- Creativity and rules often merge in the craft of sewing.

Today is one of those days.

The ability to paint on fabric creates something so unique that it's truly one of a kind.

A simple paint brush and the right knowledge are priceless.

Today, our guest will teach us some simple rules for brush strokes and fabric paint, so we can make the most of our painted fabrics.

While I love to paint, this is something I did not think I could ever do, but I'm here to tell you I was wrong.

Stay with us for some painting fun.

Today, on Fit 2 Stitch.

(upbeat music) (upbeat piano music) - Fit 2 Stitch is made possible by Pendelton, Vogue Fabrics, Bennos Buttons, Kai Scissors, OC Sewing, Mike Gunther Industries, and Sew Steady.

- Today on Fit 2 Stitch, we have a special guest.

Betty Jean Hoaglund is an expressionist artist.

Her work is the home of collectors and in galleries nationwide.

She's known for her series, Ladies who Lunch and Legends and Divas.

She also enjoys doing commissioned pet and people portraits.

Her fans say her art makes them feel good and that is music to her ears.

- It is.

- And how long have you been doing this, like tell me your grandmother, long time.

- Well, I've been painting since I was about three, but I started painting on silk about two years ago.

And my grandmother told me stories about making silk from the silk worm, which is fascinating and I can't even imagine doing that right now.

- That is fascinating.

I can't imagine that anyway, but you don't do that.

You actually start with-- - I start with, I order blanks and you can shop around online and find all your supplies probably at one location.

But these are, they come in white and they come in black and you can also buy your own fabric depending on what size you want to do.

- Just even buy it by the yard.

- Yes.

- Is it critical to start on a white or black base?

Or can it be any color?

- I would recommend starting on the white for the simple reason all the paints that you use will show up better.

- Okay.

- Now the black silk you can use the metallic colors, but they sit on top of the black silk.

On the white silk, the colors absorb with the silk.

- Well, you know a lot and I'm gonna ask questions, is that okay?

- Ask away.

- Because this is just beautiful, but before we even start this let's go look at what you've done.

- All right.

- Because I think it's amazing and you do scarves, clothes, but even wall hangings.

You do anything.

- [Betty] Yes.

- [Peggy] Anything that's silk you can paint on it and put it some place.

- [Betty] Exactly, I've done sun catchers which are little round circles.

- [Peggy] Sure.

- [Betty] They make great ornaments or you put them in the window.

But silk is my passion.

- [Peggy] All right, well show me what you've done.

- All right.

This first one over here, this is a beach top and it has a design on the back as well as the front.

- So when you start painting like this, what are these, is this oil or what is this?

- That's paint and it acts like a dye.

- Oh, so it actually is not an acrylic or an oil.

- No, it's made for silk.

- Ah, I see it's fabric paint of some kind.

- And you can set it so that it doesn't, every time you wash it it will not run.

- [Peggy] Okay.

- There's two ways to set it.

- And you're gonna show us how to set all that, okay.

- And there's different techniques in this one.

You see the spaces in between?

- [Peggy] Right.

- I'm going to teach you about resist which is something we're gonna be doing over there on the scarf.

- [Peggy] All right.

- And it helps you make the design and contain it.

- [Peggy] So, I love this.

Like, dragonflies and flowers and-- - Mm-hmm, I love a lot of color.

It's in my artwork, it's on my silk as well.

- [Peggy] Did you make this?

- Yes.

- [Peggy] Okay, that's like beautiful.

That is just beautiful.

- Back and front.

- And you did the butterfly.

Will you teach me how to do a butterfly?

- Yes.

- I can't draw, just a warning.

- You don't need to.

(laughing) - Okay, we'll see on that one, but okay.

- No, you really don't need to.

You have to be fearless, I told you.

- Okay, you have to be fearless, all right.

Anything else about this one-- - No, except that-- - That we're gonna learn?

- Everything that I make is washable.

You can throw it right in the washer, you don't have to worry about it.

- And even though all those silk things you buy say dry clean only, you can still wash all these?

All right, this is beautiful too.

You can sew as well as paint.

- Yes, I can.

(laughs) - That's a nice combination.

- [Betty] Well in my mother's side and my father's side of the family, they were all seamstress and tailors.

- [Peggy] Oh, wow!

- And my great, great uncle's-- - [Peggy] You benefited from those mergers, that was nice.

- And this is the black silk.

And you see what I mean?

There's metallic paints and different colors and I've done that.

- [Peggy] So this is when you go on to the blacks.

You just do colors that will show up-- - Right.

