[Crafts] Playful Kitties

I am the type of person who needs to try a hand in everything - sewing, knitting, crocheting, baking, you name it. So it wasn't a big surprise when I found myself at the Blick Store to buy tools the very next day after discovering fabric painting. I figured, "Hey, this person did it. Why can't I?" 

I purchased the store's brand of linoleum cutter tools, linoleum blocks, and Jacquard Textile Colors in Maroon (109) and Colorless Extender (100) in case I wanted to make the color lighter. 

After pondering what design to try out, I decided to cut out a stamp of a drawing of our kitties I had drawn on our living room chalkboard wall. I knew I should be starting with something simple to get used to using the tools and carving, but before I knew it, I was working away. 

Boy did I regret having started with something of a higher difficulty level... My arms and shoulders and neck started to ache terribly, and I began to wonder why I even thought of doing this myself.

But after three, long hours of labor, I had a finished product, and I couldn't wait to try it out!

One thing for sure, carving/cutting is a messy hobby! Blick's cutter tools were pretty okay - I'm sure higher-end tools carve much smoothly and easily, but I think these are pretty good quality and economic for those who want to give stamping a try as a hobby. 

I squeezed out a bit of the fabric paint on a disposable plate. Although it would have been much ideal to use those paint rollers to roll out the paint evenly and then apply by stamping on it, I had to do with what I had, so I applied the paint directly on the stamp with an old toothbrush. 

And while the result was not perfectly smooth or clean (which also results from my amateur cutting job), I was definitely satisfied! 

The facial features and whiskers came out a lot better than I expected. Yay!

So I had to stamp a second kitty... 

And then two more. Might be using this strip of printed fabric for a future craft project. 

Although I accidentally cut myself during the process, it was well worth the experience. I'm thinking of using this stamp when making a pouch or pencil case. Maybe even my Kindle pouch, when I get around to making it. 

I have another linoleum block to make a second stamp, but this time, I think I'll cut out something that can be used as a pattern than a drawing. Maybe a heart-incorporated design? We'll see!