Printing Inks Q&A

I seem to get a lot of questions about the Permaset Aqua inks we use. I thought I would answer a couple of them publicly in case any of you may have encountered the same issues.

Q: Ashley from the UK wants to know how to avoid getting streaks when mixing different colours together.

A: We use a hand-held mixer and make sure to stop and scrap the inks from the bottom of the bowl/mixing container with a spatula every so often.

Q: Jane from the US was using the Permaset "Transparent White" ink in her colour mixing which has now been discontinued. What should she do?

A: I like using the Permaset "Print Paste" for diluting colours and for when you don't want a pastel shade. That would be achieved by mixing with the opaque "Standard White" ink.

Don't forget to heat-set all printed fabrics!

Disclaimer: Permaset Inks do not pay me for this advice. It is solely based on my own experience.

Sewing Mamas = Cool Kids

Fresh Pets and Bones all printed today on organic cotton jersey. This soft fabric is fabulous for sewing your own cool kids' t-shirts, sleepwear or little dresses. What do you think about the coordinating white on black and black on eco-white? The eco-white jersey is hydrogen-bleached which is a much kinder treatment for the environment than chlorine bleaches. We may also print this design on our organic cotton/spandex jersey which would be ideal for leggings.

Also printed with purple ink on the green organic cotton jersey. The inks we use are from the Permaset Aqua range and are water-based and solvent-free. These fabrics will be listed soon on the Thea & Sami on-line store.



Any feedback is appreciated and these new designs will be making their debut next week at the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show.

Printed Organic Cotton Towels

Organic Cotton Towels are so much softer than conventional cotton towels that once you try one, you will never want to go back to the pesticide, chemical-ridden alternatives. However, what is out there is quite plain so we decided to add a pretty hand-printed border to ours.  The fabric we have chosen for this is hemp/organic cotton and we have used Permaset Aqua solvent-free inks to print our Blossom Design.  

This towel is the "Pistachio" version but is also offered in "Stone".  More designs and colours will shortly follow.  I have machine-washed mine to ensure that the border doesn't shrink in relation to the cotton towel and it passed with flying colours.

To celebrate our new on-line shopping site we are offering free shipping within Australia.  In addition, our blog competition continues until December 10th.  I really appreciate any feedback on any of these new eco-products so anyone who leaves a comment will go into the draw to win one of the cute Door Mice (see previous entries).

These hand-towels are easy to post and make great Christmas gifts.