Fabric Spray Paint on Baby Clothes

When I first tried fabric spray paint I was a bit skeptical. Spray paint? On fabric? Won't it be crunchy and stiff in texture? Is the paint safe for baby clothes? Turns out, the good stuff isn't like the spray from the hardware store, it is actually more like a fabric dye in a can. It absorbs into the fabric like a dye would so it doesn't make it stiff.

I used Simply Spray brand soft fabric paint for this project because it is non-toxic and the colors are vibrant. I was relieved that it didn't have any smell to it.

The only downside is that it can be messy if you are anything like me. I suggest doing the spraying outside or cover your surfaces very well. Don't even think about spraying near upholstery or carpets! It is meant to stain fabric, so use with care and while wearing clothes that you don't care about.

Before & After:

To do this project, you'll need a white 100% cotton baby sleeper (mine is from Dharma) some painters tape and fabric spray paint in your color choice.

Begin by taping off any areas that you don't want paint on. Leave the trim exposed and try to get a nice seal with the tape. Be sure to cover your work surface too, or just take your project outside like I did.

Once you have everything taped off and you are ready to start spraying, I suggest you grab a few paper towels, shake up your can and do a couple of test sprays to get the feel of how it comes out. Do not spray directly onto the surface of your baby sleeper, start spraying on your paper towels then slowly move the paint mist onto the fabric. This will help avoid any larger droplets that tend to come out during the first spray. Keep your finger on the trigger, don't do short squirts of paint!

This fabric spray paint has a watery texture, which means if you saturate your trim with too much it could potentially seep and bleed under your tape barrier, so only paint to add a light coat of color, don't saturate it for this project!

Let it dry completely. Since the instructions say not to wash for 72 hours, I just left my tape on until I was ready to wash it a few days later.

Here is is before washing:

Here it is after washing on hot twice:

As you can see, there is some slight color fading which I expected, but the yellow is still quite vibrant. All in all a fun way to add some details to otherwise plain baby clothes.

Have fun!