Thursday, August 6, 2015

Diy Beach Swimsuit Cover - Potato Heart Stamp




This old stamping technique is as enjoyable today as it was when I was a child.
It brings back memories of a simpler time, a time when children played hopscotch, jumped rope and talked to each other using their tin cans and string phones.

I really like the imperfections and almost rustic results from using this technique.


Materials:

*T-shirt - I used an XL
*Fabric paint - I used neon pink because that's what I already had
*Sponge brush
*Potato
*Knife
*Paper
*Pen
*Scissors



Using scissors, cut the sleeves of the t-shirt to the desired length. I cut approx. 3" off the sleeves.
Cut the neck and the bottom of the t-shirt at the seams. Gently stretch the sleeves, neck and bottom of the shirt, creating a nice roll at the raw edges.





Draw a heart on a sheet of paper and cut it out.



Cut the potato in half, lay the heart on the center of the potato and trace around it.








Using a knife, CAREFULLY cut around your heart outline and remove the excess potato.



Apply a small amount of fabric paint to the potato heart and use the foam brush to distribute the paint.









Now, just stamp your shirt, reloading the potato with paint after every stamping.




You can neatly space your hearts or create a design. I just stamped free form, changing direction slightly and let the hearts fall where they may. I stamped the top section of the shirt and stamped one single heart on the right sleeve, left bottom and the back of the neck.





And...your done!
Please read the directions on your fabric paint to find out how long the paint needs to dry before you wear or wash your new beach cover-up.

Once I completed this project, I was concerned about wasting the fabric I cut off the sleeves. I didn't want to throw it away nor did I want to store it. But...what could I make with it?
Hmm...why not make a tie that can also be used as a headband?

I cut a strip approx. 2 1/2" wide from both sleeve remains. I placed one of the strips around my head, tied it in a knot and cut off the excess.



I tied a knot at one end of the other strip, twisted the fabric and hot glued it around the knot forming a cute rosette.




I stitched the rosette to the first strip at the knotted section.



And...done!

Here it is as a headband:




And a close up of it being used as a tie on the beach cover:



I wish you a happy, fun filled summer and as always, thank you so much for visiting!

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