Rose Gold Textile Foil

We are really pleased to add rose gold to our textile foil collection. Foils add an extra shine to fabrics and work particularly well on dark coloured cloth. Read on for an easy screen printing foil project.

Start by cutting a paper stencil. 80gsm copy paper works perfectly – this is a great use of scrap paper. make sure the design fits easily within the size of the screen. We are using a small 20 x 20 cm screen. 43T mesh is perfect for printing foil adhesive. For this small screen, we are not taping the edges, just making sure the paper stencil is larger than the mesh area. If using a large screen, tape the edges so there is no gap between the stencil and the frame.

You can use a combination of stencils and masks to create the design. The paper does not need to be all one piece. Here, we are using a stencil with an infill piece to create a thin line design.

Pin the fabric onto a slightly padded surface. We are using black cotton. Lay down the stencil and then the screen on top. Pour a line of foil adhesive at the top of the screen, slightly wider than the design.

Use a squeegee at a 45′ angle to drag the adhesive down the screen. Repeat, pressing more firmly this time. We want to lay down more adhesive than we normally would with ink.

Continue to add prints to your fabric whilst the first prints dry. Do not print too much fabric at a time or the adhesive will become too dry by the time you start foiling. When finished printing, scrape any excess adhesive from the mesh and peel the stencil from the screen. Wash the screen in cool water immediately as we don’t want any adhesive drying in the mesh.

Wait for 15 minutes or until the adhesive is just touch dry. Lay the foil shiny side up on the print. Lay a sheet of grease-proof paper over the top and then iron for around 30 seconds.

When the foil has cooled, peel the sheet away from the fabric. If the design is fairly small or sparse, you can then lay the same sheet down over another area and continue to use it. Be aware, that there are now gaps in the foil sheet so be mindful of this when placing it down.