I block printed on very fine cotton voile fabric with versatex fabric inks. I ironed it 3 times and let it sit for a few hours before testing it in water. The color keeps coming out though when I wash it in cold water with a small amount of detergent. I wonder if this is just the nature of the fabric. I really pressed my ink into the fabric and most of the design showed up on the other side as well. Is it better to just not wash something like this? Perhaps dry clean?

I am having so much fun with this book and the processes and working with fabric, besides these little hiccups along the way. Thanks for all the suggestions in the various forum topics so far.

I had a lot of fading when I first used Versatex. I printed on linen. Since then I use Versatex + fixitive + heat set, no more fading. The fixative works really well at keeping the ink from fading. I haven't printed on fine cotton voile, but I thought I'd share my experience with Versatex.

I love this book too!

hello,
i don't use versatex ink, but i'm surprised to hear that the ink is washing out. while fabric ink does fade a bit sometimes, it's supposed to be permanent! thanks for your tips, tina. it sounds like the versatex ink needs the fixative added. i would also suggest experimenting with some different brands, like speedball and dick blick.

let me know what happens!

Thanks Tina! That definitely helps. I do need to buy more ink too so I guess I will try buying another brand as well.