HOW TO PRINT YOUR OWN CUSHION COVERS

I love creating things for the home and adding my own stamp where possible and for a while now I've been looking for some large cushion covers with a bit of personality. After endless hours of searching and drawing blank I decided to take get my DIY on and take matters into my own hand. I posted a pic  over on Instagram and had a few people get in touch asking 'How did I print my own cushion covers?' so I thought I'd share it over here as it's super easy, cost effective and all you need is a potato.

Yep potato printing is one of my favourite go-to crafts when wanting to get creative quickly. I do like lino cutting and screen printing, but I find potato printing just as easy plus it's affordable too! I bought a few large neutral cushion covers from Ikea as a canvas for my design and started doodling down some ideas. I love eye designs and even have a new eye tattoo eye on my thumb, taking inspiration from one of my favourite Fine Little Day prints I thought this would make a great addition to the sofa.

All you need to print your own cushion cover is:
• Fabric or cushion cover
• One large potato
• A sponge
• Fabric ink
• Pen & paper for your design
• Scissors
• Sharp knife or scalpel

To make you print:
1. Draw your design onto paper, make sure it's the exact scale of your desired print and cut it out carefully with scissors.
2. Cut the potato in half and place the paper cut out onto the middle. The potato should naturally make the paper stick to it keeping it in place.
3. Using the paper cut out as a template, with a knife or scalpel carefully cut into the potato and carve away a little at a time so that the paper area is left raised. This can be fiddly so take your time.
4. Once you have carved your design, lie your fabric/cushion cover on a flat surface.
5. Dab the fabric ink onto the potato stamp evenly with the sponge to ensure full coverage.
6. Arrange your design and press the potato stamp onto the fabric. Once completed allow to dry.
7. Once dry apply heat with an iron to seal the ink.
8. Sit back and admire your handy work.

I love the finished look and the how easy it was to make. It would make a great personal Christmas gift and can be applied to any fabrics, you can even let your kiddo create their own design on a t-shirts with this simple method.

If you fancy some more craft and DIY inspiration check out my Pinterest board for ideas. What do you think? I love how it looks with the rest of the cushions and I can't wait to try a blush dye on some other covers to give them the personal touch.

PLAYING WITH PATTERN

As much as I love snapping away and editing photographs it's great to get back to pencils and paints and have some fun getting creative. I love printing and have tried my hand at lino printing, screen printing and even the good old fashioned potato print – which F loves to get involved with as it's super easy to do.

So I thought I would have a go at creating a playful design for Direct Blinds 'The next Banksy' competition. I really loved the printed simple leaf motif I used in this post and thought I would recreate it on a mottled baby pink background using watercolour paints, and photoshop to repeat the pattern. I could totally imagine this complimenting a parisian kitchen or scandi-style bedroom with hints of pastels.

If you love patterns then checkout my Pinterest board for some inspiration.

GET YOUR CRAFT ON // DIY POTATO PRINT TEE'S

Inspired by the new Fine Little Day Drops Pillow Case and my love of most things screen printed, we decided to do a little craft project and try our hand at – wait for it – potato printing. Ok definitely not as sexy as screen printing but it's super easy, kid friendly and anyone can do it. After going through F's drawers and packing away some of his smaller clothes *sob* I found a few plain white tee's knocking around. Not one for white t-shirts, we put them to good use immediately.

To get printing you'll need:

1. A potato or if you're adventurous, a different vegetable.

2. A kitchen knife or scalpel.

3. A brush and dish to rest it in.

4. An item of fabric you wish to print.

5. Ink – I used fabric ink which I got from a local craft shop.

6. A piece of card.

7. Child, optional but fun.

First decide what design you would like to print, we went for triangles and arrows. I chopped the potato into wedges and then carved the shapes into it. I found that wedges were easiest for F to hold when printing. Next apply ink to the stamp shape using the brush and set the brush aside. 

Next place the card inside the t-shirt to stop the ink going all the way through to the back, flattened the fabric and get ready to stamp! We printed one tee each, F going more for a creative style where as I took the symmetrical route. When you've finished leave to dry and iron on reverse to set the ink, allowing you to wash the item at 30 degrees and keep your design looking good. 

Et voila, two most definitely cooler tee's. Have you ever tried potato printing?