Painted Rocks as Pattern Weights

When cutting out pattern pieces in fabric, I almost always use a rotary cutter and get tired of always using random stuff to hold the pattern down. At Jo-Anns I saw a package of four pattern weights, but at almost $15, that's way too expensive for me (even with a coupon) - especially when I need two or three packages of them! So, ever-inspired by Pinterest, I recently decided to set out to make my own cheap, alternative pattern weights using painted rocks! And here's my newly finished weights:

We don't have many rocks around where I live, so I decided to just got ahead and buy some. I picked up this bag of accent stones and this package of acrylic paint from the local Dollar Tree for a total cost of $2!

To start with, I picked out ten of my favorite stones to use. Then using an old, but clean piece of cardboard, I painted half the stones black and the other half black. The black paint covered all of the stones well, but the white ones needed two coats.

After the paint finished drying, I dry brushed them all with the opposite, contrasting color - a technique I learned from my art classes in high school. To dry brush, get a small amount of paint on your brush, wipe it off on something else until you see little to no paint coming off (note the spot on the cardboard with the black paint), then quickly and almost roughly paint the rocks with the 'dry' brush. The ridges and hard edges in the previous brush strokes and that naturally occur on the rocks will catch the small amount of paint that's left on the brush.

Finally, using a clear, spray acrylic sealer I already had on hand, I gave all the stones a few coats to ensure the paint doesn't come off and just to make them look a bit nicer!

I absolutely LOVE my new weights - they're so me! :) And with ten two weights for just $2, my debit card loves them too! :D

This is such a great project for any sewer or their children. So much room for creativity! Some ideas: painting scenes on them or flowers or animals; painting them in a solid color and writing/drawing on them with a fine tip Sharpie; painting or spraying them with a metallic paint for extra shine; finding or buying stones while on vacation and writing the place and date on them so you have all those happy memories when sewing! Really, the possibilities are just endless!

If this inspires you to make your own weights, share with me your experience and photos! Would love to hear from you. :)

'Til next time,
BH