There are many ways of colouring your own fabric, using either dyes or fabric paint.
When you dye fabric with Procion MX Dyes, the molecules of the dye form a permanent covalent bond with the fabric molecules. Procion dyes are non-toxic, easy to use and applied at room temperature. They are wash-fast and light-fast. They do not change the hand of the fabric – it remains as soft as it was originally. Fibre-reactive dyes work on 100% cellulose fibres – cotton, linen, hemp, viscose rayon, jute, ramie and silk. The dye is transparent, so can be used to over-dye commercial or previously dyed fabrics; the colour will be affected by the previous layer of colour.
Fabric paint (sometimes referred to as Ink) is usually an acrylic compound and sits on the surface of the fabric which affects the feel of the cloth. Depending on the technique used, the cloth can sometimes feel quite firm, even heavy; it will always be a little stiffer than the original fabric. Textile paints will work on any fibre or combination of fibres.
Avoid fabrics with permanent-press, stain-resistant, flame-retardant or water-repellent finishes. These fabrics will not dye well and are difficult to paint successfully.
There is a place for both dyes and paints in the colouring of cloth, particularly for art textiles. Combining both dyes as a first layer and then using thickened dyes or paints for printing, stamping, screen printing, produces beautiful pieces of fabric.
