A brief tutorial for making a stamp and printing fabric
(example: sleeve fabric for Arwen's Coronation Gown)

It's really not difficult to make your own stamp.
All you need is a soft base that you can shape and cut. I'm using linoleum, but you can use other materials, too: moss gum, wood, plastic...
Here's quick tutorial for an individual lino stamp .


Materials

This is what lino looks like. It comes in sheets of various sizes and is usually of brown color. Craft stores should carry it, or check eBay (also for the tools, you can get them really cheap there in comparison to the stores).

Some tools you will need. Left to right: small rounded cutting tool; straight edged tool; broad rounded cutting tool (for larger parts); tool for curves, sharp angles and filigrée lines; cutting knife (also useful for paper).

Transfering your design onto the lino & cutting it out


1) Choose your pattern model - print it or draw yourself. I used this one over at Alleycat. Next, put a sheet of typewriting copy paper on your linoleum and put the drawing/print on top. Secure with a clip. Then you outline the pattern with a pen (I use an empty ball-pen), a knitting needle or a pointed stick. Make sure to put enough pressure on, it won't go through otherwise...

2) This is what you'll get - your pattern on the linoleum. Little mistakes don't matter. You can erase them in the cutting process.

3) Now start cutting out your pattern with the carving tools. Use the broad rounded tool for large parts like the space between the designs here. Use the small rounded tool for cutting the flowers and hearts (i.e. small parts) and refine them with the tool for curves & angles.

IMPORTANT: Before cutting, decide what has to remain and what gets cut off - once it's off, you can't replace it and maybe your work will be useless!
You have to imagine what the stamped imprint will look like on the fabric, or what look you want to achieve. It's best to print/draw a model of your pattern that you can check back in case (for instance, I printed a close up picture of the sleeve fabric).

4) In the end, clean cut the edges or cut out what you think is the best part of your carving (the smaller the stamp, the easier it's to work with it. A really big stamp like the one above will be hard to handle! The prints might vary in color). Glue it onto a handy piece of wood. (My stamp has already been used - eeek - forgot to take picture before).

Printing on fabric

IMPORTANT:
Before you stamp, please practise on an old cloth! Each stamp is diffrent depending on the materials you use! Moss gum needs less pressure than linoleum. Linoleum needs to be spread with color every new time you stamp (depending on how small your design is). Find out by practising how much pressure you need, how often you've got to take on new color,etc. etc. For this design, one drop of color is enough for about 3 stamps, but *please* practise before you do anything to your good fabric!

The color I'm working with: silk painting contour color in "Pearl silver" . You can use any color/brand that you like, just make sure it's thick enough.

Your tools for printing: Stamp, roll, color, something to put the color on (an old tile works best); something to cover up your working place.

5) Put a drop of the color on the tile, roll it out until there's a thin layer of it on the tile and on the roll. Be careful not to get too much color on your roll, otherwise the color will get too "bulky". Roll the color on your stamp (up-down-up is enough). By rolling it, not pressing the stamp into the color, you make sure that it doesn't seep into hollows where it's not supposed to go and make ugly stains.

6) Press the stamp on your fabric, making sure the designs are in a row, straight or however you want them to be. If you think there's not enough color on one or two prints, you can re-do them by just printing them again (you'll need to have a secure hand and a good eye for that!). In the worst case, silk painting color can be washed out under hot water,so if you really made a big mistake....
Allow to dry overnight. To fix the design, iron your fabric on lowest level and -depending on how delicate it is- with a cloth inbetween. Silk velvet can be ironed without,but I'd be careful for 100% silk or very thin fabrics...

GOOD LUCK!