A first attempt at screen printing

Today I had a go at screen printing for the very first time.  It was easier than I thought, and created minimal mess (which is always a good thing) - I did it on the kitchen table and managed not to get any paint anywhere.

I did three shapes, a vase of flowers, an elephant in a black box and a toadstool in a black box (I didn't like this one so much).  I cut the stencils out of newspaper and followed some online instructions (I googled 'screen printing' to glean some advice). 

I printed on to an old white sheet - I think my mum got it when she was married. 

The prints are not really perfect, but that is OK - I am not patient enough for perfection, but I quite like the effect of the simple shape in the black box - I think some letters would look good printed like this - I will give it a try at some stage.

I have ironed the paint to set it, and added some detail (flower centres, elephants ear) with some material that I zig-zag stitched on.  I have now turned the screenprinted fabric into wheat bags. 

I wonder who will be the lucky recipients of these gifts?

Today I made some vintage tea towel cushions

Today I made some cushions for my lounge room out of old tea towels that I have been collecting.