- [Peggy] in a different way.

- I have tried the other colors, they don't show at all.

You want something that'll pop.

- So then, does the black have a tendency to always look the same versus the white you can get a lot of different looks to it with colors you put-- - Yes, you can always dye the white.

I dyed this.

So you can dye it any of the colors that I use, that I'm using today.

- [Peggy] I see, I see.

- And it depends on the intensity that you wanna use you can regulate the color that you want and it's super fast, super easy-- - It's gotta be fun.

- And low maintenance.

- Is it hard for you to sell something once you've done it?

- They sell immediately.

- [Peggy] Is that hard, to let it go?

Or no, you think you need the room.

You got too much stuff.

- That's it.

- [Peggy] You need the room (laughs) okay.

You can do another-- - It's always nice when you're selling what, it's nice to be able to get paid for what you love to do.

- [Peggy] Yes it is.

- So, that's not work at all.

- [Peggy] You're right.

Talk to me about these pants.

- Okay this is raw silk and there is no fabric in my house that's safe from me because even if it's not silk I try it.

- [Peggy] Does your husband wear anything painted silk?

- No, but-- - [Peggy] Okay, it's limited to you and-- - But he does wear what he eats and I've threatened him that if he doesn't get rid of a certain shirt, I'm painting it.

- [Peggy] (laughs) Okay, that's a good threat.

- Yes, but you can see on the raw silk, this has been washed many times.

- [Peggy] Okay.

- [Betty] It's quite comfortable, it doesn't have-- - [Peggy] These are adorable.

- [Betty] It doesn't have a hand to it when, sometimes when you use fabric paint it's stiff to the touch.

- [Peggy] Yes, that's what I was noticing.

This is just not.

- No, and another little tip, in the rinse water of any silks that you have put hair conditioner.

We all have that extra travel bottle of hair, whatever.

- Hair conditioner in with the wash. - Just put a dollop of it in the rinse water and it restores the softness back to it.

- [Peggy] All right, so tell me about this.

This is just beautiful.

- Again, this is front and back.

And you get creative when you paint on it if you have something that's, you know, this is a top I already had.

- [Peggy] So you pre-purchased, you don't have to make it.

- No, you can take-- - You don't have to start from fabric.

- Take something that's in your closet and you wanna give it a different look or a different feel.

- Or you spilled on it.

- Or, exactly, that's another-- I had a favorite top of mine and I spilled on it which is normal-- - (laughs) which is normal.

- And I said this is gonna become another painted outfit of mine and it's one of my favorites.

- [Peggy] But it has to be silk?

- [Betty] No, it doesn't have to, I-- - [Peggy] Oh, it doesn't have to.

- [Betty] I have worked on silk-like fabrics.

- So you could even do polyester.

- I've done pashmina as well.

- Oh my goodness, okay.

- So, pashmina doesn't have-- - Does the paint have-- - the flow that it does on something like-- - [Peggy] So it has a little different reaction to the paint.

- Right, because you wanna stretch and I'll show you when we do that.

- [Peggy] Okay.

- To be able to do it, but you can make different types of frames to put your outfits on and you get creative with that too.

- Hmm, fun, all right, let's look at this.

This is just gorgeous.

- This was painted and then I dyed it after.

I put it in a Ziploc bag and I put the paint/dye in there and I manipulated it with my fingers, took a straw and kept pulling it out, pulling it out, and then I let it drip dry.

- This almost looks like a tie-dye.

- [Betty] That's the Shibori method, how you gather up the silk after you've done a design and then the paint concentrates in the folds of the silk.

- [Peggy] Do you, kind of, think of this project ahead of time or do you just kind of-- - No, that's the way I paint too.

I don't sketch before I paint and people find that hard to believe.

- [Peggy] I think you're called a visionary.

I think that's what they call people like you.

(laughs) - I've been called a lot of things, but visionary's good.

- Okay, then we'll keep there.

Will you show us how?

- Sure.

- All right, let's go, this is really the fun part.

Now remember, I'm warning you I can't draw, but you-- - I told you be fearless.

Bob Ross said that there are no accidents.

- [Peggy] There are no accidents, okay.

- No, it's a metaphor for life.

- [Peggy] But I want a butterfly that's that pretty.

- [Betty] I forgot how I did this one.

- [Peggy] All right.

- Another thing to remember, keep your hand moving.

If you get too intense, perfection ruins creativity.

- Oh, that's a great tip.

- Yeah, it does.

- That's really a good tip.

- Don't think about what you're doing.

