Fabric Stamping

Using fabric paints, you can do fabric stamping, from T-shirts to place mats. A great idea for a holiday gathering is to stamp the place mats, napkins and table runner with different but harmonious stamps.

You could even allow your guests to take their place mat home as a gift. Or make a set of napkins or a pretty tablecloth as a holiday gift.

Fabric stamping is quick and easy and the supplies are readily available. Most fabric inks and paints are heat set by ironing, but there are those brands that require no setting at all.

Medium-viscosity acrylics can be thinned with water and used to stamp fabric. These stiffen the fabric some, but are very bright and don't need heat setting. There are a variety of commercial fabric stamps available; those made for stamping on paper generally have too much shallow detail for good results on fabric.

If you'd like to carve your own stamps, any piece of rubber or foam that can easily be cut with an x-acto knife is a good candidate. White rubber erasers work very well. Designs can be drawn on and carved away using linoleum carving tool or an x-acto knife. Stamps should be mounted on a firm base such as plywood or Plexiglas, the latter allows you to see the exact placement and orientation of the stamp before printing.

Stamp pads are ideal for fabric inks and paints. You can also buy plain stamp pads and fill them yourself. A piece of felt or batting placed in a shallow plastic container also works well. Press the stamp firmly onto the pad with an up and down motion, rocking the stamp from side to side can deposit ink on the edges of the design, causing a smudged stamp.

Some paints are too thick to be used in a stamp pad, and in this case a foam brush can be used to apply the paint. True metallic paints have metal flakes which won't be absorbed by a stamp pad, Foam brushes work best with these paints. Using the brush it's easy to lay several colors side by side, dip the brush in each and paint a multicolored stamp. It's also possible to selectively paint a stamp, leaving some areas unpainted for more variety.

Work with pre-washed and dried fabric, and I think this gives the best results. Lay a towel between the table and my fabric - you want some padding, but also some firmness to push the stamp against. Place the stamp on the fabric with a straight up and down motion, absolutely do not rock the stamp from side to side or paint from the edges of the stamp could transfer to the fabric. When you've finished stamping, follow manufacturer's directions for setting, if any.

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