Colourfast textile ink for fabric painting and printing. Startex comes in strong, bright colours which can be applied by brush, roller, stencil or screen. Suitable for painting and printing designs on T-shirts, pillowcases, cushions, tablecloths, and tote bags with an easy heat-set process for permanence. Most fabrics require laundering to remove sizing, and we recommend sample testing fabric to ensure suitability. Startex Clear Medium can be mixed with colours to reduce the depth of colour without affecting the performance.
You will need the following:
• Five Star Startex Textile Ink (5 colours)
• Five Star Foam Rollers x 5
• Plain white T-shirt
• Self-adhesive contact paper
• Scissors/craft knife
• Ruler
• Cardboard
Method:
Step 1:
Wash the T-shirt to remove any sizing from the fabric, dry and iron it flat.
Step 2:
Using the scissors or /craft knife, cut a large piece of cardboard to the shape of the shirt, including the arm holes. Make it slightly larger than the size of the T-shirt and slide it inside. This is to pull the fabric tight while painting and protect the textile ink from transferring to the back of the shirt.
Step 3:
Using the contact paper, scissors/craft knife and ruler, cut out a varying-sized triangle and diamond shapes and lay them onto the T-shirt to make the design.
Step 4:
Once you are happy with the design layout, peel the backing off the contact paper and stick it firmly to the T-shirt.
Step 5:
Pour out a little of each of the Startex colours onto a piece of cardboard, and using a roller for each colour, roll each colour in a band as shown onto the T-shirt.
Step 6:
Now start blending the colour changes using the rollers, so the colours overlap and blend together. Ensure the Startex has good coverage, especially on the seams of the shirt.
Step 7:
Once you are happy with your Startex colour effect, carefully remove the contact paper taking care not to get any colour onto the white areas of the T-shirt.
Step 8:
Leave to dry overnight.
Step 9:
Heat setting process to permanently fix the Startex to the fabric: IRON: Place fabric, paint side up, between clean papers (not printed papers) and iron on a hot setting, constantly moving to prevent burning, for a minimum of 4 minutes.
Heat setting:
Use a DRYER for large items: Place the item in the dryer on a hot setting for 45 minutes. Allow to age for 48 hours, then repeat the process.
TIP: The addition of water should be done sparingly as this will affect the fastness properties.
Note: Startex is an educational craft product not intended for commercial purposes.
