Upcycle Kids Clothes with Potato Printing

Oh, the pure joy of potato printing on kids’ clothes – let’s dive into this adorable mess of creativity together! So, there we were, one idle Sunday afternoon, with a bag of potatoes and a rainbow of fabric paints. The mission? To give those plain, “seen better days” t-shirts in the drawer a new lease on life. And wow, what an adventure it turned out to be!

Starting with carving those spuds, it was like we were back in art class, but with less supervision and more giggles. We opted for simple shapes – think stars, hearts, and, because creativity knows no bounds in this house, a slightly wobbly dinosaur. The kids were all in, eyes sparking with the thrill of turning something as every day as a potato into their stamp of creativity.

Dipping those carved masterpieces into vibrant paints and pressing them onto fabric felt almost magical. Each print, with its unique blend of perfect imperfections, told a story. A blob here and there? Merely a reminder of our laughter, of hands not quite steady with excitement.

Witnessing the kids wearing their creations was a heartwarming sight. They strutted around with such pride, their shirts not just attire but a canvas of their imaginations. It turned a simple craft activity into a profound lesson in creativity and self-expression.

Potato Printing Kids’ Clothes – let’s dive into this adorable mess of creativity together!

Beyond the fun, potato printing on clothes became a cherished memory, a reminder of the joy of creating together. It’s a nudge to embrace imperfection, to see potential in the mundane, and to celebrate the quirky and unique. So, to fellow parents thinking of diving into potato printing, I say: embrace the mess, the giggles, and the creativity. It’s more than just art; it’s about making memories and wearable badges of playful joy.

I’ve already posted some pictures of Wilf wearing the trousers I made him on Instagram but I thought I should go ahead and show you the process anyway, seeing as I made the effort to photograph them and all.

The trousers were a triangle design cut out of a potato, I love bright colours and think the yellow and greens work great against the turquoise. I also think this design could be effective with a grey or black triangle against the bright block colour of the trousers. I think I may try that next time. I also made Wilf a T-shirt in the same design. Once Tom dressed Wilf and paired them together and he looked a bit mad. 

Next, I decided to branch out with a bit of sweet potato printing to see how it differed from your everyday run-of-the-mill potato..and well, it wasn’t as good for sure. It was harder to carve and more textured than a regular potato but I still quite like the little fox design (although they may look like devils in the first picture).

Some designs looked a lot better in different colours. I think the cloud design worked well in black but may have worked just as well in another colour where as the fox design looked a lot more fun in a bright colour.

I purchased the trousers for £3 from a charity shop (I love their elasticised bottoms) and the T-shirts are fair-trade Organic cotton from Mantis world. I used Pebeo fabric paints for the designs and ironed them for a good three to five minutes to set the colour after they had dried. 

I hope you like them! Do any of you made homemade clothes for your kiddo’s? 

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