DIY PROJECT | Hand Painted Tea Towels

These 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.

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.

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. I then folded in the two long sides 1cm and ironed flatThen folded again another 1cm.  I’m not perfectionist so my edges a little wonky!Fold the two shorts over twice. 1cm each foldUntil it looked like so……Sew 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.

I decided on the triangles so I practiced this again just to be sure. Once I was happy with my pattern and technique I moved onto painting my tea towels for real.I 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.Steady hands!!After 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!