apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I know there are services like that around, but don't know how easy they are to find. if it's something you may not be committed to for a long time, (so you're looking for 'easy' and inexpensive), you could always try to do it yourself. they actually sell a medium that you mix with any acrylic paint, then iron once it dries so it's soft and felixble. it works quite well. you can draw the design on the duvet with a soft pencil first (either free hand or a projected image), to make it easier. the success will largely depend on the type of image you want and the steadiness of your hand. I would recommend practicing on some scrap fabric to get the hang of it before you tackle your duvet.

A couple of years ago I had the exact same question. I checked with local screen printers (t-shirts) to see if anyone would do it and after being quoted the cost for the initial creation of the screen, the design and the labor, I felt is was much more cost effective and fun to simply do it myself. I signed up for a screen printing class at the local university and once I learned how to do it (easy) I made duvet covers for my friends and some for myself in different colors. I give them every year as Christmas gifts. The DIY route is really the way to go..especially if you are using only one color.

It is only 1 colour you could use a freezer paper stencil and spray on fabric paint rather than handpaint it on. It would make for a more even distribution. I've looked into single screens for shirts and it is really expensive. Another option would be cutting it out of fabric and using iron on interfacing to stick it down.

Adding on to the do it yourself method, if you draw the design out on a few long sheets of taped together freezer paper, then cut it out with an exacto or scissors, you can iron the paper (shiny side down) to most fabrics and use it as a stencil. From there you can either paint or squeegee (from the edges toward the center) screen printing ink onto the fabric. Make sure you have something between the two sides of the duvet or the paint will go through a little. once its dry seal it with an iron and it should be just as durable as a screen printed t shirt.

If you don't want to do it yourself, try Etsy.com. You can contact a local artisan screenprinter through the shop local function (near the bottom of the page) or you can take bids for the job from any interested screenprinters through the custom order/alchemy request function (top of the page). Either of these should be cheaper options than a professional printshop.

I would still ask for quotes, but it can be pretty expensive. I work in a screen print company (we only print signs and nameplates tho), and seen a lot of high numbers. I personally would go with the freezer paper version. It is time consuming cutting the shapes out of the freezer paper, but the end result is worth it!

Etsy!

Ditto-- Etsy! Create an Alchemy request (basically, a crafty want ad). Will be way cheaper than going with an official screen print co.

Why not just buy an Amenity one? hand screen printed on organic cotton with a great design?

http://www.nest-living.com/pages/amenity

I'm a textile designer and screen printer, with products on Etsy. It may not necessarily be cheaper with Etsy. Even with a simple design, the setup and size of the design will be a major factor into the price.

Yeah, there will be MAJOR up front cost in the screen and production. What I would do is make a pattern, take it to Kinko's, have them super-enlarge it (probably tiled over a couple of pieces of paper), carefully transfer that using fabric-appropriate transfer paper, the fabric paint it in.

But I think it's a really cool idea! I may have to try something like that with a solid color duvet cover from Ikea.

Are you near an art school? My college had a huge printmaking studio where students could have easily done this in an afternoon, and would have been happy to do so.

it's funny, i took a silkscreening class and intended to make that exact same duvet! Never got around to it though, sadly.

Stenciling and silkscreen isn't hard, but I think could be difficult to get right considering the size of the screen or stencil necessary and working with that large of a piece of fabric.

Spoonflower http://www.spoonflower.com/ does custom fabric printing, but I think they only offer it on 44"-wide fabric.

Fabric paint (using the freezer paper or freehand or other method) is going to be much less expensive than silk screening at that scale. If you wanted a small repeat design, silk screening might be the way to go and there are kits to make it easier. But for one BIG design, no. You have to stretch the silk (or silk substitute) to be bigger than the overall design, and it's harder to do on a large scale... and not necessary. You can get fabric paint at any craft store, most of which you paint on, let dry, then heat set either with a heat gun or hair dryer, or in a hot clothes dryer. Maybe you can find an artist on Craigslist or somehere (referral from a friend?) to do the painting for a fee, or live large and try it yourself! (If the design is organic, like a plant form or abstract ripples, you can probably do it yourself, even without an art background. If it is very structured or needs to be really precise to look right, you'd be safer with help, maybe even with painter's tape.)

Sheridan College has a continuing education class on textile design over the summer months. Look into that and you can do it (and many other great projects) yourself!

When I was a full time student there a few years ago it was held on Tuesday nights. It's only a short trip away on the GO train.

maybe at etsy...