Working with fabric paint

A while ago, I shared some of the problems I had while trying to use fabric paint to decorate my bed box project (see blog post of 5/13/12).  Since my paint dots have definitely gotten better, I thought I'd pass along some tips that should be helpful, passed along to me by Kim Braa, a woodworker who does amazing things with paint.

1. Buy only bottles with squeeze tips.  They are small and easy to handle, and pipe a nice sized dot.
2. Shake the bottle well to mix the paint thoroughly.
3. Do some test drops on scrap wood to determine the pressure you'll need.
4. If you get any air bubbles, pop them with a pin.
5. If you need to redo a dot, you can remove it while wet with a damp paintbrush, followed by a damp cotton swab.  Or, you can wait until it is dry and use a craft knife to scrape it off.

Bed Box #2

I figured it was time to try out those fabric paints that have been hanging around waiting to be used.  The bed is a larger version of the one I posted previously, with a slightly different headboard and footboard.  I used a pattern for the "bedspread" that was similar to ones that I've used for cakes (with icing, not paint, of course!).  Now to figure out what else I can add to my "furniture suite".

A new piece of furniture

I was playing around with some squares I had left over from another project, and decided to try a box that looked like a bed.  I looked at lots of pictures of headboards and footboards to find something attractive yet easy to make, and finally found one that worked.

I'm currently trying out some variations, but I think for a first attempt, this came out pretty well.  And it's always nice to use up leftover wood!