Collection of various dried leaves, sticks, feathers, and small natural objects arranged on a white surface, possibly part of a botanical or ecological study or art project.

Printing on fabric

Make your own patterns & prints using hand cut stencils, screen-printing & instinctual mark-making with handmade brushes.

With a combination of traditional screen-printing & stencil-printing, merged with more experimental mark-making using found objects, you’ll be printing all your t-shirts, tote bags, tea towels, and naturally dyed fabrics too!

Painting on fabric $37us

a wooden floor with hand painted fabric furoshiki wrapped, hands are reaching in and holding the fabric and a rock

Taking a piece of plain cloth & some paint, you can create your own work of art, design your own fabric or create your own homewares.

It’s the perfect combination of messy paint play & perfect printing process - you’ll see be exploring what else you can use to make a pattern on fabric.

I developed my love of screen printing a lifetime ago at TAFE, where I hand cut intricate designs to print onto t-shirts. Previous to that I had explored and experimented in high school with simple print-making techniques such as mono-printing.

But when I really delved into screen printing was when I had kids and started this business. Back then it was called Red Seed Studio; and my husband & I would hand screen print our designs one -by-one onto hemp or organic cotton fabric, to create homewares.

We did this in our little backroom with children at our feet. I love the way that messy paint or ink, and the perfect pull of the squeedgie creates a crisp print and defined line.

The first time I saw my own hand drawn illustrations turned into my own hand printed fabric was a bit of a life-changing moment.

Since then I’ve explored, experimented, made mistakes, played with the process and techniques to bend the rules somewhat. And all the while loved the fact that we can make our own patterns and prints onto fabric! What fun and joy.

Two folded pieces of birch bark with a dried seed pod on top, placed on a light-colored surface.

make your own designs

discover the joy of creating your own textile designs⟶

paint & design

Colorful, crumpled fabric pieces in green, pink, yellow, blue, red, and beige, each decorated with a single flower or leaves, arranged on white cloth.

A metal pot filled with leaves, small branches, and fabric lining, sitting on a surface with a hand holding the pot's handle.

Various spools of thread in different colors and textures, some wound around wood, scattered on a white surface.

Flat lay of various watercolor painting supplies and swatches on a beige fabric background, including paint samples, watercolor paper, and small containers of paint, with some eucalyptus leaves.

A wooden tray holding layers of pastel-colored vintage fabrics, a red flower, a green sprig, and pink yarn, on a white cloth background.

Several skeins of yarn in neutral and pastel tones, with a person's hands holding and arranging one skein, on a light fabric surface with a small sprig of leaves.

Stacked layers of various fabric materials and textures, including some frayed edges and different shades of pink, beige, and black.

A wooden table with two colorful flowers, a small jar with a striped pattern, a ceramic mug with speckled glaze, and fabrics in pink, orange, blue, and yellow with a felt leaf decoration.

Baskets containing balls of yarn in various colors, including orange, pink, gray, and white, placed on a concrete surface.

Course curriculum

The foundational basics

creating your own stencil, the design process > cutting it out
screen-printing set-up and how-to
setting up your space

Mark-making

using different hand made tools that you create yourself
experimenting with mark-making
how to know when to stop, and when to keep going
making nature brushes for unique marks and patterns

Projects:

hand cut stencil tea towels
tote bags
found objects - making patterns with what is in your studio or environment
make your own fabric designs
stitch over your mark-making

Videos sharing step-by-step processes & downloadable designs

fabric printing $37us

faqs

How do I access the course?

This is an online course with immediate and life-time access. You can watch the videos as many times as you like, including any upgrades and extra content that I add over time.

The course is housed on my special online course site. Upon purchase you’ll receive links to create your own account.

What will I learn?

You’ll learn how to hand-cut your own stencil design to use for screen printing or stencil printing. We’ll also explore making marks (patterns and prints) on fabric using found objects and vegetable printing.

What materials will I need?

fabric to print onto (I always suggest natural materials, but it’s great to experiment). Also some test fabric, such as calico is good

a sharp blade, like a scalpel or X-acto knife, or a special stencil cutting knife
a self-healing cutting mat (though you can use some cardboard at pinch, if you need)
fabric paint (I use water-based and Australian made Permaset Aqua, which washes off with water)
paint brushes and stencil (stippling) brushes, available at an artshop
stencil cutting paper can be Ezi-cut, or thick printing paper (though not ideal), or plastic sheet like an overhead projector type sheet, often called acetate sheets
a blank printing screen and squeedgie in a matching size
spoons, spatulas and apron or cloths
access to water to washing

Is this for beginners?

This shows the simplest ways to begin stencil printing and how to set up for screen printing of small batch printing. I don’t share how to run a full screen printing of meterage fabric, as this requires more space than the average home studio.

Can I do this at home?

Absolutely! It can get messy, I won’t lie about that. But what you’ll need is simply a table (or floor) that you can work on, and a big cloth to spread out underneath you.

This is screen printing and fabric painting at it’s most rustic, ‘use what you have’ process.