Fashion Inspiration, Potato Stamping

If there's a DIY fashion 'to-do' project that is forefront on the mind, it would be potato stamping second-hand clothes.  Potato stamping?  What, as in potato-the-vegetable?

  image c/o wikipedia

Yes, potatoes from our muddy earth, although perhaps using ones past their best would be better, as one wouldn't want to waste otherwise perfectly edible food now would they?

Potato stamping is perhaps not as popular as it could be, with the invention of commercial arty rubber stamps, however, the vegetable DIY variety looks so easy to do, and we've all probably given it a try on paper in our childhood school classes. Cut it in half, and carve to an appropriate shape, add paint, and stamp away.

 Tree stamps as seen on parentella 

Some examples of DIY potato stamping that could be replicated on fashion pieces:

• Pretty potato leaf stamps, made by littlelovely, used to decorate a child's room wall, but could be replicated on clothing, seen here.

• Martha Stewart shows us a 'how-to' potato-print adorable baby clothes here.
• Beautiful kids potato stamped kitty head PJ's seen on petit a petit and family.

• Speaking of kitty head stamping, there is a fantastic DIY white blouse kitty head stamped video tutorial on Boat People's Vintage blog here.  Although a potato is not used for the stamp base, the same technique is used.

• Anja on her blog Made in Pretoria, potato stamped her grey jersey into a leopard print design, seen here.

• A Matter Of Style inspires us to potato stamp heart shapes onto clothes for Valentine's themed fashion, seen here.

There is no need to stop at potato's either, apple's and even celery are worth a try too:

• An apple is cut in half, and green fabric paint used to stamp a tote bag, as seen on craftgossip, or red paint as seen on dawanda, which looks so simple, I'm sure children could easily get involved with this one too.

•  And look at this, Maureen Cracknell used the end of a stick of celery to make a rose stamp for greeting cards, which again, could be replicated to stamp clothing.

The idea in my head, is to source a second-hand blue denim shirt, remove the sleeves, and potato stamp all over it, with lots of little star shapes in white.  A little bit like these shorts, but in reverse (no bleaching first).

I don't know if I'll try it out yet, but I'll certainly keep you posted if I do..