Creative & ArtBeginnerPreview
Lino Block Printing on Fabric
A hands-on beginner course in printing carved lino blocks onto textiles. You learn fabric-safe inks, repeat-tile carving, registration on yardage, heat-setting for washability, and applying prints to finished garments.
Beginner makers, sewers, and surface designers who want to print their own patterned fabric and decorate garments by hand.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook turns the course into hands-on practice. Each section matches a course module and gives you exercises, fill-in worksheets, and checklists to plan, carve, print, and cure your own block-printed fabric. Work through it at the bench with your tools beside you, and use the templates to track inks, repeats, and curing settings so your results stay consistent.
Materials, Inks, and the Fabric-Safe Setup
Assemble a working kit, choose a fabric-safe ink, and prepare your first cloth so it is ready to take a durable print.
Exercise: Ink and fabric compatibility test
Before committing to a project, prove your ink and fabric will bond and survive washing. Print three small swatches and put them through your real laundry cycle.
- Print a 5 by 5 centimetre solid swatch on pre-washed cotton, on linen, and on one untested fabric.
- Heat-set each swatch the way you plan to cure your projects and note the method and time.
- Wash all three at 40 degrees Celsius, then record which held colour and which faded or cracked.
- Decide which fabric and ink pairing you will use for your first real project and why.
Worksheet: Starter kit and budget planner
Fill in the kit you will buy or already own. Use this to avoid duplicate purchases and to track total cost.
- Block material chosen (grey lino / soft-cut / vinyl)
- Gouge set (sizes and brand, e.g. Pfeil 1.5 mm, 3 mm, 8 mm)
- Sharpening kit (strop + honing compound)
- Fabric ink brand and colours
- Brayer size and durometer (soft/hard)
- Ink slab surface (glass / acrylic / tray)
- Fabric type and weight (gram per square metre)
- Estimated total cost
Checklist: Fabric preparation checklist
- Washed and dried the fabric with no fabric softener
- Confirmed the fabric is a natural fibre suitable for pigment ink
- Found and trimmed the straight grain (pulled a thread)
- Pressed the fabric flat and wrinkle-free
- Confirmed the ink is a fabric textile ink, not a paper or craft ink
Carving Repeat-Pattern Tiles
Design a motif that reads on cloth, turn it into a seamless repeat, and carve a clean, registration-ready block.
Exercise: Cut-and-shift seamless repeat
Build a true seamless tile on paper using the swap-the-quarters method before you carve anything.
- Draw your main motif in the centre of a square, leaving all four edges blank.
- Cut the square in half vertically, swap the halves, and tape the outer edges together.
- Cut in half horizontally, swap, and tape again, then fill the central gap with new motifs.
- Photocopy the finished tile, lay four copies edge to edge, and circle any unwanted lines or gaps to fix.
Worksheet: Repeat and tile specification
Lock down the numbers for your block before carving so registration is predictable later.
- Tile size (width by height in centimetres)
- Repeat type (straight / half-drop / brick)
- Offset distance for the drop or brick
- Minimum line width planned (millimetres)
- Minimum carved gap width (millimetres)
- Mirror check done for any directional motif or text (yes/no)
- Registration marks planned (shoulder edge / corner ticks)
Exercise: Carving order drill
Practise the fine-to-coarse carving sequence on a scrap block so your good block comes out clean.
- Outline every shape first with a fine V or small U-gouge, cutting just outside the keep line.
- Clear the large negative areas with a wide U-gouge to a consistent shallow depth.
- Take a test pull on paper and mark any stray bumps or shallow spots.
- Re-carve the flagged areas and pull a second test until the motif prints evenly.
Checklist: Ready-to-print block checklist
- Block edges are square and a known size
- An uncarved shoulder or corner ticks are present for registration
- All negative areas cleared deep enough to miss the roller
- Trench walls are sloped, not undercut
- A clean test pull on paper shows the full motif with no stray marks
Printing and Registration on Yardage
Build a padded gridded print table, ink the block to a thin even film, and print accurate repeats across a length of cloth.
