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.

Fold edge of contrast fabric down 1/2" and press.  Then match up folded edge and sewn edge with right sides together .

Sew 1/2" seam along both sides of contrast fabric.

Turn contrast fabric right side out and stitch down open edge.

Add a length of trim, folding over raw edges if necessary.  

Stitch.
Hang in a nice place and wait for spring to arrive.

3 comments:

  1. You have such a gift. I love all the things you make. I think your bee and beehive are sooo cute! and the fabric and flowers go perfectly with them! Great Job!

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  2. Oh, Lisa, again you have outdone yourself! You are definitely an inspiration!

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