Feather Print Skirt

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  Step 1

  The length of fabric on the opposite page has been printed using a screen printing method known as the ‘half-drop repeat’. This effect occurs when your design is ‘dropped’ and directed down the fabric, in a diagonal pattern.
  It is best to work a half-drop repeat on a flat, smooth table – this will make it easy for you to position the fabric and use the edge of the table as a guide as to where to print.
  The acetate used to make the stencils and the template guide ensures that the design lasts longer, and is more durable, than on card. Likewise, the small metal frame has a wide, easy-to-grip rim that makes this frame ideal for printing and repositioning on larger surface areas.

  Making the stencil
  1 Draw around the outside of the metal frame screen with a ballpoint pen onto two acetate sheets.

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  Step 2

  Cut them both to the size of the frame. One sheet will be used to make the stencil and the other to make the template guide.

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  Step 3

  2 Trace a feather silhouette design onto one of the acetate sheets.

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  Step 4

  3 Position the acetate under the metal screen to check that the stencil design is central.

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  Step 5

  4 Tape the acetate to your cutting mat to stop it from slipping while you cut out the feather.

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  Step 6

  5 Use a craft knife to cut out the feather silhouette. Cut out small details first – this will help you maintain control when you cut out the full stencil. Make sure that the blade of your knife is sharp and tight, as acetate is thicker than card, making it much harder to cut.

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  Step 7

  Attaching the stencil
  1 Position the stencil on the back of the metal screen and secure it along all four edges with masking tape. Make sure that all the edges are fully covered, to prevent any paint from coming through.

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  Step 8

  2 Double-check that the stencil is secure and tight, like a drum head, by running your hand over it. If the acetate stencil moves or buckles, untape it and reposition it.

  A border repeat is a simple and attractive way to customize an item of clothing such as a plain, hemmed skirt. Border repeats are created by spacing your pattern evenly along the border of your print surface. You can use an acetate template guide as for the half-drop repeat if you would like.
  In this project, which is of a smaller scale than the half-drop repeat in the previous project, you can use an ironing board as a worksurface. This will enable your skirt to hang off the edge of the surface and be rotated easily as you print your feather border.

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  Step 9

  Feather-print skirt

  1 Lay or pin an old tea towel or piece of scrap fabric over your ironing board and slip the skirt over the board, with the hem facing away from you. This will give you more surface area and space on which to print.

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  Step 10

  2 Measure the hem of your skirt to calculate how many feather prints you will be able to fit on it – measure the circumference of the hem and divide this measurement by the width of the metal frame.
  If your project features a panelled skirt, as shown here, it is helpful to measure each panel so you can work out, roughly, where the centre of the panel is, and place the design centrally each time you print.

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  Step 11

  3 Place your metal frame screen on the skirt so that the design is the right way up on the garment – with the stalk of the feather pointing towards the hem. Line up the bottom edge of the frame with the bottom of the hem. If you are printing on a panelled skirt, ensure that the design is central in relation to the seams of the panel.

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  Step 12

  4 Spoon the paint into the well of the frame, along the edge of the screen furthest from you.

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  Step 13

  5 Pull down the paint, keeping the squeegee at a 45-degree angle to the screen. Depending on the thickness of the skirt, you may need to pull down the paint two or three times.

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  Step 14

  6 Lift up your frame screen from bottom to top to reveal your first border print.

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  Step 15

  7 Rotate the skirt around the ironing board. Reposition the frame screen centrally in the next ‘empty’ panel – use a template guide to place the design evenly in relation to the previous print, especially if you are not printing on a panelled skirt.

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  Step 16

  Repeat steps 3 to 6 until you have completed your border.

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  Step 17

  Peg or hang up your skirt to dry.

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