Spoons and Scissors: Potato Print Dishcloth

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Potato Print Dishcloth

I was caught once again with a slightly barren pantry. I did manage find this little hermit of a potato hiding behind a box of crackers.

Clearly, he's been there for a while. This might be the little brother of my hermit. Remember him?

My hermit is too old for cooking. But he will not go to waste. He will become a printing doohickey.

Materials needed:

1 potato

knife

18" x 22" cotton fabric for main dishcloth

Two 5 1/2" x 18" strips of cotton fabric for edges

18" strip of ribbon or trim

fabric paint

paint brush

cardboard or newspaper

Slice a potato in half. Make sure it's a clean, straight cut because this will be your printing surface. Since mine was a bit skinny, I cut it at a slight angle to make the surface area a bit larger.

Carve your design with a knife or a cookie cutter. I used my apple corer to get a nice round bee head.

Lines can be made by making little v-shaped cuts.

Place fabric down on top of cardboard or newspaper to catch any bleed-through from the paint.

Brush potato with paint and press to cloth. Press firmly. Lift straight up.

Brush potato with paint each time to ensure a clear image.

I really should have ironed the wrinkles out of my fabric first.

My girls were painting with their watercolors while I was potato printing. This is what happened when I asked them to wash their hands while I finished with the potato prints.

Allow the paint to dry completely and then heat set the fabric paint with an iron.

To hem edges, fold side edges over 1/4" twice and stitch.

With right sides together sew one strip of contrast fabric to each end of dishcloth. Contrast fabric should extend past the hemmed edges by 1/2" on each side. Press seam allowances toward contrast fabric.