What kind of sealant should I use for fabric?
July 29th, 2010 | 
Author: So, I’ve drawn all over a pair of my favorite pants with sharpie, and now I’m quite proud of it. I don’t want the art to fade or bleed in the wash, so what kind of sealant should I use? My mother has suggested just steaming it and going over it with an iron, but I want to be sure it’ll last.
Any suggestions?
Posted in 
Tags:
July 29th, 2010 7:04 am
your mom is right. I seen that same process done in my local mall at an airbrush store. it some how seals the paint to the fabric. but you are to wash the item inside out to prevent the fade. These instructions are straight from the airbrush store.
July 29th, 2010 7:20 am
Got this off Sharpie’s site:
Why does the Sharpie packaging say it is not for letter writing or cloth?
We do not recommend the Sharpie for letter writing as it is solvent base ink and will soak through paper. We also do not recommend the Sharpie for use on cloth as it may fade or bleed in the wash. Also, over time a yellow halo may appear around the marking.
You could email them and ask if there is a way to “set” the color in the cloth. Heat has been know to “set” things in cloth, and so does heat and vinegar. But, I’m no chemist, I would ask. Next time, I suggest using paints made for clothing.
There are other ways of personalizing clothing too: rhinestones, studs, embroidery [hand and machine], cross stitch [hand and machine], cut-work, etc. Try searching on “embellishing clothing”.
July 29th, 2010 7:45 am
Some “Sharpies” and other markers will bleed only after a while, or change color a bit, so there’s no guarantee this would work, but check out some of the suggestions I wrote in a previous answer about that general topic, and particularly about “encasing” paints/inks that might be problematic for various reasons with a “sealant”:
http://id.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080613074942AAuqeQT
Btw, “heating” in various ways can help some pigments/paints/etc to be more permanent, but not all. You’ll probably want to use other pigments/markers/etc the next time to avoid problems like that in the future (e.g., pigment pens, “fabric” pens and brushes, and more).
HTH,
Diane B.