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Be careful to adjust the temperature of the iron to the appropriate heat setting for the fabric.

2. Try to use natural fibers.
While textile medium is a very versatile product, it works best when combined with acrylic paints and applied to a natural, rather than synthetic, fiber. At a minimum, when using textile medium, the natural fiber content should be fifty percent. Anything less and the paint will not last as long as it should.

3. Have a design in mind.
Planning a fabric painting design before going at the fabric with a brush and paint is always a good idea. The most basic technique would be using a foam or rubber stamp in a simple pattern to create a painted print. Next up would be using a premade stencil. Spray some temporary adhesive to the back of the stencil, place exactly where you want it on the fabric, and apply the paint/textile medium combination to the fabric with a stenciling brush. The next level would be cutting an original stencil. For fabric work, the easiest way is to use freezer paper. Cut freezer paper down to an appropriate size. Then either draw or print a design on the freezer paper. Cut out the design with a craft knife, making sure to leave no islands (isolated areas intended to block the paint). Iron the freezer paper to the fabric and stencil away. The freezer paper should lift right up. The hardest technique would be freehand painting with brushes. The best plan would be to sketch out a design scheme to scale and practice if possible.

Fabric painting can be a lot of fun, but it doesn't have to be excessively costly. By using textile medium with acrylic paints, there is only a need to add one additional supply to a crafter or artist's storage area.

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