Fern printed tea towels make great gifts during 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.
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Supplies
- Flour sack tea towels
- Plant materials - Flat leaves like ferns work best
- Acrylic Craft Paint
- Fabric Painting Medium
- Sponge brush
- Newspaper
- Paper towel
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.
More Tea Towel Projects:
Fern Printed Tea Towels - Great Gifts to Make at the Holidays
Equipment
Materials
- Flour sack tea towels
- Plant materials
- Acrylic Craft Paint
- Fabric Painting Medium
- Sponge brush
- Newspaper
- Paper towel
Instructions
- 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.
- Choose your plant material.
- 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.
- Dab the paint generously on the back side.
- Carefully pick up the fern and turn it over to lay it down on the tea towel.
- Use your fingers to gently press it onto the towel.
- Take a folded paper towel and press down on the fern.
- 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.
Carole West
Awesome project and the simplicity once again is what I love the most. You gave me a fun idea thank you so much!
Patti Estep
Thanks Carole. I love to inspire and be inspired. Can't wait to see what you come up with.
Jen
Do you think using fake plants and leaves would give the same effect?
Patti Estep
Jen, I have never tried it but I think it's worth a try. Look for fake leaves that have a lot of veining and detail and good luck.
Susan
Hi
I love these. What color paint did you use for the picture? It looks like a very dark green or maybe black?
Sue
Patti
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
Michelle
Those are beautiful! I love nature-inspired everything. Thanks for sharing.
Found your blog while #SITSBlogging, glad that I did. Your blog is wonderful! 😉
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
Those are beautiful! What a creative idea. They would make such a great gift, especially for hostesses with all these holiday events coming up!
Alice @ Mums Make Lists
Oh these are lovely Patti, this would be such a fun thing to do with my daughter for Christmas gifts.
Patti
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.
Katie Goldsworthy
Turned out really cute! Pinning to the Monday Funday board!
Patti
Thanks Katie. They were pretty easy to do once I got the hang of it.
Sensible Gardening and Living
These are really lovely. I actually bought a 6 pack of flower sack cotton napkins awhile back and now I know what to do with them. Flower sack cotton is really hard to find here, do you know of a ready source? Thanks ~ Lynne
Patti
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
Anna @Annabode
Love ferns--these are beautiful!
Patti
Thanks!