Stamp Your Own Pattern Tutorial

Once I got an email from a reader asking where to find boy fabric, as they were only able to find solids and stripes.  I was kind of at a loss of what to tell her because I really like solids and stripes.  Details of your sewing are more easily displayed with something simple, but recently I got a steal on a bunch of factory remnant solid, white knit.  I had plans of dying it different colors, since it's a really great quality knit.  But then I saw a couple of really cool stamps at Hobby Lobby and I when I remembered the fabric ink I had for my tags...well, the rest, as they say, is history.

Using the ink pad instead of just fabric paint provides the option of using stamps because it will show off all the fine detail of a rubber stamp instead of filling all the crevices with paint and making a blob of paint instead of an image.  I never got into making scrapbooks (I can't even bring myself to using it as it's own verb), but I feel like I'm breaking and entering into that world with the possibilities this opens up.

Growing up my dad had a big box of stamps that we all loved to play with.  He'd break them out for our homemade Valentine's that we would spend hours making.  It was like a treasure box, not neatly organized and categorized, just a bunch of wood mounted stamps all jumbled up, that we'd riffle through to find what we wanted.

Now I feel like my 5 yards of plain white knit won't be enough for all the ideas in my head!

Some tips:
★ Make sure your ink is for fabric.  You don't want to go to all this trouble only to find out it will wash out or fade.  VersaCraft is widely available online and in craft stores.
★ If your pattern pieces are really big, you may want to draw the outline of each piece so you don't over-stamp and waste ink (and energy!)  Don't cut out your pieces, because some of your images will be half on the piece and half off which would be harder to do if it's already cut out.
★ Go random or go precise.  On this project I spaced the image evenly, but I've started another project that is completely random and both are fun.
★ Don't rock the stamp.  Press down firmly, but evenly.  If you rock it (in the literal sense ;) you'll get the edges of the wood or get a blurry image.
★ Let the ink dry and then press (just up and down motion, no side to side) with a hot dry iron.
★ This will work on an natural, evenly woven or knit fabric, but you could get different effects using a rougher weave like some linen.  If you're unsure, just try a sample and run it through the wash before committing to an entire cut of beloved fabric.

Admit it, you're already thinking of fabric you have that will work, aren't you?

You can bet your ink pad that there will be more stamping to come.  What about you, are your wheels turning?