Printing on Fabric with Homemade Stamps

Posted on Jan 18, 2015

Want a more natural look for your printing, scrapbooking or card making? Get some inspiration from leaves, flowers and even vegetables to embellish your projects. Let's start with the trusty standby of taking a leaf and stamping fabric. After all, there is nothing more beautiful than Mother Nature's bounty. What you need: - Work surface covered with plastic sheeting, butcher block paper or newspaper - Leaves of all shapes and sizes - Newspaper cut into sheets to fit over leaves - Paint and paint palette - Foam brushes, cosmetic sponges, brayer or homemade dauber - Prewashed fabric (page 28) - Sponge brayer for rubbing - Damp towel for wiping your hands on

Step 1

Zoom Image

On a covered work surface, place a leaf on a piece of newspaper and apply paint with a brush, sponge, brayer or dauber.

Step 2

Zoom Image

Carefully pick up the leaf and place it paint side down on your fabric, making sure none of the edges roll under.

Step 3

Zoom Image

Put a piece of newspaper on top of leaf, then rub on it with your hands or soft sponge brayer to smooth paint onto fabric.

Step 4

Zoom Image

Carefully lift off the newspaper. Place newspaper sheet into trash so any stray paint doesn't get on anything else. Then carefully life off the leaf and clean it with a damp rag.

Step 5

Use the same leaf to make additional prints or mix in cabbage, flowers or apple and star fruit stamps.

Step 6

Allow paint to dry and then heat set.

Step 7

Zoom Image

This tutorial is excerpted with permission from <a href="http://amzn.to/1lSkPZR">"Fabric Surface Design: Painting, Stamping, Rubbing, Stenciling, Silk Screening, Resists, Image Transfer, Marbling, Crayons & Colored Pencils, Batik, Nature Prints, Monotype Printing"</a> by Cheryl Rezendes and published by Storey.

This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only.