How coloring your fabric meets up with a fabulous quilting experience

Yesterday I talked about the fabulous ways to use FABRIC FUN Fabric Markers including some basic information on how to prepare the fabric for coloring.

Today I’ll use a printed fabric to show you how this helps you to learn and develop coloring skills. For this technique, I’m using two fabrics from Black and White With a Dash of Color by Northcott.

Ready, Set, Color!

There are endless possibilities for coloring on print fabrics.

Black and white prints are the easiest to learn on because they give clear boundaries to work with.

It’s kind of like having a coloring book on fabric, all ready for you to add your personal touch.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, FABRIC FUN Fabric Markers come in a wide variety of colors both bright and primary.

Choosing which one to use first is probably the hardest part.

An easy way to start is to use a single color to completely fill in an area of design. Use the thin tip to get into small areas and the thick tip where you’re working on larger areas.

If you just want to see what the colors look like you can “go wild” and use them all at once for a whimsical looking design.

Using a variety of similar colors within a design can add depth and dimension.

A detailed print gives many design options.

I started by coloring a repeat element with the primary pink.

Use a light touch for limited color saturation or a firm pressure for deeper more intense color.

The fine tip will give a softer appearance while the thick tip instantly gives more ink flow for a deeper richer effect.

Uncolored areas of design within a colored area add a touch of light for sparkle and can be also used to add in different colors later.

Use several shades or colors on a single design element for a more detailed three dimensional look.

If you add different colors in areas left previously uncolored each color will remain separate and pure.

Because the FABRIC FUN Fabric Markers are so fast drying you can also layer colors on top of one another creating entirely new color variations.

Here, a little of the bright collection goes a long way.

Let the pattern on the fabric guide you to color at the correct angle.

I followed the direction of the veins on the leaves and varied the pressure on the pen throughout.
This gives a natural almost painted effect.

Continue coloring areas of the design.

Color individual motifs all the same or all different, whatever you find pleasing. You can leave some areas of the design uncolored for an interesting contrast.

Coloring on fabric is just so much fun that I often can’t quit until everything is colored!

Remember to heat set by pressing with a dry iron on cotton setting.

You can use your colored fabrics for garments, crafting, quilting and more.

They look great by themselves or combined with the original print.

Come back tomorrow as we use our new coloring skills, FABRIC FUN Fabric Markers and plain fabric to create our own, one of a kind designs.