By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Iceandsea.
Block printing turns a plain tote, tea towel or pillow cover into something you would find in a craft market. You draw a design, carve it into a soft rubber block, roll on ink and press. This tutorial follows Iceandsea, a UK printmaker who carves a pair of mushrooms and prints them in neat rows on a canvas tote bag.
It is a forgiving craft. A slightly uneven print reads as handmade, not as a mistake.
Fabric soaks up ink and has a weave, so fine lines can vanish. Keep lines bold, carve them deep, and leave some solid areas. Simple shapes like leaves, mushrooms, stars and flowers work best for a first block. Remember the print comes out as a mirror image. Flip any letters or numbers before you transfer them.
Roll the ink out until it looks like velvet and sounds tacky. Load the block with a thick, even coat. Lay the fabric on a soft surface, such as a folded towel or felt, so the whole block makes contact. Press firmly for about 20 seconds. The first couple of prints are often pale. That is normal; the block needs a few rounds to build up ink.
Let the prints dry fully. Most fabric block printing inks need to be heat set with a dry iron on the back of the fabric before washing. Check your ink's label for the exact time. Wash printed items inside out in cool water.
Once you have a stamp, use it everywhere: tea towels, napkins, pillow covers, a baby onesie, or a set of tote bags as gifts. Prewash new cotton to remove the sizing so the ink soaks in. Mix two stamps for a repeat pattern, or print in a second color once the first is dry.
Wipe the block and roller before the ink dries. Water-based inks rinse off with soap and water; oil-based ones need a little vegetable oil first.
Always push the gouge away from your body and keep your other hand behind the blade. Turn the block, not your wrist, when you go around a curve. A bench hook or a non-slip mat holds the block still.
Stray marks around the design, called noise, are bits of rubber you did not carve away. Cut them down and test again. Patchy prints mean too little ink or uneven pressure. Lines filling in means the cuts are too shallow.
Looking for more fabric projects? Try tie-dyeing a shirt or ice dyeing, add an iron-on patch, or crochet your own tote bag to carry it all.
10 steps · about 11 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Sketch your design in pencil on a piece of paper the size of your carving block. Iceandsea draws a pair of mushrooms so she can use the whole block. Keep the shapes simple and the lines bold. Fine detail is hard to print on fabric, because the cloth soaks up ink and the weave breaks up thin lines.
Tip
Soft graphite, such as a 2B pencil, transfers better than a hard one.
Lay the drawing face down on the pink carving block and rub firmly over the back with a pencil. The graphite transfers to the rubber as a mirror image, which is what you want, because the print flips it back. Lift the paper and go over the faint lines with the pencil so you can see exactly what to carve.
Tip
Tracing paper or drawing straight onto the block both work too.
Use the V shaped tool to carve around the outside of each shape. Push the tool away from you at a low angle and let it glide through the rubber. A V gouge gives a clean, deep cut, which matters on fabric. Turn the block, not your hand, when you follow a curve.
Tip
Keep your holding hand behind the blade at all times.
Switch to a wider U gouge to carve away the areas you do not want to print. This cut is wider and shallower. Go over the cleared areas a few times. Any raised bits left behind pick up ink and print as stray marks, which printmakers call noise. Carve the lines inside the design deep so they do not fill with ink.
Tip
Brush away the rubber shavings often so you can see what is left.
Use your smallest tool for fine details. Iceandsea twists a small gouge in a circle to make the dots on each mushroom cap. Carve details deep and not too close together. On fabric, small details are the first thing to get lost, because you load the block with a lot of ink.
Tip
Test a few dots on a scrap corner of the block first.
With the design finished, take a larger gouge and carve a clear border around each shape. This keeps the edges of the print clean and stops the block edge from printing a line. Work all the way around until each design sits on its own raised island, with nothing else left at the same height.
Tip
Run a finger over the edges. Anything rough will show in the print.
Cut around each design with ordinary scissors, leaving a little margin. Smaller stamps are easier to place on fabric, and you can see exactly where they will land. Any uncarved rubber left over can be used for another stamp. Tidy the cut edges with a larger gouge so they are smooth.
Tip
Soft carving rubber cuts like thick card. Lino will need a craft knife.
Squeeze a line of fabric block printing ink onto a sheet of glass or a smooth tile. Roll it out with a soft roller in several directions until it looks like velvet and makes a sticky, crackling sound. Then roll a thick, even layer onto the stamp. Fabric needs more ink than paper, so do not skimp.
Tip
A spongy fabric roller holds more ink than a hard rubber brayer.
Lay a cloth under a scrap of your fabric so ink does not soak through to the table. Place the inked stamp face down and press with a baren for about 20 seconds, then press again with your fingers. Peel the stamp off. The first prints are often pale, so do a few tests to build up ink and spot any noise to carve away.
Tip
Use the tests to plan your layout before you touch the real fabric.
Lay the tote flat with a cloth inside it to stop ink bleeding through. Set a metal ruler along the fabric as a guide, re-ink the stamp for every print and press it down in a straight row. Iceandsea prints two rows of three mushrooms. Small imperfections from creases are part of the handmade look.
Tip
Let the tote dry fully, then heat set the ink with an iron as the label directs.
Keep going
How to Age Terracotta Pots
How to Block Print on Fabric (Beginner Carving and Printing)
E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
Gorilla
Gorilla Dual-Temp Full-Size Hot Glue Gun
Dual-temp so it handles delicate florals and heavy materials alike. A precise nozzle and built-in stand make it the everyday craft-table gun.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links on this page may be affiliate links - clicking them and buying doesn't change your price, but helps support Show Me Step by Step.
Sunday How-To
One short email with the week's best step-by-step guides. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Did this work for you?
Curated theme pages that include this tutorial.
Hand-picked next reads based on the one you just finished.
Pick the categories you want to hear about. Weekly digest of new step-by-step tutorials. No spam, easy unsubscribe.
Send me tutorials about