You wanna, you wanna-- - Perfectionism ruins creativity, yeah.

- You wanna move because the fabric is flowing, it moves.

So, your design is gonna be flowing.

Butterflies aren't the same, they're like snowflakes if you look at them and they're in motion.

So, you just don't wanna do something static.

I did some things here so that they're dry and we can paint them, but-- - So, just tell me about this little frame.

What's the prep in order to get here?

I wanna start painting worse than you do, but I at least want everyone (laughs) to know about this frame.

- You can order frames, but they're limited in size as to what you can do even though they say you can change the configuration.

I wanted something that was portable 'cause this can actually be freestanding if you took longer PVC pipes.

- Oh, sure.

- And I have done that as well.

And I've made it longer - So, you wouldn't have to paint over a table, you don't need to.

- No, and-- - Does this have to be tight, just pulled taut?

- Try to pull it that much.

You don't wanna overdo it, but the reason that you want it taut is that the paint will pool and sag.

- [Peggy] Mmm, I see.

- [Betty] And then you won't get the right colors.

- Okay, so it has to have some type of tension on it.

- Right.

And we were talking about resist.

Resist is actually a fence around your color.

- Okay that's a good way-- - To keep it from bleeding into something.

- Keep the neighbors out.

- That's right.

And there are different types of resist.

I have clear resist that comes in a bottle and I put it in small applicators.

- Okay.

- And the good thing about a clear resist is if you wanna make a design, but you don't want color on the outline, that keeps it clear.

- So that's what you were saying the first one that we looked at-- - Right.

- Had clear resist because there was something on there that you could see, but when you washed it, it was gone.

- Right, and the clear resist is made to be washed away.

So, once you wash it and heat set it.

Now, you have to read the labels of your paints to see what they recommend.

Some recommend steam setting.

Now, I have a steamer at home.

It's a horizontal one, it's about this long and it has a metal dowel and what you do is you take blank newsprint and you sandwich the silk in between the newsprint and you roll it up on the dowel and set it in a steam bath-- - Got it.

- For about 30, 40 minutes.

- Okay.

- I had a small bamboo one and I was folding the fabric and it took like three hours.

- [Peggy] But before you do that, you let it dry.

- Dry for 24 hours - completely let it dry and, okay and then do the steam.

- Mm-hmm.

- Just to make sure.

- You want it cure for a day and not touch it.

- And then steam and then it's done.

The steaming just sets the colors and the paints.

- Right.

- Is this mine?

Do I get to play with this?

- Yes, you get to play with that.

- Okay, and this is my resist.

So, this is my border that's gonna go around it, but it's not clear it's silver.

- No, its a metallic.

And I did, - Okay, so this is really gonna shine.

- I did that really because I want it to show up on the cameras.

- Okay, all right.

I'm not sure I want it to, but we'll go with your concept.

(laughs) Go ahead.

- Yes I told you, you have to be fearless.

- I didn't tell you I flunked art in college, just as a FYI (laughs) I'm listening.

I'm gonna follow whatever you're doing.

Can I do that?

- I don't do, I don't do clay now because in kindergarten I could not roll a perfectly smooth piece of clay.

- [Peggy] Right, so you see how those, like, things stay with you.

- You know, I need therapy on that, but-- - [Peggy] (laughs) I do too.

- But, uh-- - So, am I gonna do what you're gonna do, but you're gonna do it with something different.

- I'm gonna do a different color.

- [Peggy] Okay.

- And this is a dragonfly, which is very easy to do too-- - Is a dragonfly easier than a butterfly?

- Probably.

- Let's do a dragonfly first.

- [Betty] With the dragonfly, that's the center of it.

- [Peggy] I can do that, okay.

- [Betty] So, and don't worry if you're overlapping.

See it's just a loop there.

- [Peggy] And if it skips, you just go back and do it again.

- A loop there and a loop there.

- See I couldn't even do that.

Oh, I missed your loops.

- See, it doesn't matter if things are the same size.

- [Peggy] But, it feels like it matters.

Perfection, say that quote again.

Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity or whatever did you say.

- Mm-hmm.

It's the roadblock to creativity.

- I don't even think of myself as a perfectionist until it comes to drawing on a dragonfly though.

- Well, there are no rules.

- Except with my resist, because it's the border, I just spilled.

You can't, you have to actually make this all connect then, don't you?

- You want to if the paint is gonna go in between the design that you do.

You wanna make sure you close the loops.

I got you, okay, I'm closing.

- But, it's also possible to just take the paint itself, paint a design on there and then put a resist over it, kind of like a Chagall painting.

