I am so excited! I have finally found a way to combine my love of printing with my love of textiles. Now this should be a no brainer – printing on fabric – I know. The trick for me was to decide what to print on, specifically what did I already own that I could print and have some fun. It didn’t take too long to realize that practically everything in my studio is fair game where printing is concerned. After I’d carved a couple of new stamps, I looked for somewhere to use them. Here’s what the stamps look like:

newly carved stampsI found a couple of aprons that I had purchased with the intention of “embellishing” one way or another. Good to go. I went to work at my friend’s house. Susan Fae and I have such a great time working together, feeding off of each other’s creative energy. I didn’t get a lot printed that night, but I’m happy with the results. The first apron with all the words is just a fun project where I stamp words when I’m doing cards. The apron was a gift from “Mr. Cappuccino” here in Calgary. It was a lovely apron – but so white – so plain! I had to do something. Most of the ink used is not textile ink, so I doubt it will stand up to a lot of washing. We’ll see. Maybe I just won’t get it dirty…

sample apron

detail of new stampThese next two illustrate the variety of aprons I buy. What can I say? I’m attracted to color and simple form. No matter how lovely, there is always room for improvement.

green striped apron

detail on green apron

orange spotted apron detail

orange spotted apron

more details on orange apronI am always on the look-out for great linens and kitchen textiles, like aprons, that are calling out for a little something extra. The orange apron has already gone to live in Toronto. I know it will be very happy there. I’ve just ordered a supply of textile inks so expect to see more fabric prints in the future. I’m anxious to get busy!

 

27 thoughts

  8. I’ve been wanting to carve stamps for a long time now. We did it in art class many years ago. I was never extremely good at anything I did in there, but I loved that class. Thanks for showing me what else I can do with stamps!

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  10. These aprons look great! I’m with Linda; I like the orange one — or basically colors; I’d prefer black to white. The lemon-line-mustard color stripe one is nice, too. Possibly you should consider marketing them someplace like Etsy, or is that an insane suggestion? Hey, holiday season is coming. It is August after all; almost ten minutes away from Xmas decorations in the department stores.

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  11. I adore this (especially the orange one)! Why hasn’t this occurred to me before? 🙂 Thanks for the inspiring post. Did you use actual fabric paints for the more permanent ones? Terri, you and I just may need to get together in studio one day for a mutual play date!

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  14. Ahhh Terri, You have such a touch for art…and you know when to stop! The printing on the aprons is just right.
    Hillary

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