fabric letter stamping - favorite quote applique {tutorial}

I'd like to show you how I make my stamped fabric appliques. They are fun, useful, and quite easy to make and can definitely add that special touch of uniqueness to a pouch, bag, or a quilt you're making. Let's start, shall we?

Supplies needed: letter stamps, ink pad recommended for fabric, fabric scraps.

I bought my stamp pad here and the stamps are from Joann's.

I like to use light colored fabric, I think the one that already looks like notebook paper is fantastic. The lines are a perfect guide for the printing. Sometimes, however, I like to use just plain fabric, in that case I draw lines with my fabric marker to make sure that all the letters will be nicely lined up.

Choose the quote you'd like to print (I chose a line from the Beatles's song "try thinking more, if just for your own sake"), line up your letters, and start printing. I like to put a piece of plain white paper under my fabric to make sure the paint does not get through and stain the table. Don't push too hard on the ink pad, you only want your letter to get enough ink on it, not the circle background.

After you print the whole quote, let it air dry for a few minutes, and you're ready to set the letters in by using a hot dry iron.

Setting the iron to the highest temperature your fabric can take (cotton in my case), turn off the steam, and press. Don't move the iron, just push down, hold a few seconds, lift up. Repeat all over your design for about a minute or so.

Once your print is nicely set into the fabric, trim the applique to the desired size and it's ready to be used in your projects. I use Lite Heat n' Bond to attach it to my projects. Here are the pouches I made using this technique.