s best to wait as long as possible.