Decola silk outliner 18 ml: black or washable

Decola silk outliner creates borders between painted areas on silk. Use it to separate petals, leaves or geometric shapes when working in cold batik. The fine nozzle lets you apply the resist directly from the tube along your design.

Choose the right resist

• Black 810, reference 6403810: a permanent black outline. The line remains part of your design and does not wash out.
• Transparent, reference 6403934: a water-based washable resist. After setting the paint, this resist is removed during washing.

You receive one 18 ml tube in your chosen type. Paint, silk and a stretching frame are separate materials. These two options differ in their final effect, as well as their colour.

Prepare the silk

These resists are designed for thin natural fabrics, including silk. Wash the fabric without softener, then dry and iron it before stretching it on a frame. Test the resist, paint, setting process and washing on a spare piece of the same fabric first.

Continuous lines separate colours

Lightly mark your pattern and draw an even, unbroken resist line that penetrates the fabric. Check for gaps before filling the enclosed areas with Decola silk paint and a soft brush. Allow the transparent resist lines to dry completely for about 1 to 1.5 hours; repair any breaks and let the added resist dry too.

Setting and care

Allow work painted with Decola silk paint to dry for 24 hours. Iron the reverse for 5 minutes at the cotton setting, without steam, using a protective cotton cloth. Only use this setting if the fabric tolerates the temperature. Set the permanent black outliner in the same way. Wait at least 48 hours after ironing before gentle hand washing at 30 to 40 °C with mild liquid detergent, while also following the fabric care label. The transparent resist washes away; the black outline stays visible.

Materials to use alongside it

Choose a silk paint suited to the resist process and check the instructions on your chosen packaging. Explore our fabric paints and textile painting materials.