Yes, you can paint fabric with dye! Why would you want to use dye instead of fabric paints? Well, for one, you won't have to buy a complete set of fabric paints in addition to your dyes. For another, fabric painted with dye has a different appearance than fabric painted with paint -- because dye bonds with the fabric fibers themselves (rather than sitting on the surface), it just has a different quality to it.
I'm assuming you remember all your basic dyeing techniques. If not, please go back to the other lessons to review them. We will be using one new ingredient - a liquid dye thickener. If you are buying your ingredients from Dharma Trading Company, their name for it is "Superclear". If you are using another supplier, ask them for their liquid dye thickener.
Superclear can be used any time you want to make your dye solution thicker or to keep dye from spreading. To use liquid dye thickener, make your chemical water as usual. When making one cup of dye solution, start with anywhere from 4 tablespoons to 2/3 cup of Superclear. Add enough chemical water to make one cup, and add your dye powder. Mix really well -- the Superclear is very thick, and makes the dye harder to dissolve.
The more Superclear you add, the less the dye will spread on your fabric. Less Superclear will give you more of a watercolor effect, which you can enhance by spritzing your fabric with water after you've painted it.
For your initial fabric paintings, try something very abstract like stripes, zig zags, or polka dots. You're just trying to get the feel of the product. Also try a lot of different brushes. For very thick mixtures I like fabric brushes or dense foam brushes. For water color effects I like chinese goat hair wash brushes, which are available very inexpensively at art supply stores or at Dharma Trading Company. Also try a few non-traditional brushes, like craft sticks or an old toothbrush.
Let your fabric sit at least four hours after painting. I like to cover it with plastic to keep it from drying out. Then rinse and wash as usual. Enjoy!