Celery Rose Printing

I saw this interesting technique and thought how fun and easy it would be to print an apron for the hope chest. The materials are simple: an apron, fabric paint, a piece of foil to hold the paint, and the discarded bottom of a stalk of celery! You will also need wax paper or cardboard to place under the apron to protect the table surface and a paper towel to blot the paint.

The celery needs just a bit of preparation. Cut the stalk near the bottom and, if you like, clean out the leaves in the middle. It is also interesting with the leaf mass left in, but you can decide which you prefer. Cut the celery straight across, so that the stalks stamp evenly. You can see that we have a rubber band around the stalks. This is just a precaution in case a stalk breaks off.

Squeeze some paint onto the foil and spread it a bit. Dip the celery into the paint, covering all the cut surfaces of the stalk. If the paint seems goopy, blot the excess onto the paper towel. Then press the paint onto the apron.

Pick up a second color and make a second print, next to the first and then a third print. If you like, you can keep the colors separate, or try mixing them. A mix of colors gives a little bit of dimension or depth to the design.

Celery stalks can be variable, obviously. If there are spots that seem bare or too open, use just one piece of celery to add petals wherever you think they need to be.

Use one piece of celery with the green paint to add leaf shapes to the design.

Happily, Abigail has learned the design principle of thinking in terms of a triangle. I was pleased that she used three flowers in a triangular shape and placed the leaves also into a triangle. Not that the triangle is the only way to design, but it is a pleasing composition, and easy for children to understand.

I am amazed that a lowly stalk of celery can produce such a beautiful design. If you have a plain, white dishtowel languishing in your kitchen drawer, this would be a great way to pretty it up.