Ingrid Whitcher

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Bits & Pieces

Marbling Fabric with Shaving Cream

Published on 04/13/09

My daughter and I spent the afternoon marbling fabric. I had heard of a technique that used shaving cream as the suspension for the paint. We had so much fun!!!

First you start with a work surface. We covered the table with craft paper and then used the shiny side of a large piece of freezer paper. The foam shaving cream is sprayed onto the freezer paper – a little larger than the size of your piece of fabric.

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Next, you smooth out the surface of the shaving cream – I used a large pastry cutter. (It worked great and cleans off nicely.)

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Then you start adding the paint to the surface. We tried several different ways and liked the way it looked to just put drops all over instead of lines of paint. We only used two colors on this piece – pink and yellow.

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Once all the paint is on the shaving cream, you start to make the design. We used chop-sticks to swirl the paint. Do not overwork it or it will loose it’s definition and start to look brown or muddy.

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When you are pleased with the design, carefully lay the fabric down. We used muslin.

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Gently smooth out the fabric – do not push down.

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Wait a few minutes and then carefully lift off the fabric.

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Use the pastry cutter or a squeegee to remove the excess shaving cream. Make a swipe across the fabric and then wipe the edge of the tool clean before making the next swipe. If the tool is not clean it will smear the paint.

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Heat set the paint using a hot, dry iron. We used a pressing cloth and there was a small amount of paint bleeding into it so I am very glad we did. These are some of the fabrics we did.

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Comments

Comments 21–31 of 31
On 03/03/14 Aunt Sharon said:

Ingrid, I just noticed this. Would this process work on t-shirts for kids to do? I'd slide the shirt onto heavy cardboard so the paint wouldn't soak through.

On 03/20/14 Junopsis said:

Wow, that looks really nice. To get those colors, you're heat-setting it with the shaving cream still on it, and then washing? Does the shaving cream fume under heat or have any deleterious effects on the fabric longevity?

On 03/26/14 Husna Khan said:

Does this method only work with natural materials? Would it work with synthetic materials at all?

On 04/18/14 Ingrid said:

@Junopsis - I do heat set it with the shaving cream still on. You can do it many different ways but 2 that I have done is waiting for the paint to dry and then putting it a hot dryer for 30 minutes or place a piece of muslin over it as you heat set it with an iron. I have never noticed any problems with fuming or fabric longevity.

On 04/18/14 Ingrid said:

@ Husna Khan - I am unsure how this would would with synthetic fabrics. My only concern would be the ability to heat set the paints enough.

On 04/18/14 Ingrid said:

@ Aunt Sharon This would work for t-shirts. It may be a little awkward to do though.

On 07/02/14 Sherry said:

Will setasilk paints work with the shaving cream on silk scarves?

On 07/02/14 Sherry said:

Will setasilk paints work with the shaving cream on silk scarves?

On 10/18/14 Linda Joyce Minor said:

I let the shaving cream dry, then gently brush off—then heat set. the colors stay richer.

On 12/19/15 Carmem Godoy said:

Por FAVOR traduz em portugues pra mim eu agradeço

On 11/18/22 Mary Jane said:

This is THE tutorial I was looking for!! Easy and beautiful and no chemicals. YAY!! I look forward to doing this with my crafting friends!

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