Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Copics and Fabric

I have had a lot of questions on whether you can use copics on fabric....and of coarse the answer is YES! I love using them on fabric projects....the washability of copics is another issue entirely.
First off....I do try to keep my copic fabric project to those that do not require a lot of washing...For example, projects on cards or scrapbook pages, home decor items such as coasters, book and journal covers.
Copics can go through the wash but you will notice fading after several washes. Take my example below:
UNWASHED:

I stamped these Pure Innocence Girls from My Favorite Things in Versacraft Ink from Tsukineko. I then colored them exactly the same with my copics....cute huh!
I then sealed the one that says "sealed" with my PYMII spray by creative imaginations. This spray is used for scrapbook pages or any kind of item that you want to protect from UV light.
Copics are a dye based alcohol ink so they will fade over time with UV exposure if left unsealed.
WASHED:
Here is a photo after I had done 7 loads of laundry. They went in every load, washing with warm water and Tide in my machine and going through the dryer. I had lots of laundry waiting for me when I returned from Toronto....
See the one on the left that was sealed did seem to keep it's color better. Even the stamped image line stayed better. They both did fade....but still are cute!
I will often stamp and color little onesies....because I know that if it is lucky enough to see the wash 2 or 3 times before the little one has grown out of it that it has done well :)

Also, remember that you do have the option of going back and reinking faded spots if you wish.
I have yet to go to a store that manufactures t-shirts to find out if they have some magical sealant for fabrics or not.....so if you know of something like that....lemme know!

Enjoy your day!

3 comments:

Lynne Phelps said...

This is great information, and thanks so much for the real world examples, washed with Tide no less! :-)

Anonymous said...

Hello Sherrie. It was a pleasure to meet you in Toronto this past Sunday at the Copic Certification. I really appreciate how you pulled it all together after learning your materials did not arrive.

If you have a chance, would you mind letting me know if you have a Canadian source for the Neenah papers?

Take Care - Kelly Polyak

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this information. Yes, I took the Copic certification class and we discussed the use of them on fabric. However, your pictures of actual images that have gone through the washer and dryer gives me a much better concept and makes me willing to give it a whirl. I'm not familiar with any of the sprays used for setting though because I'm actually very new to all of this. If you have the time could you please email me the name of the product used cheribabe@gmail.com
Thanks,
Cheri