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Buying Rubber Stamps and Fabric Ink

Rubber stamps can be a fun and fairly easy way to decorate all kinds of fabric, from quilt blocks and muslin to t-shirts and tote bags or even silk scarves. If you’re making a specific project, following the directions in a magazine or online article, you may want to buy the specific brands of rubber stamps and fabric ink listed in the Resources section of the article, so that your results match the original project as closely as possible. If you’d like to try buying rubber stamps and fabric ink to use with your own ideas, you may need to shop around and try a few different brands to find what works best.

Things You'll Need

  • Rubber stamps
  • Fabric inkpads or paint
  • Foam brushes (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Visit a local craft store if you want to be able to see the products and ink colors in person, or use an online shop such as the one linked below if you want a wider selection or if you’re looking for something specific that the local store doesn’t have.

    • 2

      Choose rubber stamps that are specifically designed for fabric or that have fairly large images without too much tiny detail. Many rubber stamps made for paper have very fine details, such as small writing, that won’t show up well on fabrics.

    • 3

      Avoid buying pre-inked rubber stamps, since the ink most likely won’t work well on fabric and they come in a limited choice of colors.

    • 4

      Look for rubber stamps that suit the specific project you’re making, as well as stamps that might be useful for all kinds of creative projects, such as hearts, stars, leaves or snowflakes. Since you can reuse rubber stamps over and over, you’ll want designs that you can enjoy working with many times to get the most for your money.

    • 5

      Choose all purpose inkpads, such as VersaCraft inkpads or ColorBox CRAFTER’S inks, for rubber stamping small or somewhat detailed images on fabric. These inks require you to prewash the fabric before stamping, then heat set the ink with an iron.

    • 6

      Buy fabric paints, such as ZimPaint, Hot Potatoes or Jacquard fabric paints, to use with large stamps. You can apply the paint to the rubber stamp using a foam brush.

    • 7

      Look for inkpads or fabric paints that match the specific colors or metallics you want for a specific project, or stock up on a variety of colors you might often use, especially if you find supplies on sale.

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