This is a really simple technique, but one we’re just trying out for the first time, so we wanted to share it with you. We have tons and tons of acrylic paint, but no fabric paint. We recently wanted to do a Handprint Mothers Day craft with the kids, but didn’t want to purchase several different colors of fabric paint when we already have so much acrylic paint. We knew you could turn acrylic paint into fabric paint by adding a fabric medium, but we’d never tried it ourselves.
There are a few different brands of fabric medium out there, but we went with Martha Stewart, because it’s relatively inexpensive, had good reviews on Amazon, and states that it’s able to be mixed with any brand of acrylic paint.
To use the fabric medium, you simply mix 1 part fabric medium with 2 parts acrylic paint. The fabric medium is a liquid that mixes easily with the paint and thins it out a bit. It did not dilute the color of the paint as far as we could tell.
Wash and dry your fabric prior to painting if possible, then paint away. After the paint is completely dry (at least 24 hours), you need to heat set it for permanency and washability. Most fabrics can be heat set using an iron on medium or high heat for 3-5 minutes. It’s recommended to put a scrap piece of fabric between the paint and your iron to ensure no paint is transferred to your hot iron, or turn the garment inside out and iron on the non-painted side. Continuously move the iron so you don’t burn the fabric. You can also heat set fabric paint by putting the garment in the dryer for about an hour. Once you’ve set your fabric paint, you want to wait about a week or so before washing it again.
One thing to note is that while we were painting a thin, flour-sack type dish towel, our DIY fabric paint soaked through a bit onto the table underneath. We aren’t sure if this happened because our fabric was thin, because the paint was thinned out by the fabric medium, or a combination of both, but wanted to mention it so if you try it you can be sure to put cardboard or something under your fabric while you’re painting.
We’ll be sharing our fabric paint project with you soon, but wanted to tell you about using the fabric medium in case you want to try it. If you’ve already made your own fabric paint, what did you use and what were your results? (Update: Here’s the fabric paint project if you’re interested in checking it out).
(This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here.)
Check out our Facebook page here.
Are you on Pinterest? Click here to follow us!
All i have is acrylic paints. I have stenciled out the letters on my t-shirt. I dont have the money to go buy other stuff. So if i put a little water in with the paint am i goung yo have an issue while it drys and wash the t-shirt? And am i going to have an issue later ehile wearing the shirt? Just want to make sure i can do this before doing this and ruin my shirt. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Dawn.
Hi Dawn! My guess is the paint will start to crack and fade over time unless you add some sort of fabric medium.
It. also may dry and crack with time. A fabric medium makes it more pliable. Water is not a fabric medium.
I have a question if I already paint fabric with acrylic wat will happen when I was it
Adding a fabric medium to the acrylic paint helps the paint stay flexible and fade-resistant. Without the fabric medium, the paint might start to crack or peel over time. You could try heat setting the paint with an iron (don’t put the iron directly on the painted surface) and it may extend the life of the paint.
I have done this in the past, with just the paint. But I heat set it really well. Then I did 9 shirt’s for an MS walk last year with no fabric Medium. Husband washed one of the shirts. And paint faded as well as ran in to other side of shirt.. Darn. So I went and bought the same Medium you are showing and have repainted over 7of 9 shirts. Its taking so long . So my question out to our wonderful DYI community has any one tried to spray the medium over an all ready painted area? I would of course let it dry, then heat set it with iron then in dryer. Has anyone tried this? I am going to try at least one and see if it works and then I will report back. OK??? Thanks. Oh I have always put cardboard cover with parchment paper under anything I paint. 80% of the time paint goes through to the other side.
When can I find the fabric medium????
It’s available at almost any craft store, Walmart, Amazon, etc. I usually pick it up at Michaels or JoAnns.
I’m curious if I can just apply the fabric medium on top of my acrylics. Unfortunately I have already almost finished the piece and I’m searching for a way to set it and I just learned about this!! dang it. But I’m not super worried I will heat set it and see. But I am really curious if I can just paint fabric medium on top of it to have the same effects?
The fabric medium really needs to be mixed into the paint to work properly. Hopefully heat setting it will do the job though!
Hey!
4 days ago I painted my jacket with acrylic and ironed it and now it looks kinda weird.. Like, you know, the part that I’ve painted is crumpled and some parts of the painting is kinda shiny I mean it makes it look like it hasn’t dried yet but it is dried. I didn’t know that I should use fabric medium…
And I don’t know if you understand what I mean or not but… Any suggestions?
Never thought of that idea!! How would I iron it would it be okay to use a piece of fabric over the painted subject or could I use parchment paper?
I painted white cotton sweatpants with watered down acrylics, i washed and dried them a few days later, and they faded a bit, but not much! I assume they will continue to fade slightly, so i will buy a medium so i can have a more sell-able product in the future. But, your shirt should be fine! Perhaps you would want to heat set it in the dryer first, then wash after.
