This Fabric Inked Book Cover project is sponsored by Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social. All ideas and opinions are my own. I was just settling in for a much needed nap one day when I heard my doorbell. I found a package on my front porch and I couldn’t help but open it right away. Inside was a large assortment of Fabric Creations™ Block Printing Stamps and Fabric Ink. I was so excited to examine my goodies that I forgot all about my nap.
The Supplies
I received a generous amount of Fabric Creations™ Block Printing Stamps and Fabric Creations™ Fabric Ink colors.
The Fabric Creations™ Block Printing Stamps are beautiful and look like they are hand carved. They can be used to create unique clothing, accessories, quilts and stitching embroidery. As an avid scrapbooker, I also think you can use them on your scrapbook pages.
The Fabric Creations™ Fabric Ink (which is machine washable, water-based and non-toxic) is specially formulated for stenciling, stamping and brushing on fabric. The Fabric Creations™ Block Printing Stamps and Fabric Creations™ Fabric Ink are available at Hobby Lobby and www.plaidonline.com.
I bought a black stretchable book cover for $0.33 at a thrift store a few weeks ago with the intention of dressing up one of my favorite hardcover books. When I saw the Parade Elephant stamp, I knew I wanted to use it to make my Fabric Inked Book Cover.
Here’s a list of my supplies.
- Fabric Creations™ soft Fabric Ink in White
- Fabric Creations™ Cleaning Brush
- Fabric Creations™ Foam Printing Mats
- Fabric Creations™ Sponge Cubes
- Medium Parade Elephant Fabric Creations™ Block
- Border Tribal 1 Fabric Creations™ Block
- flexible jumbo book cover
- paper plate
The Project
1. Prepare the book for stamping. Fold the book in half and place it pages down on a surface. For best results, there should be a Fabric Creations™ Foam Printing Mat underneath the fabric to be stamped. I placed a foam mat on each of the book covers. My book covers happen to be exactly the same size as the foam mats. Stretch the black jumbo book cover over the foam mats and the book.
2. Stamp the images onto the book cover. For block printing, it is important to get enough Fabric Creations™ Fabric Ink on the stamp but not over saturate it. I practiced using the Fabric Creations™ sponge cubes to apply the fabric ink to the stamp. Then I stamped on a piece of scrap fabric. On my first attempt, I put too much fabric ink on the stamp and got fabric ink in the recessed areas. I promptly use the Fabric Creations™ Cleaning Brush and water to remove the fabric ink and then dried the stamp with a paper towel.
After a few tries I figured out a method that worked for me. I squeezed the fabric ink onto a paper plate and dabbed the Fabric Creations™ Sponge Cube into the fabric ink. Then I pounced it on the plate until the excess ink was removed.
I used the sponge to pounce the fabric ink onto the stamp. Once the stamp was inked, I used even pressure on the stamp to apply the fabric ink to the fabric.
3. Clean the stamps. Once stamping is complete, use the Fabric Creations™ Cleaning Brush and water to clean off the stamp. The fabric ink washed away quickly off the stamp and my hands with minimal effort. It is best to wash the stamp off before the fabric ink dries.
4. Let the fabric ink dry. Depending on how much ink you used, it will take from a few hours to 24 hours for the ink to dry. The ink will be cured after 72 hours. You also have the option to heat set the ink after it dries overnight.
After 72 hours, I ran my hand over my Fabric Inked Book Cover and the inked areas didn’t feel any differently than the stretchy material of the book cover. I can’t wait to play with the other Fabric Creations™ Block Printing Stamps and Fabric Creations™ Fabric Ink colors.
My sister’s nursery room theme is “elephants”–I love them!
I have been toying with the idea of painting fabrics, but I can already see other great applications for the stamps! Customizing shirts would be so cute!!
That elephant stamp really caught my eye when I opened the package. You could definitely use it to customize a onesie. The Thinking Closet also has a really cute free cut file for an elephant that would also be great for a onesie. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Brittany. 🙂
You did such an amazing job Kelly! I love how it turned out!
Thank you Laura. I have wanted to make this book cover for a while and just waiting on inspiration on how to decorate the fabric book cover. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
I have never tried to stamp fabric! Very nice! 🙂
Thanks Ginger. I was a little nervous about stamping fabric at first but I think the key is to practice on scrap fabric first before using it on your actual project. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
These stamps are so cool! I need to hunt these down the next time I’m at the craft store. And I love your idea to dress up a book cover!
Thanks Emily. You can find the stamps and the fabric ink at Hobby Lobby. I can’t wait to use the fabric ink on another project.
Happy mail like that would make me forget about a nap too! I love all the bright colors that the ink comes in, and those are some really cute stamp designs. Thanks for such a great tutorial on how to use them….your book cover is adorable!
Thank you Christine. I can’t wait to make something else with these stamps. The fabric ink was also really great to work with – easy to use and easy cleanup too!
Love the stamps. I have an obsession with elephants!
It was love at first sight when I saw that elephant stamp Michelle! I knew I had to use it.
Your design is gorgeous – love it!
Thank you Amy. I wish they had stamps and ink like this when I was in high school and college. My text books would have looked more interesting.
That is so cool! I love how yours turned out!
Thank you Amy. I love the white fabric ink on the black fabric book cover. The stamps were bold so I wanted the color combination to be bold as well.
This is so cool Kelly!
Thank you Malia. This was my first time stamping on fabric and it won’t be my last. So easy to do and clean-up is a breeze!
this is such a cute project & I love the way it turned out! Great job – I love inking too and making something more personal! 😉
Thank you Laura. This is my first time inking and it was so easy! I am already trying to think of new ways to use the ink and the other stamps.
Well, this is just neat! I would have never guessed that it was stamped!
Thanks Melanie! I love how the stamped images look.