This technique is fast and simple. It requires the use of paints, thickened dyes 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
or inks to add colour to fabric, which has already been dyed. I'll be using fabric 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
inks and 'Jacquard Lumiere' for something special. The tools required are 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
rollers, stamps, containers to mix paint and a stirring stick, a plate, gloves and a 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
well-ventilated area. I'll be using fabric from a 'Tray Dyeing' exercise. When you 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
mix paints, it's always easier to start with the lightest colour, a little less than 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
you think you'll need, and add the darker colour a little at a time. In this 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
instance we are going to make pink from white and red. Keep adding small 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
amounts of red until you get to the desired colour. If you do it the other way 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
around, it takes a lot more white to get the red down to the shade of pink that 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
you are after. You'll have far too much paint and you'll have wasted a lot of it. 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
When you have the desired colour, spread some over the surface of the plate. 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
You won't need much. Spread it wide enough that it will cover the surface of 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
the roller. Apply the roller to the paint and keep rolling the paint over the plate 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
until the roller is evenly covered. 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
Spread the fabric out over the surface. Apply the paint with the roller evenly 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
onto the stamp of your choice. Place the stamp into position on the fabric and 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
press down.  Continue this process until you have enough designs over the 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
surface of the fabric. Knowing when to stop, or as us mothers always say, 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
knowing when enough is enough, is half the trick to a successful design. This 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
one needs more work. Take another colour paint, this one is green, and a 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
stamp and repeat the process. I've used a different design, but you could just 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
as easily use the same design. Adding a new design gives the textile more 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
movement and therefore more interest. Resist the urge to make the design 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
symmetrical.  Now with a fine brush and black paint, I'm going to fill some of the 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
spaces with squiggles. Often these meaningless squiggles are the perfect way 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
of finishing off a piece. They fill empty spaces, provide a smooth transition from 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
one design element to the next, and add further dimension to the textile. If you 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
are not comfortable working freehand, then a smaller simple stamp will do the 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
trick. With the same brush and a different colour I have added centres to the 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
flowers. This gives a focal point for the eye to rest on and provides definition to 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
the flower. It's what we expect to see, when you see a flower. Here is the 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
finished piece, and more examples of stamped fabrics. You will see that this 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
style of surface design has limitless possibilities. Even the same stamp will look 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
completely different on different fabrics, with different inks, and in different 
--- RECORDSEPARATOR ---
positions. Explore, experiment and have fun!