- Okay.

- Yeah, that looks good.

- Yours looks so nice.

- [Betty] Now, and like this.

- [Peggy] Now, what's that?

- [Betty] Gonna do a butterfly here.

- [Peggy] Oh wait, I missed the first part.

Ah, okay.

- See that?

And this'll look like sunglasses on the bottom here.

And there's a center to that there.

- I think you've done this before.

Sunglasses on the bottom, okay.

- Yeah, see like Aviator glasses, the shape.

- I got it.

Okay, and then what are you doing?

- And you know-- - That is just cool, Betty.

- [Betty] And, putting something inside, which you've already done.

You can put different colors then, in between your design.

- My butterfly looks wounded, but hey this is a happier butterfly.

- That's, that's good.

No, I like that.

- [Peggy] Would you pay me money for it?

- I don't have to, I make my own.

- (laughs) I got you, I got you.

- But, if you do that and you paint it, I guarantee you somebody would wanna buy it.

- Well, we won't challenge that one.

Okay, so now can I put resist on the inside of my little wings?

If I'm gonna-- put different colors there?

- Yes, you can put the, you can put the resist anywhere you want.

- Okay.

- And just use it to make a design.

Pretend this is a coloring book and you're just doodling.

- So I have a question for you, my resist is kinda beady.

Yours is smooth and nice and flat.

Is that because we're using different kinds or because I'm too slow?

- Uh, you need to flow with it more.

- Okay.

- And when it dries-- - Will it be beady?

- And it's heat set, um, this is heat set with an iron.

After you wash it, just iron it on the reverse side and it'll all be flat like this is, right here.

- Oh, it'll actually all go flat?

- Mm-hmm, you don't have to worry about that.

- How did you figure out what, well you'll tell us that.

Okay, so I'm just gonna put some inside stuff here so I can put some colors inside.

Like, your colors over there are just amazing.

- And then when you're done with that, you can come over here and start trying to use the paint to color in there.

I'll show you how.

- Okay.

- And the beauty of the white silk and when you pull it taut like this, the paint actually seeks its own level.

And it's not like watercolor because watercolor on canvas or on cold pressed paper doesn't really move, but you can get a watercolor effect by using the paint.

You can water down the paint if you want and you can get a color that is white.

Now it doesn't go on anything as white, but what it does is it lightens any color that you use and there's all kinds of colors.

In fact, I need an intervention for silk supplies because as soon as the new colors come out, I want them.

- I have a question for you.

- I had talked to you before about the tissue paper painting, kind of.

You put tissue paper, will you talk to me a little bit about that?

I'd heard a little bit about that, but I don't know a lot.

Basically-- - It does make a-- - We're taking tissue paper and you take colored tissue paper and you put it on silk and you spray it with water.

- You tear it up because you don't want the cut edges to-- - [Peggy] To give you kind of a collage effect.

- Right, and you just spread it across and you spray it with vinegar and water or alcohol and water.

- To set.

But what's bad about that?

- The only thing is I, you have to use certain kind of tissue paper because tissue paper today is made not to bleed and you want it to bleed onto the silk.

- Right, right, right.

- The colors can't come out great and some people have tried a vinegar bath, but that seems to take the color away.

They have yet to make it colorfast.

- I see.

- So, if you don't mind doing that and washing it by hand and it'll bleed a little each time.

- It's very high maintenance and you lose color every time, but also won't the color bleed off into what you haven't put it on?

- Probably.

- Yeah, okay.

Just a caution, 'cause I had heard that and I thought, oh that's a great concept, but there's down, whereas this is permanent.

Like you said, once it dries and once you set it it'll stay-- - That's it.

- Forever and ever, okay.

- And for my customers, I wanna be doubly sure, so I heat set it with an iron and I also steam set it.

- Sure.

- And I test it with, you know, washing it and ironing it so that I know that what I send out there is going to stay that way.

- Sure, sure, that's called professionalism (laughs) okay.

All right, so can we do the colors in between now?

- Sure.

- All right, this is the fun part 'cause now you start to add personality to our dragonfly.

- Okay.

- And butterflies.

So, this actually has to dry before you do this.

So, this is why you did this so we could-- - Right.

- Paint this out.

- And you know, if you're careful you can put the color in between what you have there, you just don't wanna touch the resist border.

- Touch the brush.

Okay.

- Painting on silk-- - I'm so excited.

- Yes.

- I just wanna, (laughs) - Here, here's a good brush for you.

- Can I do anything, anything I want?

