There are two blenders, the Colorless Blender and the Iridescent Blender. Blenders are made from paint medium, but have no pigment. The Iridescent Blender has the “shiny stuff” that makes it iridescent, but no pigment to give it a true color.
Blenders are know as “extenders” in the paint world. By mixing a lot of blender with a small amount of color, you can get a pale version of that color.
Caution!The Colorless Blender will turn from clear to yellow over a couple of years. I have seen this in my own samples and it has been reported by a number of people who used the colorless blender on art cloth and art quilt projects. I have stopped using the colorless blender in my own work and don’t recommend it for use on fabric – unless you are specifically looking for a way to make an image look “aged” over time.
I have not seen “yellowing” problems with the Iridescent Blender. If I need to use a blender, I always use the iridescent blender – and leave the colorless blender alone.

Not according to my sensitive nose! (said with a big smile) The paint manufacturer calls the paintstiks “no odor” but I disagree. I call them “low odor.” They smell like a combination of wax and oil paint, but the smell is very light compared to a traditional oil paint. I notice more of an odor as the paints are drying than when I am painting. It’s not obnoxious, but it’s there.

Some people notice a residual odor in scarves / garments. It depends on how sensitive your nose is. One of my best customers successfully removes the leftover smell by gently washing her fabric with Fabreeze for the Wash.
If you are particularly sensitive to chemical odors, I suggest purchasing one or two colors and experimenting with them to see if it’s a product you can work with. As with any product, there’s no sense making a big investment only to find out you are too sensitive to the smell to enjoy using it.

Absolutely! Paintstik colors were created as a solid oil paint for artists. They have been used in the craft community for decades. Paintstik colors will adhere to paper, wood, metal, concrete, terra cotta tiles – you name it! If the surface is porous, the paints will stick. (They will not adhere to glass, glazed ceramics and other shiny surfaces.)

I am not an art conservator, but there are some common sense things you can do here. If you want to put the fabric under glass or acrylic, I would use a shadow-box approach or at least a spacer between the glass and the fabric. I don’t think you want the painted fabric touching the glass.
I would personally wait at least 6-8 weeks for the paint to dry before framing a piece. Paintstik oil colors are oil-based paints and they take longer to dry than water-based paints. Better safe than sorry.
For a definitive answer to this question, I would contact the art department at a local college or university or consult with someone at an art gallery that handles oil paintings.

Fiber content is not going to be an issue with paints. When you dye a fabric, a chemical bond forms between the dye molecules and the fibers. That’s why you need certain dyes for cellulose fibers (cotton, linen, rayon) and different dyes for protein fibers.
When you paint a fabric, the bond is strictly mechanical. The paint adheres to the surface of the fibers rather than forming a chemical bond. The only fabrics I know to watch out for are those that have been chemically treated to be stain resistant. If the fabric is stain-resistant, it may also be paint-resistant.
Keep in mind that almost all fabric coming into the stores is treated with finishes when it is manufactured. That is why we recommend pre-washing fabric before painting it. Use a plain detergent when pre-washing fabric and do not use fabric softener. With that single step, you should be ready to paint.

A lot! According to one of my garment-sewing friends, you can cover 2 to 2½ yards of fabric with light rubbings before you completely use up one full size paintstik.

Paintstiks have a very long shelf life. According to the factory, they will begin to dry out 2 years after they are manufactured. I have some paintstik colors that I acquired over 10 years ago. The skin is thicker, but there is still good paint in the middle of the stick.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but rubbings simply take longer to dry. I don’t know of any way to make them dry quickly.
If the rubbings are light (which I don’t expect if you are working with kids) AND made with IRIDESCENT colors, you can turn them paint side down on baking parchment and heat set with an iron right away. The paint won’t be totally dry, but a film will form over the top.
If the person making the rubbing has a heavy hand (most of us to begin with and most kids), there is simply too much paint to have much luck with quick heat setting.
If you are working with MATTE colors, be very cautious about trying to heat set the paint without at least 24 hours of dry time. Several of my experienced customers have had problems with discoloration when they tried to push the heat setting too quickly with matte colors.
You might try a heat gun (not a hair dryer) on a few samples and see if you have any luck getting the paints to film over without discoloring. Definitely test before you plan on using this for your class.
If all else fails, lay a piece of muslin or paper towels over the painted fabric, gently roll or fold it up, and send it home with instructions to set it aside for at least a week. If these are not going to be washed, they don’t actually need to be heat set. The paint will dry on its own over time.

If you are creating fabric for a wall hanging, there is technically no need to heat set the paint. Jut let the paint dry on it’s own time and it will be fine. Heat setting speeds up the end of the drying process and is recommended for anything that will be washed, but there is no compelling reason to heat set fabric that will be used in wall hangings.

Using an iron: Preheat the iron to the appropriate temperature for the fabric. Place the fabric (paint side down) on a piece of baking parchment or brown kraft paper. Press for 10-15 seconds with a DRY iron – do not use steam. (The parchment or kraft paper will catch any excess oil and pigments and keep them off your ironing board cover.)

In the clothes dryer: After the paint has cured for the appropriate number of days (see question above), put the fabric in a clothes dryer at the hottest setting for 30-45 minutes. Do NOT put freshly painted fabric in the dryer – and if you do, don’t call me!

Stenciled images will be dry and ready to heat set within 24 hours (unless you used a very heavy application of paint).
Rubbings (and any direct application technique) take longer to dry. Allow 3-5 days for the paint to dry. I allow 7 days if I make several layers of rubbings – or during humid times of the year.
Test the paint by rubbing your finger over a section of paint. If you see paint on your finger, it’s not dry yet. Set the fabric aside for another day. Once you no longer pick paint up with your finger, it’s ready to heat set.

Yes! After you apply paintstik color to fabric, you need to let it air dry, and then heat set the paint with an iron or in a clothes dryer. After the paint has been heat set, your fabric is washable.

Note: Do NOT dry clean fabric decorated with paintstik colors. Dry cleaning fluid is a solvent and it will dissolve the paintstik colors (which are oil-based – not water-based paints).

The film on the outside of the paintstik automatically re-forms within a day after you use them. The film keeps the paintstiks from drying out over time. Simply store them in a plastic bag, a plastic box, or whatever you have handy that will keep them separated from your other supplies.

Not a thing! Paintstiks have a film over the outside of the stick. Peel the film away with a vegetable peeler or a small paring knife to expose the soft paint underneath.