Swaddle Blanket Stamping

My friend Randi (who is also pregnant with a boy) and I decided it would be fun to make our own swaddle blankets by stamping them with fabric paint.

I bought a 3 pack of plain white muslin swaddle blankets from Target and black Tulip Soft fabric paint from the craft store. After I washed and ironed the material, we drew the stamps out on paper, cut them out and taped them to some thick foam, and cut the pattern out of the foam with an x-acto knife. Then we attached the foam to wood blocks that we also found at the craft store with some spray on glue. Then we stamped and stamped!

Randi also used this same idea with some plain onesies and they turned out so cute! On one she even used a pear by simply cutting it in half and dipping it in the paint and making a cute pear shape on the body suit.

Here are the blankets that I made:

 

^^ For this swaddle I cut canoes, teepees, and oars out of thick foam. I also used the teepee stamp on a onesie because I love it so much!

^^ For this feather blanket I used a sweet potato stamp using the tutorial I found here. The potato is a little different to carve, but it creates a very cool texture/effect. Perfect for feathers.

^^ And for the fox blanket, I also used foam. I got the design and tutorial from this website.

For me the key was to paint the stamp (using a foam paint brush) after each application. If I tried to stamp more than once, it did not turn out as well. After the stamping is done, I used a small paint brush to touch up the parts of the blanket that needed it. I also recommend putting a towel under the fabric to protect your work surface. The paint does come off of hard surfaces but it is a pain to clean. And make sure to protect your clothes. Fabric paint is meant to stick well to fabric, after all. This project might not be great for perfectionists because there will be flaws, but that is part of the beauty of this technique, each stamped image comes out a little different.

I love how they turned out but I am anxious to see how they will wash. I was going to make crib sheets with this technique but I decided that the paint is a little to scratchy for that type of project. This is such a fun and easy way to add some personal style to your fabric!