• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • HOME
  • DIY PROJECTS
    • baby
    • bags, totes & purses
    • gifts
    • harry potter
    • kids
    • printables
    • women
    • SEASONAL & HOLIDAY
      • winter
      • spring
      • summer
      • fall
      • gifts
    • HOUSE
      • decor
      • furniture
      • house projects
      • knock offs
      • rooms & tours
    • GIFTS
      • gift ideas
      • gift basket
  • PARTIES
    • pretty parties
    • pretty showers
    • party bars, buffets & stations
    • party DIYs
    • grazing platters
  • RECIPES
    • brunch
    • dessert & treats
    • drink recipes
    • main dishes
    • paleo recipes
    • salads
    • sides, dips & sauces
    • FREEZER MEALS
  • ABOUT
    • about us
    • contact us
    • disclosures
  • Sponsors

kojodesigns

how to make a custom stamp (and a feather stamped pillow)

February 5, 2013

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

featherpillow

Our lovely guest of the day, Cherie from You & Mie, is amazing, y’all. Just a few of her projects that I am smitten with (though it’s hard to choose)- her mini boden jacket knock-off, the oh-so-stylish color blocked tank top, the faux leather clutch remix and the most fabulous of all Fantastic Mr. Fox film petite dress.

winter whites guest

Hello! My name is Cherie from you & mie and I’m so excited to be here today! I love the beauty of winter and this series is the perfect way to celebrate it. So today I have a simple and elegant throw pillow to add a little of that winter beauty to your home.

metallic feather pillowThe pillow cover is a simple cotton/linen envelope style pillow, but the real character is from the hand carved feather stamps and the gorgeous metallic paint (unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture the shimmer in my photos, but trust me, it’s lovely)!

So I’m going to walk you through carving your own stamps and printing fabric, if it’s something you’ve never done before. I looove carving stamps and you’ll find that once you start, you’ll be addicted! You can use it to personalize any fabric or paper projects – the possibilities are endless!

So let’s get started.

stampcarvingYou’ll need:
– a carving block (I use Speedball Speedy Cut because it is soft and readily available)
– carving tool/linoleum cutter
– fabric paint (more on that below)
– paint brush or foam brush
– rubber stamp ink
– brayer (totally optional)
– fabric (about 3/4 yard)
– newspaper or magazine to protect your work surface

(all the stamp carving materials can be found at fine art supply stores)

fabricpaint2I used these gorgeous Jacquard Screen Printing Inks in cooper, gold and silver because I could not resist their beautiful colors and shimmer. This paint can be used for screen printing, but can also be painted on. There are plenty of other fabric paint options out there, but be sure not to use any of the “dimensional” paints and also look for paints that say “soft.” Many fabric paints dry stiff and scratchy. Another option that I haven’t personally tried, but I’ve heard great things about is using a textile medium to turn any acrylic paint into a fabric paint. Be sure to read and follow all directions carefully for whatever paint you’re using.

featherstamp1Find an image you want to use to carve your stamp, or draw one freehand. For a project like this, search “feather silhouette” for tons of images to get you started. Using a regular pencil, trace the outline of your image.

featherstamp2Color in the image, just the way you want your stamp to appear.

featherstamp3Cut your image out and place it face down on your carving block.

featherstamp4Using your pencil, shade over your drawing making sure to get all the edges of the image. As you apply pressure to the paper, the lead from your feather drawing will be transferred to your carving block.

featherstamp5Cut the carving block down close to your image.

Now time to carve! Here are some tips:
– Always cover your work surface to protect it from your carving tool.
– When you carve, don’t dig deep – push your carving tool parallel to the surface. Not at a downward angle – sideways.
– Always push the carving tool away from you, not towards your body.
– Start with a fine nib and carve around the outside of your image. Try to carve away from the center of the image towards the outside edge of the stamp.
– Remember to carve conservatively. You can always carve away more if you need to, but once it’s carved, you can’t put it back.
– When you start moving into larger areas that need to be carved away, switch to a large nib.

Once you’ve carved the outline of your image and the area around the image, go back and do all the details on the side of your image. Start with the feather “vein” first, then the rest of the lines.

featherstamp6Once you have finished carving, test it out on paper using rubber stamp ink. This is my absolute FAVORITE part of the whole carving process. I like being able to see the image for the first time.

featherstamp7I realized that I had forgotten to carve out the center vein of the feather. Often, there are areas around the outside edge that need to be carved down, and other details you want to add or enhance. Continue to carve and test until you’re completely satisfied with your stamp!

