Hearth and Vine

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Fern Printed Tea Towels – Great Gifts to Make at the Holidays

by 19 Comments

Fern printed tea towels make great gifts at the holidays and you can use this technique with just about any pretty foliage.

More Tea Towel Projects: 
Tea Towel Apron, Family Recipe Tea Towel, Eco Printing

Fern printed tea towels make great gifts at the holidays and you can use this technique with just about any pretty foliage.

I love using flour sack towels to wipe down the counters and dry pots and pans. They are very absorbent and really get the job done. Here’s a project that will turn the ordinary flour sack towels into pretty decorative fern printed tea towels that you can proudly hang in the kitchen using craft paint and plants from your garden.

 

Fern printed tea towels make great gifts at the holidays and you can use this technique with just about any pretty foliage.

This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there’s no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

 

Supplies

Fern printed tea towels wrapped up for giving.

How to Make Fern Printed Tea Towels

  • Wash, dry and iron the tea towels.
  • Spread out newspaper over the work area.
  • Lay the tea towel right side up on the newspaper and mark the area you want to print. For example; I wanted to print the area that shows when the tea towel is folded in half and then into thirds.
  • Choose your plant material. I used Japanese painted ferns, Autumn ferns, and some Boston ferns.
  • Gently wipe the leaves with a damp paper towel to remove any debris.
  • Practice laying out the ferns on the tea towels to see what looks good to you.
  • Mix the fabric medium and the craft paint together on a paper plate.
  • Place the fern face down on a separate piece of newspaper and dab the paint generously on the back side.
  • Carefully pick up the fern, turn it over and lay it down onto the tea towel.
  • Use your fingers to gently press it onto the towel.
  • Then take a folded paper towel and press down on the fern.
  • The paper towel will pick up some paint so be sure to turn it over or use a new piece before pressing down the rest of the fern.
  • Then carefully lift up the fern and view your masterpiece.
  • Allow the paint to dry for 24-48 hours.
  • Heat set the print by placing a thin scrap of material on top and ironing it for 20 seconds.

Note: It takes a few times to get it right so be sure to cut extra plant material and practice on paper first.

 

      

About Patti Estep

Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

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Comments

    • Patti says

      December 10, 2014 at 6:44 am

      Hi Sue,

      The actual color I used is an olive tone called Avacado from Americana paints though a dark green or even black would look really nice too. There are so many colors out there. You can also mix them and test them on newsprint or paper towels first to see how you like it. Thanks for stopping by.
      Patti

      Reply

  4. Michelle says

    November 11, 2014 at 11:55 am

    Those are beautiful! I love nature-inspired everything. Thanks for sharing.

    Found your blog while #SITSBlogging, glad that I did. Your blog is wonderful! 😉

    Reply

    • Patti says

      November 6, 2014 at 7:10 pm

      Thanks Alice,

      I love that you want to make them with your daughter. I have a lot of projects that can be made with kids but also interesting for adults.
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

    • Patti says

      November 3, 2014 at 10:45 am

      Hi Lynne,

      I’m so glad you like them. I bought mine tea towels at Joann Fabrics. They used to sell them at Kmart from Martha Stewart but it don’t think they make them anymore. Also Amazon sells them, at least they sell the tea towels not sure about napkins. Have a great one!
      Patti

      Reply

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