I recently did a demo at Mangelsen’s in Omaha, Nebraska during their annual art fair using Derwent Inktense on Flour Sack towels. This demo is easy to replicate with any stencil of your choice, the project can take on any theme imaginable. We laid out several stencils on a demo table, the chicken was the most popular—maybe because of the rustic, homey feel—perfect for the tea towels, and let customers’ imaginations run wild You know your customers best, so feel free to get creative with what materials you use; this demo can also be done on canvas tote bags, handkerchiefs, center piece runners and other cloth items.
Project time: 15 – 30 minutes
Materials
- Flour Sack towels, Tote bags or tea towels
- Clear Aloe Vera Gel
- Stencils – Use stencils on hand in your store, or check out Marabu or TCW stencils.
- Iron for Heat Setting
- Derwent InkTense Pencils
- Pencil Sharpener
- Paper Towels
- Medium to stiff bristle brushes in small sizes
Steps
- Iron the tea towels to ensure smooth application
- Lay a paper towel underneath tea towel; this stabilizes it and keeps the aloe from staining the table below.
- Lay the stencil of your choice on the towel and lightly trace the design with an InkTense Pencil
- Fill outlined areas with aloe vera, which activates colors without bleeding into the fabric. Layer in colors of Inktense, blending with a paintbrush for added effects. Keeping adding aloe vera and InkTense until you like the results! Neat effects happen when layers dry in between applications.
- Once the piece is dry, heat set it with a dry iron for 20-30 seconds.
- Let participants know they need to hand wash it and let it dry completely before the first machine wash!
