Potato Printing How To

I've been feeling a little ill over the past few days and wasn't up for any real life work, I still wanted to do something creative and textiles related so I decided to try my hand at potato printing. I havent done this since I was wee but I'll show you the basics so you can have a go too!

I went for a sweet potato, they seem to be less watery then the normal ones.  First step is to choose a suitable shape and size of potato for your design, I would stick with something simple and geometric if its your first try. Heck, why not just cut your potato in half and do a polka dot pattern like me?

I used the end end of the potato to print with, perfectly ergonomic for stamping! I chose a relatively small potato but big polka dots always look awesome.

Next step is to choose a lovely paint colour, grey is always a winner. Splodge a small amount onto a plate and make sure the base of the potato is covered evenly. Try out a few test stamps on a scrap of fabric to see what effects you like most, I love the imperfections personally.

Then all you have to do is stamp away. I went for quite neat rows, but random patterns would look great too. Take your time with it if your a perfectionist like me, acrylic does not wash off!

Tah dah! Look what you've made, hand printed fabric that would rival Marimekko.

I also made a notebook today, I have loads of sample wallpaper prints I printed at uni so I think i'll make lots more notebooks and maybe bunting out of them? I hope you enjoyed the tutorial, let me know if you'd like more.