Fabric paint is a specialty paint that has been developed to decorate fabrics. Painting fabrics has been around since early times when paints that were used to decorate the body turned to decorating clothing.http://www.dharmatrading.com/fabricpaint/history.html Examples of fabric painting have been found as early as 327 BC when Alexander the Great invaded India.http://www.dharmatrading.com/fabricpaint/history.html The Japanese developed fabric painting into an art form. Fabric paint may be used to embellish and personalize wearable items for a unique look. Items that are often embellished today are hats, aprons, T-shirts, shoes, and sweatshirts. Fabric paint may be found online at stores that carry craft supplies as well as specialized fabric paint stores. Shopping online will give the shopper a wide variety of fabric paints to choose from. Fabric paints may also be found at the local craft supply store such as Hobby Lobby or Michaels as well as in big box stores such as Walmart in the craft section.

Fabric paint is made from from a pigment or color that is combined with a binder that allows the paint to stick to the fabric being painted. Some times fixing the paint with a hot iron is needed to complete the binding process. Some fabrics will not accept fabric paint as readily as others and one of the best fabrics is a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend.http://papercrafts.michaels.com/art/online/displayArticle?articleNum=ae0465 Before using fabric paint, fabric will need to be washed to help the paint bind with the fabric.http://www.stampington.com/html/beginningbasics_fabpaint.html Fabrics should be pressed to remove wrinkles before applying paint. Items that have been embellished with fabric paint should also have a little extra special care when washing and drying. Some fabrics may need to be hand washed while others may be able to go into the dryer.http://www.stampington.com/html/beginningbasics_fabpaint.html

Fabric paint comes in a variety of colors as well as textures and viscosity. There are some paints that have color that have been embellished with glitter for a sparkling effect. There are dimensional fabric paints that keep their shape after being applied. Puff paints are an example of a dimensional fabric paint. Stencils may also be used when applying fabric paint or the designs may be created free hand.

Fabric paints may be found in an squeeze bottle or a paint pen for ease of application. There are also fabrics paints that are the spray on kind, and fabric paints that have been designed for using a paint brush. The different types of fabric paints may be combined for a multi-dimensional effect.