The Textile Artist's Studio Handbook

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(Fogra 39) Job:02-28051 Title:RP-Textile Artist Handbook

#175 DTP:225 Page:120

104-121_28051.indd 120 3/6/12 8:52 PM

(RAY)

(Fogra 39) Job:02-28051 Title:RP-Textile Artist Handbook

#175 DTP:225 Page:121

104-121_28051.indd 121 3/6/12 8:52 PM

(Text)

THE T E X T ILE ART IST 'S STUDIO HANDBOOK

120

P RINT ING

PROJECT:

tools

• 2" (5.1 cm)-wide

spatula or plastic

spackle knife

• Squeegee in the

appropriate size

• Masking tape

• Piece of cardboard

• Drop cloth or tarp

instructions

1. Prep your printing area by laying a drop cloth or

tarp on a padded surface or a clean, hard surface.

This project is a good example of a time that the

one-off hinge system would work well (see Tip on

page 111).

2. Place the cardboard on the inside of the tote bag,

underneath the area you will be printing to prevent

bleeding through to the other side.

3. The print shown here uses two layers, one for

the body of the “blocks” and one for the outline.

Burn both stencils (page 118); we were able to fit

both on the same screen since the images both fit

comfortably on the screen.

4. Place the first stencil layer, the blocks, on the front

of the tote bag and line up the tote and screen so

the image prints at the desired location. With the

screen flat against the tote bag, use the knife/spat-

ula to evenly distribute a line of red ink across the

area where you will be passing the squeegee [a].

5. Place your squeegee in the line of ink so that the

bottom edge is evenly coated [B]. Be sure to use a

squeegee length that is appropriate for the image;

it should not be smaller than the width of your

image or much larger, either.

materials

• Exposed screen (see

page 118) of any

desired image

• Fabric ink in two

desired colors

• Plain cotton tote bag

Simple Screen-

Printed Tote

Screen printing can be done on so many surfaces

and decorate countless things. We have created a

simple tote bag with a two-layer print. Check out

other methods of design on the exact same type

of bag in the Dyeing chapter. Just imagine what

happens when you combine these two methods!

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(Fogra 39) Job:02-28051 Title:RP-Textile Artist Handbook

#175 DTP:225 Page:120

104-121_28051.indd 120 3/6/12 7:31 PM

(Text)

ThE T E x T ilE ArT isT 's sTudio hAndbook P rinT inG

121

6. When the ink is evenly distributed on the squee-

gee, make your first pass over the image; this

is called flooding the screen [C]. The ink will be

pushed through the screen and moved to the op-

posite side of the image [d].

7. Lift the squeegee and make an additional pass

over the image, pulling the majority of the ink with

it. Hold the squeegee at a 45 degree angle to the

screen with one or two hands (depending on the

size of the image) and pull the squeegee toward

you, applying even steady pressure and maintain-

ing the angle.

8. Remove the excess ink from the screen and

squeegee with the plastic knife and put it back in

the ink container.

9. Lift the screen, separating it from the tote bag.

Voila! You have completed the first layer [E].

10. For the second layer, or black outline shown here,

wait at least 30 minutes for the ink to dry. While

you’re waiting, clean the screen with a normal

pressure hose, removing all signs of the first color

ink. Your screen must be dry before starting the

second layer.

11. Repeat the same steps to print the second layer;

however, before you flood the screen, make sure

the layers are registered as desired and the sec-

ond layer is where it belongs [F, G, H, I, J, K].

12. After you print the second layer, you can easily

heat-set the tote bag using a cotton rag and hot

iron. When the ink is dry, place a cotton rag over

the image. Heat an iron to the cotton setting and

iron over the cotton rag for a minute or two. This

will heat-set the ink, helping it adhere to the fabric

so that the image does not wash off.

A

C

E

G

I

K

B

D

F

H

J

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(Fogra 39) Job:02-28051 Title:RP-Textile Artist Handbook

#175 DTP:225 Page:121

104-121_28051.indd 121 3/6/12 7:31 PM