I made three different feather stamps, but you can stop with just one if you want. Once you feel more comfortable with carving images, you won’t have to spend as much time with the first few steps and transferring too much detail from your original image. By the third feather stamp I made, I just barely outlined the shape of the feather and a few details and carved the rest as I went along.

featherstamp8After I finished my stamps, I used my paper tests to play around with formations a bit.

featherstamp9Now you’re ready to print on fabric!!

My pillow is 16×16 inches, and I like to make my covers fit nice and snug, so my finished pillow cover is 15×15 inches. In order to make a 15×15 inch cover, cut one square 16×16 inches (to allow for a 1/2 inch seam allowance) and for the envelope back, you’ll need two rectangles that are 10.5×16 inches.

You’ll definitely want to practice on some fabric before you go for the real deal, and I’d recommend using the actual fabric you are going to make your pillow out of since each fabric (with different textures and weaves) will pick up the paint different.

Normally, using a brush to apply paint to your stamp has a huge disadvantage. You can see the brush strokes in the printed image – so you end up with a streaky or stripey image. But for feathers, this is actually a huge advantage! Using your brush, apply the paint to your stamp and be sure your brush strokes go in the same direction of the feather barbs.

featherstamp10As you test your stamps on fabric, play around with the amount of paint to use and how to apply even pressure to your stamp so that you get the image you want. Usually, a brayer is used to apply paint evenly to stamps, but for this project, I used it to apply even pressure to the back of my stamps while making the impressions. If you don’t have one, just use your hands to apply pressure. Carefully peel away the stamp to reveal your stamped image!

featherstamp11Look at the detail you get from those brush strokes!!

It helps to have extra fabric for this project in case the images don’t come out the way you want them to. I ended up printing mine 3 times and I’m still not totally satisfied with it! 🙂
Once you have your stamped fabric, make sure to read the paint directions about drying time and possible heat setting.

To clean your stamps, wash them with warm water and pat dry. I like to store them in a plastic container or baggie. They can be used again and again, but the rubber can break off, especially small details, so be gentle with them!

To sew up your pillow cover, take the two rectangular pieces of fabric and hem up one 16″ side for each piece. To do this, fold the fabric towards the wrong side about a 1/4 inch and press. Fold it another 1/4 inch and pin. Sew along the folded edge.

featherpillow1Place the front pillow cover piece (the stamped square) right side up. Lay the rectangles, right sides down with hemmed edges towards the center of the pillow, lining up the outer corners.

featherpillow2featherpillow3Pin around the entire square, sew using a 1/2 inch seam allowance and turn it right side out through the envelope opening.

featherpillow4You’re done!

Now stuff your pillow form into your cover and enjoy.

featherpillow6featherpillow5And now you have some beautiful feather stamps that can be used over and over again! I can definitely see this print on some linen napkins or a shirt – even some framed wall art. Like I said, the possibilities are endless!

Hope you can add some winter beauty to your home. If you have any questions or just want to pop over to say, “hi,” you can find me at you & mie. I also love to see your creations, so if you use this tutorial, feel free to add it to the you & mie flickr pool!

Thanks so much for having me, ladies!!

kojodesigns find us here

 

blog FB buttons2-14 blog twitter buttons22-15 blog instagram buttons2-15 blog pinterest buttons2-15

Uncategorized 25 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alicia @ La Famille says

    February 5, 2013 at 5:51 am

    I am in LOVE with this project! I got addicted to stamp carving in December and carved some super fun stamps, but feathers are amazing!! So simple looking and sweet. Love it!

    PS: K, you’ll be getting an email from me later today…gotta take pics of the finished product and I ran out of light yesterday…you know how that goes. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kirstin says

      February 5, 2013 at 9:28 am

      Alicia, isn’t it great? Love the project, love Cherie (she has such a great eye for design!). 🙂
      And totally understand waiting for light. 🙂

      Reply
  2. meg @ pure&simple says

    February 5, 2013 at 10:03 am

    This is gorgeous! I love the idea of making your own stamps & this makes it seem attainable and do-able! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kirstin says

      February 5, 2013 at 11:17 pm

      Meg, totally with you. Can’t wait to try this myself. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Erin says

    February 5, 2013 at 10:59 am

    This is gorgeous!! What a great result! Also, you have the patience of a saint carving feathers into your carving blocks! They look fantastic.
    Great job!

