Molly Mahon shares her tips and tricks for creating simple yet gorgeous Christmas napkins, all with an everyday baking potato and a little paint.
For most of us, the joy of Christmas starts long before December 25th. Making your home merry and bright with handmade ornaments, festive creations and meaningful keepsakes is one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season. To help get you inspired, and for a creative respite from the mad dash of Christmas, renowned textile designer Molly Mahon has put together her go-to Christmas tree napkin tutorial that you can easily recreate at home.
What you’ll need:
- Potatoes – the bigger the better
- A sharp knife
- Tracing paper
- Pencil
- Fabric paint
- A tray – his could be a lid from your recycling or an artists tray
- Paint brush or foam stippler
- Napkins – either pre made plain ones or recycle some old linen/cotton sheets and do a simple hem round a square of fabric
- Scrap paper
- Wool felt – an old blanket or a 1 cm layer of newspaper will also work
- Masking tape or pins
How to block print napkins
Before printing, wash your napkin at the highest temperature the fabric can take, dry, and then iron out any creases.
Slice your potato in half down the length, then trace or draw on your pattern using a pencil.
Cut out around your drawn shape about 1/2 a cm deep at first, cutting away the bits that you do not want to be printed.
Practise your block print on paper first until you have got the hang of the technique and until you are satisfied that you know where you are going to place your block. With your table covered in newspaper, padding or an old blanket lay out your napkin and either tape or pin it down in place.
Using the brush or stippler, dab an even layer of paint all over the potato. Be confident of where you are going to position your block, commit and press down firmly. Carefully but confidently lift the potato, et voila! You are off.
Remember to reload your block between every print.
Use scrap paper to catch any of the potato that is printing over the edge of the taped surface to keep a lovely clean work surface.
Hang or lay out to dry the finished piece and once dry set the paint with a hot but dry iron – choose a setting appropriate to the fabric you are printing on.
Smile, be proud and enjoy gifting or using your beautiful new napkins!
Find more ways to bring a little extra joy to your home this Christmas with Molly Mahon’s online block printing course. In 25 video lessons, Molly teaches you how to create beautiful designs that can be printed on a range of homeware including cushions, wallpaper, lampshades, napkins, and tablecloths.
