Hand-Painted Tea Towels DIY – Free SVG Stencil Art

Make pretty hand-painted tea towels for your kitchen and a few more to give as gifts!

Tea towels, sometimes called flour sacks, have been a versatile staple in the kitchen since the 18th century. They are generally made with 100% cotton which makes them absorbent and perfect for clean-up and drying dishes.

Decorating these beautiful kitchen towels is easy. Just pick up brush-on fabric paint and purchase a stencil that you like or make one!

I’m using a stencil that I cut out of removable vinyl on my Cricut Maker and you can download the same file from the supplies below.

Does Fabric Paint Fade

For this DIY I’m using FolkArt Brush On Fabric Paint which comes in a set of eight vibrant colors.

As far as color fading, you’ll get normal fading after multiple washes but the paint does hold up well. Painted areas are also very soft and feel just like the fabric.

I decorated a set of fabric napkins using this paint. Below is a before photo and an after photo. They still look great after daily use and many many washes.

Note: If you’d like download the pineapple art, you can find the link in the supplies list as well.

Tips for Painting on Fabric

• Iron fabric before stenciling so you have a nice flat surface to work with.
• Place a foam core board or something underneath your towels that will protect your work surface. Paint may bleed through the other side.
• Use a dabbing motion when painting.
• Don’t paint with the fabric folded as fabric paint may bleed through.
• Do not add water to fabric paint.
• If you wash a brush, dry it well before stenciling. Water may cause the paint to seep underneath the stencil.
• Be careful when removing stencils since there may be remnants of wet paint on them.
• Have a different brush for each color.
• Follow the instructions on the fabric paint bottle for care and washing.

Supplies

• Flour sack tea towels (I found mine at Walmart and you can also get them here on Amazon).
• Fabric paint (Here is a link to the FolkArt set used in this DIY)
• Paintbrushes and stencil brushes
• A paint palette or tray
• A stencil or a vinyl cutting machine
• Stencil film (or any removable vinyl you have on hand)
• Transfer tape
• Weeding tools and a Cricut standard grip mat
• Scissors
• A foam core board or something to protect your work surface
• Free Rose SVG stencils – click here to download
• Free pineapple SVG stencil – click here to download

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How to Make Hand-Painted Tea Towels

Prep: Prewash your towels if you like and iron them. Lay your towel on a flat surface that will protect your work surface. A posterboard or foam-core board works well.

Step 1:

If you’re cutting a stencil out using stencil film or removable vinyl, I recommend using transfer tape to transfer the design to your tea towel. Beforehand, stick your stencil to a dishcloth or towel to lint up the back a little before placing it. I didn’t do this the first time around and my stencil film really stuck to the tea towel and I had to do a lot of extra pulling to remove it.

Step 2:

Shake your paints well. You can also mix them on your paint palette to make new colors as I did. Here I mixed white with red and orange to make a peachy pink color.

Dip your paintbrush into the paint and dab any excess onto the side of your paint palette. I’m using paintbrushes for smaller areas and foam stencil brushes for larger areas.

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Step 3:

Remove your stencil and let dry for 24 hours before setting them with an iron.

Follow the instruction for your particular paint. According to the directions on the FolkArt bottle, do not use a steam iron, dry heat only. Wait for 72 hours before hand or machine washing in cool water. Enjoy your new, pretty tea towels!

More Photos of My Finished Tea Towels

MORE HOME DECOR IDEAS:

• 6 Unique DIY Tiered Trays Made With Flea Market Finds
• How to Distress Dollar Store Books with Chalk Paint
• Glass Gem Votive Candle Holders
• How to Make Vintage-Style Clipboards

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