Fall Tea Towels: Sponge Stamping {Contributor}

Hello One Artsy Mama readers! It’s Nancy from Small Things with Love, here once again this month to share some creative fabric fun.

First off, I hope you had a fabulous Halloween, and that you looked fabulous wearing your little bat brooch, my post from last month. You made one, right? Well, this month I have another seasonal project, one that celebrates the wonders of fall. I love fall. Although I morn the end of summer, I just love watching the colors change, and that is exactly what these fall tea towels celebrate.

Another thing I love is crafting with my kids (much like Amy). It might be a little bit messier, but if the kids can help the fun grows exponentially! And, this is a fun project that the kids can help with. We will be making stamps out of sponges, and once the stamps are made, it is a really fun project for kids to help out with. but, I am getting a little a head of myself. Here is the how to:

Supplies:

Tea Towels, pre-washed
Sponge
Magic Marker
Leaves
Fabric Paint (I used acrylic paint mixed with a fabric medium)

Another thing I love about this project is that it is NATURALLY personalized because you will be using leaves from your own trees to make the stencils…get it, naturally personalized! Wow, I’m lame. So, the first step is to head outside and collect some leaves–a great step for the kids to help out with.

Once you have some leaves, take a magic marker and trace them onto sponges.

Next, the tricky part: cut out the leaves. This is definitely a step for Mommy. It takes patience and a sharp pair of scissors. Rest assured, however, that the cut out does not need to be perfect.

The final step in painting. First of all, mix acrylic paint and a fabric medium, according to the directions on the label. Never used a fabric medium before? Don’t worry, it works great and makes the paint stand up great to repeated washing, which, of course, you will be doing to your tea towels!

I didn’t take any pictures of the stamping process, but I think you can figure it out!

A simple craft, but I really love the effect. Also, once the sponge stamps are made it is super simple to make lots and lots of tea towels, which will make terrific neighbor gifts this fall.

Thanks, once again, to Amy. I love stopping by each week, and I am so grateful for all of the support she has given me as a blogger.

See you next month!