Carving and hand printing home textiles

My first try at carving rubber stamps. It’s so therapeutic, I have to admit I got so carried away with it, I had to force myself to stop in order to get on with the printing. I’ve found that the rubber stamps work much better on fabric than the good old lino, which I prefer as a medium (and much cheaper too!) but with the right tools the rubber is super fun to carve. So here’s the result: 5 sets of 100% linen napkins. They are for sale at the lovely Light & Grace boutique here in Los Angeles on Washington Blvd. There are currently still a couple of sets available so give me a shout if you’d like to purchase a set. They are one of a kind (because I get too bored too easily :-)

Here are my recommendations for materials. (Sorry I don’t have any step by step photos of my makings, but I will bear that in mind for next time). I’ve tried out several rubber carving blocks. (As already mentioned I didn’t think the lino worked very well on fabric). Many of them seemed almost too elastic and didn’t allow for smaller detail. I like the Soft-Kut carving blocks available from Blick which are velvety soft and cut like butter, however it is slightly crumbly so there’s a higher risk of small details breaking off. I suggest you just play around with it. Another one I will try out is Moo-Professional Carving Blocks . Apparently the best one out there. I’ll keep you posted on my new findings.

As for carving tools, you can find them all in the printmaking section at Blick or any other art supply store. Although pricey I have to recommend the Pfeil-Swiss Carving Tools. They are hands down the BEST (yes I am Swiss, but no bias, I swear!). So if you’re serious about your carving, the investment is totally worth it (I bought the 2 sizes I use most instead of an entire set)