In my kitchen, each season I change out accents to make the otherwise neutral room feel more like that particular time of year. Little touches like adding fresh colored kitchen towels and a stack of linen napkins can make a big difference in making the entire room feel like Spring, for example. To be able to keep up with my seasonally evolving kitchen, I have made a variety of custom kitchen linens that boast my favorite color combinations and hand-stitched monograms. Best of all, this project can be done by the most un-gifted artist.
The Entire Linen Collection (in order of photo) :
hand paintedlinen kitchen towels & napkins
fabric paint
brushes
painter’s tape
water
drop cloth or craft paper
linen fabric
sewing machine
thread
pair of scissors
Directions :
Begin by cutting the linen into the size of the item you’d like to make. For a napkin, a 20-inch square is a standard size, and 24 by 30-inches works great for kitchen towels. Allow 1-inch extra around the perimeter for the seam. Place a piece of craft paper on your surface before beginning. Place the linen down and use painter’s tape to create stripes. For a ‘plaid’ effect you’ll need to do the perpendicular stripes in separate phases.
To make the paint, mix the color you’d like to use, then dilute it with 2 parts water. Dip your paint brush in the paint, then dab off until almost all of the liquid is off of the brush, leaving only a small amount coating the bristles. This is called a dry brush method. Lightly begin to brush the liquid on with even strokes. Continue until all of the stripes are a homogeneous color and intensity.
Remove the tape and repeat to complete your selected pattern.
Let the paint dry for several hours.
Hem the edges of the linens with a 1/2 seam. Wash in cool water and press.
I put an "H" monogram on our napkins with embroidery floss using a simple running stitch.
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