DIY PROJECT | Hand Painted Tea Towels

October 14, 2015

DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsThese hand painted tea towels are really easy to make and are a great idea for a gift…..and lets be honest….tea towels are one thing we all use and can never have enough of, especially if your in my house where they are always disappearing.

Make a bunch in advance and stash away to be pulled out when a gift needs to be given. Better yet, team up with these decorated wooden spoons for the ultimate gift combo.

DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea Towels

Here’s how I did it

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What you’ll need:

  • Cotton or linen fabric (pre-washed)
  • Sewing machine and thread
  • Fabric paint
  • Stencil/paint brushes

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Step 1| Select and wash fabric

I think it’s better to stick with a natural fabric for tea-towels, I chose a linen and a linen/cotton blend. Most tea-towels are made from cotton or linen so it’s probably best to stick with the tried and true. I made sure I washed all the fabrics first. DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea Towels

Step 2| Make a basic tea towel

Cut out your tea towel, I just took the measurements from one in the kitchen, but I made it 2cm wider all round to allow for the double folded edges. DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsI then folded in the two long sides 1cm and ironed flatDIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsThen folded again another 1cm.  I’m not perfectionist so my edges a little wonky!DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsFold the two shorts over twice. 1cm each foldDIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsUntil it looked like so……DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsSew along each side. I used a contrast thread but you could do a more tonal look if you prefer.

Step 3| Painting

Then it was onto the fun part……painting!!

I purchased my fabric paint online. The idea behind it is you paint on to the fabric, let it dry, then iron over for a few minutes to set the paint. This makes sure it doesn’t come off in the wash and I can say I have tested it with a tea towel I made a year ago and it still looks like new.

Firstly, I brainstormed pattern ideas. Once I had some ideas I practiced on some scrap fabric….this step I highly recommend!! I used an old foam matt to make the triangle stencils and a ruler for this. The stencil was easy to make, all I did was draw the type of triangle I wanted and cut it out with a craft knife. I think stamps would work well too if your not into making your own.

DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsI decided on the triangles so I practiced this again just to be sure. DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsOnce I was happy with my pattern and technique I moved onto painting my tea towels for real.DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsI used a brush to apply the paint to my foam stencil. After each use of the stencil I reapplied the paint, otherwise the second go would be a lot lighter than the first.DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsSteady hands!!DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea TowelsAfter painting all my tea towels, I let them dry completely then gave them a good iron. It says to iron for one minute.

Then I was a finished!!!! and I had a bunch of hand painted tea towels to stash away for gifts when I need them. To be honest, I wont be rushing off to use one myself, dishes would have to be one of my least liked house chores!DIY PROJECT__Hand Painted Tea Towels

 

 

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5 Comments

  • Reply Annie Abbey October 28, 2015 at 12:23 am

    These are so great! I love the idea of some hand painted linens! Maybe this will be a weekend project of mine! Love your blog 🙂
    Xoxo
    Annie
    http://www.somethingswellblog.com/

    • Reply alana November 1, 2015 at 2:57 pm

      Thanks Annie, definitely give them a go they are so easy. Let me know how you get on, would love to see. Thanks for the kind words. p.s. love your website

  • Reply DIY PROJECT | Painted Chalk Labels For Your Glass Jars - threadbarecloakthreadbarecloak November 28, 2015 at 8:58 pm

    […] just around the corner. You could even team them up with some of my other DIY kitchen gift ideas; Hand Painted Tea Towels and Decorated Wooden Spoons or any other kitchenware DIY’s you can think of, to make the […]

  • Reply Katie December 9, 2015 at 11:58 pm

    I love this blog, so beautiful! I have just had a go at making some of these myself and I was wondering what your thoughts were on sealing the paint? I have heat sealed mine and they seem ok so far!

    • Reply Alana December 14, 2015 at 2:46 pm

      Thanks so much. Heat sealing is definitely the way to go. I have a set of tea towels I have been using for over a year now and they are still as good as the day I painted them.

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