    Reply
    • Kirstin says

      February 5, 2013 at 11:17 pm

      Isn’t it fantastic??? Oh my.

      Reply
  4. Delia says

    February 5, 2013 at 11:52 am

    Cherie does it again! So beautiful my friend. Block carving looks like fun. I’ll have to give it a go!

    Reply
    • Kirstin says

      February 5, 2013 at 11:17 pm

      Isn’t it fabulous? Love Cherie, love the pillow!

      Reply
  5. Cherie says

    February 6, 2013 at 10:51 am

    Thank you so much for inviting me to be part of your series! I really had fun with this project and am super psyched that I can use these stamps over and over again. Awesome series, ladies. Thanks again!

    Reply
  6. Lynda M O says

    February 6, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    How much did I just learn in this post ?~! Thank you, Cherie, for this fabulous tute. The simple directions for the pillow cover won me over !~! I need to go find Cherie’s blog and read read read it, many thanks.

    Reply
  7. Sabine says

    February 13, 2013 at 6:04 am

    These are so beautiful. I love birds and feathers!

    Reply
    • Kirstin says

      February 14, 2013 at 5:22 pm

      Sabine- YES! Especially metallic feathers- so pretty!

      Reply
  8. Beckie says

    February 13, 2013 at 6:19 am

    Very artistic! I love the gorgeous metallic paint. You rock, I adore it!

    Reply
    • Kirstin says

      February 14, 2013 at 5:22 pm

      Isn’t Cherie talented? Can’t wait to try this out!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Winter White Project | you and mie says:
    February 5, 2013 at 8:02 am

    […] Today I’m over at Kojo Designs sharing a project for their Winter Whites series that they are co-hosting with Delia of Delia […]

    Reply
  2. winter whites tutorial and recipe round up | kojodesigns says:
    February 13, 2013 at 4:43 am

    […] the home: Copper Barn Light IKEA Hack – Kojodesigns, Burlap Bunting – A Pretty Cool Life, Custom Feather Stamp Pillow – You & Mie, Wooly Sheep Nursery Mobile – La Famille Some photography, a winter party, […]

    Reply
  3. Winter Whites Wrap Up says:
    November 4, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    […] the home: Copper Barn Light IKEA Hack – Kojodesigns, Burlap Bunting – A Pretty Cool Life, Custom Feather Stamp Pillow – You & Mie, Wooly Sheep Nursery Mobile – La Famille Some photography, a winter party, […]

    Reply
  4. Sledding Birthday Party says:
    November 4, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    […] for more Winter White projects? Stop over at Kojodesigns for this uber lovely pillow stamping […]

    Reply
  5. Embroidered Blog says:
    September 1, 2016 at 7:44 am

    Pieced Oblong Pillow With Brush

    […] an be used again and again, but the rubber can break off, especially small detai […]

    Reply
  6. Gidfe Blog says:
    January 5, 2017 at 5:02 am

    A Beautiful Feather Print Adds

    […] n be used again and again, but the rubber can break off, especially small detail […]

    Reply
  7. Stationery Blog says:
    January 26, 2017 at 9:43 am

    Fleurdelis Book Custom Stamp Custom Stamp Plate Only

    […] h them with warm water and pat dry. I like to store them in a plastic container […]

    Reply
  8. Napkins Blog says:
    March 6, 2017 at 6:17 pm

    Bold Bracket Custom Stamp Ps Design Custom Stamp Plate Only

    […] sed again and again, but the rubber can break off, especially small details, so […]

    Reply
  9. Monogram Jewelry Engraved Blog says:
    April 5, 2017 at 9:43 am

    Designer House Rectangle Stamp

    […] them with warm water and pat dry. I like to store them in a plastic container o […]

    Reply
  10. Bottom Blog says:
    April 30, 2017 at 8:05 am

    Designer House Rectangle Stamp

    […] t dry. I like to store them in a plastic container or baggie. They can be used a […]

    Reply
  11. Leather Blog says:
    April 30, 2017 at 11:02 am

    Designer House Rectangle Stamp

    […] e. They can be used again and again, but the rubber can break off, especially sm […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Copyright © 2023 · kojodesigns · Design by Bloom

Copyright © 2023 · Darling on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in