Going into late summer much of my garden, as well as my Sol Tides teammates’ gardens, were trying their darndest to hold on for dear life. It was hot and dry for days on end. Relief from the heat seemed far off and somewhat hopeless at times. With the fall equinox quickly approaching and the states of our gardens lacking in abundance, the team at Sol Tides had to get creative to decide on products we could make using the items we had available in our gardens. There were a few items like okra, loofahs, and hot peppers that continued to show up and produce as best as they possibly could in this type of weather. Because of this, we thought we owed them a space for remembrance and decided to use them as veggie stamps for making designs on tablecloths for future events hosted by Sol Tides. This was a way for us to show our appreciation for their longevity, durability, and resiliency. In addition to these, we thought corn saved from an earlier summer harvest and items found in nature would be great additions to the stamp collection to be used on our tablecloths.
In order to prepare for the craft, we had to purchase or provide: cotton tablecloths, Sol Tides logo colored fabric paint as well as numerous other fabric paint colors, paint brushes, paint trays, garbage bags, rocks, tarps, items found in nature, and veggie stamps from our gardens.
Once all of our materials were collected, it was go time.
Goal: Seasonal Veggie Stamped Tableclothes
Materials: Prewashed cotton tablecloths, rocks for weights in each corner of the tablecloth, tarps, cut okra (cut into thirds), cut and uncut corn (cut into thirds), cut loofahs (cut into thirds or forths), items from nature like leaves, feathers, etc., fabric paint, paint trays, paint brushes, garbage bags
How to: Lay down the tarps on a flat surface. Next, lay the tablecloths on top of the tarps and place rocks in each corner of the tablecloths (maybe even the corners of the tarps depending upon wind levels) to help keep the cloths–maybe tarps too–from blowing in the wind. Display the paint trays, the fabric paint options, the veggie stamps, the items found in nature, and the paint brushes around the tablecloths. Encourage everyone to grab an item–stamp or nature item–as well as a paint tray to make a design that is unique to them on each tablecloth. Once the tablecloths have been filled with beautiful artwork from each individual, hang the cloths to dry for at least 5-7 days before throwing the tablecloths into the dryer to prepare for future use.
Happy stamping, y’all!
Yours truly,
-Liz
