Several weeks ago I needed an activity for my kids-- it was one of those stir-crazy days. I didn't want to go anywhere or buy anything so it had to be a project with things around the house.
Luckily I have some random things around my house.
So I pulled together some potatoes, Rit dye, felt, cookie tin top, and white quilting fabric. Like I said, random.
First up was carving the potatoes. I cut them in half, sketched out some hearts with the tip of a knife and carved away the excess. The kids took pencils to them to push in some dots and other designs. I didn't think it would matter but it did actually show up in the prints.
Next up was prepping the dye. I used a cookie tin top so that the sides would keep any errant dye off my kitchen island. Fold up a piece of felt and pour a little bit of dye over it, a capful should do it. You could also use fabric paint for this part. Put a puddle of paint on the tin and then one layer of felt on top. Smush it around until it seeps through the felt.
Once the dye is prepped, lay down some paper and place your fabric on top. I cut mine into strips about 4" x 20" so each kid could work on their own, but a larger piece would also work!
Now let the kids (or yourself) go! Stamp and repeat. Stamp and repeat. My 3 year old was psyched that he was creating a "pattern". We also made some beautiful roses by cutting the base off of a celery stalk bunch but it was looking a little rough by the time we were done and not very photo worthy!
Once everything is dry sew the strips together and turn into a pillow. Yeah, I glossed over that part didn't I? Photographing young children as they stamp with dye is hard enough. Photographing them while they sit on your lap and sew is near impossible. Luckily for you we have classes for the sewing bit if you need them!
And you're all set! Easy, custom Valentine's Day decor that became a hot commodity in our house very quickly!
Happy Stitching!
Laura
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