With a little bit of paint, some elbow grease and waycool imagination one can transform a plain jane kitchen nook into the focus of the whole room!
Start with unpainted wooden chairs; 2 contrasting colors semigloss latex paint; primer, paint brushes, cellulose household sponges; medium and fine sandpaper and plastic coated paper dinner plates.
In the project pictured on the left, we used Benjamin Moore Linen White and Pittsburgh Paint blue 3093.
Sand any rough areas on the chair, following the grain with medium, then fine sandpaper. Apply primer. Let dry. Paint 2 coats light color. Let dry. Cut or tear sponge in half and pull off sections to make irregular. Pour darker color onto plate. With damp sponge, dab paint evenly onto chair. Wet paint can be easily wiped off with clean damp sponge to make corrections.
For the matching tablecloths: 2 flat cotton or cotton-blend sheets or fabric for tablecloths allowing 1" all around for hem; Permanent Fabric Paint, sea sponge or rectangular cellulose household sponge; plastic-coated paper dinner plates; yardstick; 11/4-wide lattice strip (optional). For the project above we used Deka 8-oz. jar Opaque White and two 1.2 jars each Golden Yellow and Blueberry permanent Fabric Paint.
To make square or
rectangular cloth: Printed grid should fit evenly on cloth to edges.
Using width of yardstick or lattice for the blue grid lines, pencil
grid for desired-size cloth on fabric with squares about 3 1/2" X 3
1/2" between grid. Add 1" all around for hem. Cut out. Turn up edges
1/" twice, mitering corners.
To make circular cloth: From sheet cut a square at least same size as desired cloth diameter plus 2" for hem. Fold square in quarters; pin. Mark half of diameter including 1" for hem, on a l from cloth edge for bottom of hem design.
To print: Let sponge air-dry. With craft knife or scissors cut lengthwise strip of sponge same width as your grid lines. Using bottle top or compass, draw and cut two 1 1/4" diameter sponge circles. Set aside. Mix paints with a lttle white and keep in plastic covered containers when not in use. Spread cloth flat on protected surface. Pour grid color onto plate. Practicing first on paper, dip damp sponge strip in paint, blot on paper towel and press lightly on cloth. When grid is completed, print a contrasting circle in center of each square. Alternating colors, print a row of circles above guideline at hem of round cloth, adjusting spacing by eye to fit. Let dry. Heat set paint following directions.