Exercise: Padded table and grid setup
Build your printing surface and prove it gives an even impression before you start a real run.
- Layer base, 3 to 6 millimetre cushion, and a tightly tensioned top sheet on your table.
- Square and tape down a test length of fabric with the grain aligned to the table edge.
- Mark your repeat grid on tape at the fabric edges to match your tile size.
- Print four tiles in your chosen repeat and check the impression is even from corner to corner.
Worksheet: Print run log
Record the settings of a successful run so you can reproduce it exactly next time.
- Fabric and weight
- Ink brand, colour, and any retarder or extender added
- Number of roller passes used to charge the block
- Pressure method (body weight / baren / spoon)
- Re-ink rhythm (e.g. fully re-roll every pull)
- Repeat type and grid spacing
- Drying time before moving the fabric
- Notes on faults and fixes during the run
Exercise: Ink film calibration
Dial in the right ink amount by printing at three different film thicknesses and comparing the cured hand.
- Roll out the ink until it hisses, then print one swatch with a light charge, one medium, one heavy.
- Cure all three, then scrunch each in your fist and note which flexes and which cracks.
- Record how many roller passes gave the best crisp, flexible result.
- Use that pass count as your standard for the full run.
Checklist: Consistent yardage printing checklist
- Block registered to the grid before lowering it
- Even pressure applied across the whole face, especially corners
- Block lifted straight up, never rocked
- Roller re-charged with the same passes every pull
- Stepped back to scan the whole panel for drift every few prints
Heat-Setting, Garments, and Aftercare
Cure prints for washability, apply printing to finished items, and care for and troubleshoot your printed textiles.
Exercise: Cure-and-wash verification
Confirm your curing method actually makes prints wash-fast before you sell or gift anything.
- Air-dry a printed swatch fully, then heat-set it using your standard method, time, and temperature.
- Wash the swatch inside out at 40 degrees Celsius with no bleach.
- Check the rinse water and the swatch for any colour transfer or fading.
- If colour ran, increase cure time or temperature and repeat until the wash runs clean.
Exercise: Garment placement mock-up
Plan placement on a finished item with paper before committing ink, to avoid misplaced or wrong-direction prints.
- Cut a paper copy of your motif at print size and pin it to the garment.
- Measure placement from a fixed point such as centre front and below the neckline, and record the numbers.
- Check any directional motif points the correct way and that borders will align at seams.
- Insert a barrier board and confirm the print area is smooth over any seams before printing.
Worksheet: Care card and project record
Capture the curing and care details for each finished piece so you can include a care card and reproduce the work.
- Item printed (tote / tea towel / cushion / garment)
- Ink and colour used
- Cure method, temperature, and time
- Recommended wash temperature and cycle
- Drying and ironing instructions
- Date completed and any notes
Checklist: Finish and aftercare checklist
- Print air-dried fully before heat-setting
- Heat-set across the entire printed area under a press cloth
- Waited at least 24 hours after curing before first wash
- Care card prepared for any item sold or gifted
- Swatch added to the sample book with ink, colour, and cure noted
Your Action Plan
- Pre-wash and grain-square your first fabric and confirm it is a fabric-safe ink, not a paper ink.
- Run the ink-and-fabric wash test on three swatches and choose your project pairing.
- Design a motif as bold positive and negative shapes, then build a seamless tile with cut-and-shift.
- Carve the block fine-to-coarse, keeping it square with a registration shoulder, and pull a paper test.
- Build the padded, gridded print table and calibrate your ink film to a thin, flexible result.
- Print a short test length, checking registration and density every few pulls before the full run.
- Print your yardage or item with a steady re-ink rhythm and let prints dry before moving the cloth.
- Air-dry, then heat-set to the ink's temperature and time, and verify with a cure-and-wash test.
- Apply a print to a finished garment or home textile using a barrier board and a placement mock-up.
- Log everything in your sample book and care cards, then carve one new block a week to build a collection.
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