How to stamp your own fabric...

[Tussiemussies]

Think you could get a lot of nice looks with this...

http://www.countrywomanmagazine.com/project/diy-stamped-fabric/

[iris lilies]

Last week I took a wee vacation to historic Hermann, MO and while saw visited museums that had metal stamping devices from 100- 1840. The German craftsmen who settled Hermann brought with them their stamps, heavy things of various sizes (many were the size of my hand) and the designed were made with very fine thin metal needles. That gave the sharpest image.

They used the stamps in various way to make various designs. Much of the fabric they used back then was linen made from flax.

I love antique fabrics! I love textiles! I can spend hours in a fabric store and I barely sew.

One of the coolest places we went in Switzerland was a needlework museum. Back in the 1880s - 1920's an area where DH's mom was born was a worldwide maker of lace and the museum there showed all of that. But here's the ironic thing--DH's grandfather missed by only about 15 years being practically the most important man in the canton (state.) You know why? Because the females of the place were very very important because they made the lace and that was the industry of the place. Guess how many daughters that old man had? 11 daughters! He had 11 girls and 1 boy! He was uber wealthy by the standards of 1900! haha.

But he missed the opportunity because by the time his girls were young adults in the 1930's - 1940's, lace making had moved to machines. By then he just had a gaggle of girls that he had to marry off.

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Iris,

Wow, how I would love to go to those museums where they had the different stamps. For a long time now I had the idea of making a tablecloth that was beautifully stamped.

I love fabric too, just also like love to look at the patterns and colors....I try not to go too often anymore, but. I am pretty good about only buying what I need for a project...

Lace making is such an art form, and looks so tedious. I saw a website somewhere recently where this person was making lace the old-fashioned way, I have a lot of admiration for that. Interesting that a world-wide maker of lace lived in your MIL town. Such a shame that all of those girls missed out on having a great, creative skill to make money with. Did you MIL make lace also?