Take your plain Jane, "no sew" pillow covers to the next level with this DIY home decor project!
In this tutorial, learn: - how to stamp fabric - how to DIY home decor or make a handmade gift - how to make a color wash with chalk paint We love this retro block lettering because it goes great in a boho bedroom or if you want give a little modern glam to your living room couch. You can truly customize your pillow cover to any style you like and give your living space a high end feel.
Products used in this video:
Thin mount with gridlines
100% cotton pillow cover (or other natural fiber)
Piece of wood or cardboard to put inside the pillow cover while stamping
Plastic cups for mixing the color washes
Water
Here's how to personalize a pillow cover with IOD stamps.
Step 1: Insert a piece of wood or cardboard in the pillow cover. This prevents the ink from bleeding through to the other side of the pillow cover. It also helps smooth the fabric and gives you a firm, stable surface to work on.
Step 2: Plan out your design and arrange your letters stamps on the pillow cover. Lay your stamps design side down. Since we decided to DIY our personalized pillow cover with letters, we stamped the middle word first -"adore" - to anchor the design. Using your thin mount, press it down on the back side of stamps so that the design sticks to it. Use the gridlines as a guide to make minor adjustments to the stamp position if necessary.
Step 3: Refresh or fill the ink pad with ink. When stamping on fabric, you want to make sure your ink pad is nice and juicy. Whether you're filling a blank ink pad for the first time, or just refreshing it, the steps are the same. First, shake your ink bottle well before filling your ink pad. This ensures that any pigment that may have settled is fully mixed. Next, starting along the outer edge of the ink pad, squeeze a line of ink going along the perimeter of the pad. Repeat this process, going in ever smaller rectangles until the entire pad is covered with ink. Finally, stop squeezing the ink bottle and use the tip to work the ink into the pad until it’s absorbed into the surface. Store your ink pads upside down so the ink stays on the surface.
Step 4: Load your stamps with ink. It's super important to take your ink pad to your stamps. This means lay the thin mount with the attached stamps on your project surface. Then pat the stamp design with the ink pad. This creates 'flat to flat' contact between the pad and the stamps which ensures even ink coverage. Step 5: Stamp the pillow case. Holding the thin mount with the stamp side down, hover over the pillow cover where you want to stamp. Then lay the stamps down - "commit, don't shift" you stamps to get a clean, clear impression.
TAKE YOUR TIME when you stamp fabric because you want the ink to have time to really absorb into the weave. Using even pressure, take your fingers and gently press (without shifting!) to make sure all the stamp details make good contact with the fabric. Once you've allowed the ink to saturate the fibers, lift the thin mount straight up to prevent smudging.
Step 6: Add some color to the block letters by painting them in. Mix the color wash. We wanted a watercolor look so we mixed 1 part chalk paint to 8 parts water. If you want a more intense color, use less water. Dip your paint brush in the color wash and paint inside the block letters. Optional: After painting the letters, we created a spattered effect by flicking color wash on the pillow cover. Step 7: Let the stamped pillows dry for a minimum of 24 hours - but longer is even better. Step 8: Heat set the design before washing. This step is critical to prevent fading and for keeping your design looking gorgeous. You can do this with a hot iron with NO STEAM. Set it at the highest heat setting recommended for your fabric.
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