Fabric, Stamps & Stencils

Hello there!
I hope you have had a good week. Mine was good, but so busy & I must admit, I'm falling a wee bit behind with some great bloggy adventures which are on the go at the moment... like the Zakka Style Sew Along

Its a sewalong/ blog hop which each week covers a project from the book... like this tote

Source: s.o.t.a.k handmade

Or this pouch

Source: Elnora

Or this sewing kit

Source: Jeannie

For more inspiration just click here

Meanwhile I've been experimenting with ways to print on fabric & I thought I would share with you a few tips & trips about stamping & stencilling on fabric....

If you have any stamps of cute images, or alphabets, or text these are a great way to add another dimension to your sewing projects. All you need are stamps, a permanent ink pad (either stayzon or versacraft I have found work best), baby wipes, a piece of kitchen roll & your fabric... 

Try to stamp on a larger piece of fabric which you will cut & stitch into your project, rather than stamping directly on a finished piece in case you ruin your stitchy masterpiece :)
When you stamp, bring the inkpad to the stamp so that you don't get too much ink on your stamp. Check before you stamp onto the fabric to make sure there is no excess ink on the stamp around the shape - if there is, just give it a wee wipe with the tip of your kitchen roll

Be sure to clean the stamps after every stamp with your baby wipes to keep them nice :)

You can also use stencils & sharpie pens for text if you like

This is a really inexpensive & creative way to incorporate words into your projects.
To set the stamps (or stencils) press for approx 3 seconds on the REVERSE side of the fabric that you have stamped using a hot iron & then press again on the RIGHT side for 3 seconds.

These are a few tips, but I would recommend that you first use a scrap of material & practice a wee bit so you get used to it (& not ruin any of your lovely material!)

These are some of my experiments with inkpads & you will see how some maintained their colour, while others faded.
I hope this will give you a wee incentive to get stamping - it really can be a lot of fun...If you call back in a day or two I'll show you some of the bits & pieces I've made with some stamps

In the meantime I hope you all have a great week &, if you live in the UK, have a relaxing bank holiday Monday

Take care
Karen