Roller Stamps for Fabric Printing

I recently blogged about this idea for a roller stamp . But then I thought … one just isn’t going to be enough, but it’s gonna get kind of expensive to purchase rolling pins in bulk; there must be a better way ….

And there is!

Here’s how to make a bunch of great roller stamps on the cheap. And the advantage to making them this way is that you can have as many as you want, and they can be washed and the shapes won’t fall off. With a rolling pin, the water soaks into the wood and loosens the shapes but as this method uses pvc pipe, water isn’t a problem.

First, go visit your husband’s tool shed and “borrow” his paint roller. Then if he has any, also “borrow” some 1.1/2″ pvc pipe. Cut the pipe into 10″-12″ lengths.

You’ll also need some peel-and-stick “Foamies” – my product of choice for making my own stamps. You can find these in the kiddies section of the craft store.

Using an Xacto knife, cut out some “Foamies” shapes. I started with a simple 1″ square shape.

Peel the backing off the “Foamies” and position on your pvc pipe. Don’t press to hard just yet in case you have to reposition the shapes. Once you’re happy with the design, press them into place. Note: If possible, keep the shapes fairly close together to avoid picking up unwanted paint in the negative space areas.

Slip the tube onto your roller and you now have a brilliant roller stamp.

I then tried it out on a sample piece of fabric. I probably could have used a little more paint, but I really like the way it works. Note: It’s always a good idea to test first on a scrap before you go printing on your good fabric.

I also tried some ginkgo leaf shapes.

And was quite happy with the results.

Happy roller stamping!