- Mm-hmm, any color you want.

- No, I'm supposed to follow you.

This is why I don't do well, I don't listen.

(laughs) - Yes you do.

- All right.

- Okay, this is chartreuse green.

I tried to bring some vibrant colors here.

- [Peggy] 'Cause you like color.

- Yes, and I wanted something to show up here as well.

You don't stroke the color on.

- Okay.

- You let it seek its own level.

- Ah, 'cause fabric is different than anything else, fabric will actually, okay.

- [Betty] Mm-hmm, so on the silk for example, do you see it travel?

- Oh, you do.

- So I used a smaller brush, but you can use a-- - [Peggy] Oh, that's really cool.

- [Betty] Now, you can use a bigger brush and I've used all kinds of brushes-- - Oh, it just soaks it up.

- [Betty] Right.

- Oh, that's pretty cool.

- And so, have at it.

- Where do you want pink?

Have at it (laughs).

- I'm gonna use-- - [Peggy] So, does it matter what kind of brushes you use?

- I would use a synthetic brush, not an-- - So, inexpensive, you mean?

- [Betty] You buy a package of them.

You can go to a dollar store or something like that and just get a bunch of brushes.

- So, besides being just fabric paint, will it actually just wash, look at that!

Oh my goodness, it spreads, it grows, it's alive!

- It's very re-- - And it stays within the lines!

- [Betty] Mm-hmm.

- I messed up though.

- And if it goes outside the lines it doesn't matter.

Because if you look at-- - It doesn't matter.

- If you look at what I'm wearing and the things that I have done.

- You went outside the lines?

- [Betty] I always go outside the lines.

- Oh, I don't believe that.

That looks too good to go outside the lines.

I messed up, it looks like I went outside the lines.

- But if you want a tight design, you just, you know, you take your time with what you're doing.

See, like how that one outside the line doesn't make any difference.

It'll look like a Mark Chagall painting.

- This is pretty fun.

- Mm-hmm.

- I can see where you-- - It's relaxing and I would advise you when you try this at home to put some music on.

- Oh, that would be really fun.

- Even paced because you don't want it to put you to sleep, you wanna make sure it flows, but I-- - So, you can actually just create a part and then put your pattern pieces on it if you wanna do garments or do you actually cut the pattern piece?

Like if you're doing clothing, do you do the cloth and then put the pattern on it or do you-- - Whatever's easier for you.

Like if you were doing-- - There's no right or wrong, it doesn't make a difference.

- If you were doing pants, I would take the cut pieces of your pattern and stretch them out and then put the pants together.

- Oh, yeah that makes sense.

So you can put, like on your pants, you can put it exactly where you want it.

- Right, you could use a pant stretcher and probably paint on that, but make sure that you always have something underneath the top layer of the silk so that it doesn't bleed to the layer of silk underneath.

- This is way too much fun.

It's way too much fun.

- Here, try this color.

- All right.

I'm gonna give you that.

- Okay.

- Do I need a different brush, right?

- Yeah.

- All right, this is my last color - Now, you really don't, you really don't need all these different brushes.

I'm just doing that for today because you can just dip them in water and they'll rinse out.

- And they're just, the water comes out no problem.

- [Betty] Mm-hmm.

- [Peggy] All right, Betty, we're gonna have to say good bye.

Tell us what you love about this the most.

- It's relaxing, it's rewarding and it's unique.

- And you can't make mistakes?

- No.

- I don't know, mine doesn't look as good as yours.

- You don't wanna make it look like anybody else's.

You have to be unique any time you do any art.

That's the problem with going to the paint parties where you drink the wine and everybody's painting the same rooster.

Well, people give up painting because they go, that rooster did not look anything like anybody else's.

That's a mistake.

- Thank you for being here today.

- My pleasure.

- Thank you for sharing your talent, you're just absolutely amazing.

- [Betty] My pleasure.

- You know, it's amazing to me.

I just really enjoy hanging with someone who said you can't make mistakes (laughs).

It's just my kinda talk.

One blouse, many styles.

It took us 40 years to get that blouse to fit so let's at least make some easy changes that will give you great style and current fashionable looks.

Join us as we look at blouses, next time on Fit 2 Stitch.

(peaceful piano music) - [Narrator] Fit 2 Stitch is made possible by Pendelton, Vogue Fabrics, Bennos Buttons, Kai Scissors, OC Sewing, Mike Gunther Industries, and Sew Steady.

(upbeat flute music) To order a four DVD set of Fit 2 Stitch Series 8, please visit our website at fit2stitch.com.