How do I heat treat shoes?
Heat gun or blow dryer
I use acrylic paints with nothing added simply paint away – let it dry out and iron on reverse with a hot iron voila I have painted my linen dress and washed it several times it is on Etsy under linen company or natural linen company Enjoy Best Denise naturallinencompany.com
Thank you! My daughter painted on my shorts (no fabric medium) for mother’s day and I’d like to keep it as long as possible. How long do you iron it for? No steam I’m guessing.
I also have used just the acrylic paint, sometimes thinned with water. I have only painted fabric for pillows so they will not be washed as often as clothing. I heat treat on back side with an iron. Have given several as gifts but have not heard back from anyone that the pillow covers did not last and my own are going on ten years with slight fading from wear
.
Just adding for future reference – the acrylic paint without fabric medium WILL crack, even in wearing. Using thin multiple coats can help, rather than one thick coat, but it still will crack. Textile medium really is needed to reduce the chances of that – even eliminate depending on use.
Once painted on your item, like a flour sack towel, Is the acrylic turned into fabric paint soft or stiff??
Thanks!!
The fabric medium allows the paint to stay flexible when dry so it doesn’t get stiff and crack like regular acrylic paint would.
Would this work on a jean material?
Yes! 🙂
Can this work on peeling leather couches?
Hi Celia! Apologies for the late response! I don’t think this would work well on peeling leather. If you decide to give it a shot I’d love to know if it was successful!
I am planning on painting a nude suit for myself on a mannequin. I am slightly larger than the mannequin I am using so I expect it will stretch some when I put it on. Will this cause the paint to crack?
Hi Julia! Sorry I’m just seeing your comment. I honestly have no idea if it will crack. My gut says if it’s stretchy material you’ll probably have some cracking, but I really don’t know for sure.
It actually didn’t! The combo worked very well, thanks for the tips!
Awesome!! So glad it worked!
OMG I just read this after I posted my comment about the leather paint. So glad to know this. I am going to try this on an arm chair.. Thanks.
Hi Julia, How did you heat set the paint on the costume?? I just painted 2 spandex leotards with acrylic paint and fabric medium but I am not sure how to heat set them. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
what is fabric medium ? from where I can buy fabric medium from Pakistan … is UD BINDER used in acrylic paint instead of fabric medium ?
So I spray painted my artwork on a jean jacket. I thought it was acrylic or had a medium in it but it doesn’t. I went to wash it and it started to fade off. I had to try and fix it and redo it. I’ll double check and make sure for my next project. But is there another way to make it set? Or make it stay? I tried putting it in the drying on high heat to set it but it didn’t do anything. Is there something I can buy or anything I can do to save this jacket?
You can try using an iron to heat set it. It may work better than the dryer method.
Another option you could look into is Mod Podge fabric. I’ve never used it before so not sure how well it would work, but you might be able to use it to put a thin layer (maybe even water it down a bit first) over the painted area to seal it.
Hi,
I paint denim and usually use acrylic only and recommend to spot clean. But i want to make my items more durable. The only thing is, I like how thick acrylic is – I like how it sits on top and doesn’t seep in. Can I achieve this still if I start diluting my acrylic paint? What would you recommend?
Thank you!
Buy fabric paint, made for fabric painting. It is thick and won’t need any dilution since it has the medium built in.
Hi, I’m looking to do a project using a water based paint to color t shirts. We would be using drain covers as a stamp and don’t want any oil paint residue going down the drain. Is there any way to set this onto the fabric without using any products that would be harmful if thrown down the drain?
The fabric medium (at least the brand I used) is water based and would be ok if some went down the drain.
Hi there
Thanks for all the previous advice, but how does one measure the 2:1 ratio, since the fabric medium is so watery, and the acrylic paint much thicker – if I use, say, two caps of acrylic paint, to one cap of the fabric medium, would this be accurate.
I don’t mean to sound daft, just worried about the density of the paint.
Thanks
Not a silly question at all! You don’t have to be exact with the measurements. Mixed 1 cap medium to 2 caps paint will work just fine and that’s the method I used to measure it out for my project.
Great article/info! This got me really excited! Do you know what will happen if I choose not to pre-wash the fabric? Or can you suggest another technique that’s would require a proper wash?
I create to sell, so I never wash my wholesale orders to keep the “new” scent. Thank you and keep up the awesome work!
Thanks Vili! It’s hard to say for sure without working with the exact fabric you’re using, but I think it would be just fine without washing first. Maybe do a test one to be sure.
You answered my question, “how to make acrylic paint on fabric washable” via google so well! So thank you! It’s nice to know that it wasn’t a crazy idea, too!
