When the corona-virus began to spread here in the US, my governor and the county executive where I live in put some mandates in place to try to slow and prevent the spread of this virus. One of which requires the use of face masks in public spaces. I'm sure you know how difficult it initially was to find masks and mask making supplies. Luckily for me, I'm crafter with a stash! I had several yards of unbleached muslin and decided to try my hand at printmaking to create some patterns for a less boring mask.
After washing and ironing my muslin I got to work. I used a circle stencil along with some turquoise Jacquard Neopaque Acrylic paint to create the first layer. These are some of my favorite opaque acrylic paints, they work well on a variety of surfaces and substrates including fabric. I found it easiest to use a makeup sponge to apply the paint through my stencil.
I then used some white paint and a floral stamp from the Fanciful Flowers stamp set by Red Rubber Designs, to create a second layer. I alternated using a brayer and a makeup sponge to apply the paint to the stamp. I'm still undecided about which application I liked best, but using the makeup sponge definitely allowed me to get a more solid application of paint. I think with more practice I'll be able to better gauge how much paint to use to avoid "gloppy" prints. I'm going to keep experimenting though, I think the type of stamp image used might give different results.
If you've ever created your own patterned paper or created a master board, those same design concepts work really well for print making no matter your substrate. I was happy with two layers, but you could add as many as you like to create a design you're happy with.
Once the paint dried completely, I ironed, washed, and ironed the fabric once more. I found a face mask pattern, cut my fabric, and sewed up these cute masks. I'm not an experienced sewer so it took me awhile to get the settings on my machine just right. Some of my stitches are a little crooked and I want to tweak the design a little but I'm pretty happy with how my DIY mask turned out.
Thanks for stopping by today, let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!
*Supplies:
Red Rubber Designs Stamps: Fanciful Flowers
Unbleached Muslin fabric
Jacquard Neopaque Acrylic Paint, white & turquoise
Mini Gel Press Printing Plates
Makeup Sponges
2 in. Speedball Soft Rubber Brayer
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