This is the first of (hopefully) many DIY projects. I was so inspired by this month's Martha Stewart. They did a feature on textile printing with everyday objects. I loved the idea of transforming something practical into something really cool + perfect for summer entertaining. These cloth napkins were the perfect project. The whole thing takes a couple of hours and would be fun to do with a friend.
You will need:
Fabric. We used muslin and a jersey cotton. The muslin was way easier to work with.
Fabric paint. Martha has some great ones like these: Beach Glass + Summer Haze. (note: I always pick colors based on their name)
Cut out pieces of card board or use another everyday object to stamp with.
These foam pouncers are an easy way to transfer the paint to your stamp.
Method:
For the napkins, cut out 14" squares of fabric. For a raw edge we simply sewed along the square with a zig-zag stitch in coordinating thread. I picked out a vintage teal thread for this project.
After you've finished the napkins you can get to the stamping! Lay out newspaper or old magazines and then take your paint and squeeze it on a flat surface. This makes it much easier to apply the paint to your stamp. We then coated the cardboard with a thick coat of paint and then went to town. We experimented with patterns and found that if we needed to fill in any of the paint with a brush, we could and then stamp again to get the texture from the cardboard. Just experiment as you go. When you're finished let them set in the sun!
That ginger chicken we made for dinner is one of our favorite recipes. I'll share it next week! If you make these please tweet or facebook a picture!
Produced by Lesley Graham and Mandy Andree for Lesley W Graham