PS – you’re the featured answer to that question
Hi,
I am so glad I came across this site. I am trying to just have fun painting. I have some acrylic paint. I mix it with acrylic gloss. I add flow-aid to my water before using my simple paint brushes
but- somehow the color is not thickening on the fabric. you can see the background color of the fabric (which is sky blue) and I am trying to paint yellow stars..big cartoonish stars.
any suggestions?
Hi Tamanna! When you say you’re adding flow-aid to the water, do you mean you’re watering the acrylic paint down? If so, definitely reduce or perhaps even eliminate the water and see if that helps. I love how you say you’re just having fun with painting. It’s definitely a stress reliever/fun hobby for me too :).
Can I use acrylic paint or poster paint on my clothes instead of fabric paint? Will something happen to my clothes if I don’t use fabric paint?
I use regular acrylic paint with a fabric medium added to the paint. Hope that helps!
Hello, sorry bit silly question, but when you say heat set using a dryer… is it hair dyer or clothes dryer??? We are planning to do a fund raising for our dear friend next week, my friend will make tote fabric bags and I will do the painting. Wanna be sure, I heat set the paint correctly 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you.
Hi Erica! Not a silly question at all! I use a clothes dryer :). Good luck with your fundraising project!
I use oil paint on fabric with medium but the handfeel is not good
I want to make the handfeel good for towel perpose . so what i have to do now ?
I wouldn’t recommend an oil based paint for this type of project. A water based acrylic paint works best.
When you say “fabric medium”, is this something other than acrylic medium???????
Hi Carol! I’ve only used mediums that are specifically for fabric to do this project. I’ve not tried it with any other type of acrylic medium and not sure if it would work the same or not.
Hello– I want to paint my dog’s harness per your instructions. It’s a “Ruffwear” harness: slightly padded, made of polyester (with webbing-like material for the straps). Shall I try using the iron to set the color or a hair dryer (hand held)? Thanks.
I’ve never painted that type of material but I think an iron would probably work best. If you try it let me know how it turns out!
Paint from lowes is100% acrylic can it be used with acrylic medium for painting fabric?
Yes it should work, Mary!
Hi! Is there anyone who has had any experience using water based or oil based acrylic paint on hard surfaces, like aluminum or plastic? I am looking for a trick to make the paint stick better to the surface. Thanks!
I stenciled a poly outdoor rug with acrylic paint and it’s awesome but then I realized that if it rains or gets hosed off the paint might run? Any idea if there is a product I could put over the stenciled area after the fact that won’t add a funny, noticeable finish?
Hey there, I purchased some textile medium about 4-5 months ago and had it out in my workshop during the cold months. I used it once and just pulled it out to use again and it’s really runny. I can’t remember how thick it was when I used it the first time however I don’t remember the consistency almost being like water. I was just curious to know if that’s normal or if maybe the weather has possibly had an impact on it. Other than that I don’t know what else could have caused it to lose its thickness. Thanks in advance, any input would be greatly appreciated!
I painted a fabric chair with chalk paint and the seat is all cracked now. It was white but I want to change it to a black.
What can I do about those cracks?
It’s hard to say without seeing it, but I would try sanding it.
I am thinking about painting a cloth binder for my last years at school. I can’t get fabric medium currently and probably shouldn’t heat set it. What should I do??
I actually think you’d be ok not using fabric medium on a fabric binder. If it were me I would paint it without fabric medium then when it’s dry put a couple coats of Mod Podge over top to seal and protect the paint. If your paint is too think just add a little water to thin.
Hi! I have run into an issue and need a solution! I am thrifting some old jeans and painted designs on them. Without thinking, I used a water based acrylic paint and it has already begun cracking. How do I save my projects? I don’t want to sell these jeans to my customers if they won’t have hold up wearing or washing! Help!
If I do two layers of paint and then heat treat, will the second layer also stick or will it end up cracking anyway?
I want to lighten up a 5×8 rattan rug. Would this method of fabric medium and acrylic pant work. I could put the mixture into a sprayer for easy application. What do you think?
Do you think this medium plus paint could be used on upholstered dining chairs? Grand kids had a party on them and the stains won’t come out. How would u heat set them?? with a hair drier ?
I have already painted my shirt, no fabric medium and washed it. No harm was done, I don’t think u really need the fabric medium.
Hello, Thank you for putting this information out there. Furthermore, the comments alone helped. I too, have tons of acrylics and have already painted a shirt with acrylic paint (no medium, which I will buy for the future) I understand that I need to heat set it. I read that I could use an iron, but for how long and what temp/setting? I could try your dryer method for an 1 hour.
I already have fabric paint but when I use it it takes forever to dry, is very thin in consistency. Could I mix my fabric paint with acrylic paint to solve this problem?
i painted lots of tee shirts bags and canvas bags with just acrylics. wore them.washed by hand and didnt know they could crack of fade until today….I am glad my shirts etc cant read