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    Home » Crafts

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

    October 28, 2018 by Patti Estep 19 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card

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

    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.)  i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

     

    Supplies

    • Flour sack tea towels
    • Plant materials - Flat leaves like ferns work best
    • Acrylic Craft Paint
    • Fabric Painting Medium
    • Sponge brush
    • Newspaper
    • Paper towel

    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.

    Patti signature

    More Tea Towel Projects: 

    • Tea Towel Apron
    • Family Recipe Tea Towel
    • Eco Printing

     

    Click Here to pin this for laterTwo fern printed tea towels

     

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

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

    Turn the ordinary flour sack towels into pretty decorative fern printed tea towels that you can proudly hang in the kitchen. You just need craft paint and plants from your garden.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Active Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Crafts
    Yield: 1 Tea Towel
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $5

    Equipment

    • Loew-Cornell 842 25-Piece Foam Brush Set, 1-Inch
    • DecoArt DAS10-3 Americana Mediums Fabric Painting, 2-Ounce
    • DecoArt DASK278 Crafter's Acrylics Primary Sample Pack
    • Utopia Kitchen Flour Sack Dish Towels, 12 Pack Cotton Kitchen Towels - 28 x 28 Inches

    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.

           

    More Crafts

    • Make Your Own Corn Heating Bags
    • How to Make Your Own Birdseed Cakes
    • Plastic Drawer Makeover with Mod Podge and Fabric
    • How to Make Candle Rings

    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.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carole West

      October 29, 2018 at 9:04 am

      Awesome project and the simplicity once again is what I love the most. You gave me a fun idea thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        October 29, 2018 at 9:11 am

        Thanks Carole. I love to inspire and be inspired. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

        Reply
    2. Jen

      September 26, 2018 at 7:29 pm

      Do you think using fake plants and leaves would give the same effect?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        September 27, 2018 at 7:32 am

        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.

        Reply
    3. Susan

      December 10, 2014 at 5:43 am

      Hi
      I love these. What color paint did you use for the picture? It looks like a very dark green or maybe black?
      Sue

      Reply
      • Patti

        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

      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
    5. Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine

      November 11, 2014 at 4:33 am

      Those are beautiful! What a creative idea. They would make such a great gift, especially for hostesses with all these holiday events coming up!

      Reply
    6. Alice @ Mums Make Lists

      November 06, 2014 at 7:07 pm

      Oh these are lovely Patti, this would be such a fun thing to do with my daughter for Christmas gifts.

      Reply
      • Patti

        November 06, 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
    7. Katie Goldsworthy

      November 03, 2014 at 11:16 pm

      Turned out really cute! Pinning to the Monday Funday board!

      Reply
      • Patti

        November 04, 2014 at 7:03 am

        Thanks Katie. They were pretty easy to do once I got the hang of it.

        Reply
    8. Sensible Gardening and Living

      November 03, 2014 at 10:38 am

      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

      Reply
      • Patti

        November 03, 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
    9. Anna @Annabode

      November 02, 2014 at 8:55 am

      Love ferns--these are beautiful!

      Reply
      • Patti

        November 02, 2014 at 9:28 am

        Thanks!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 23 Creative Handmade Gifts says:
      October 8, 2015 at 9:01 am

      […] DIY fern printed towels @ Garden Matter […]

      Reply
    2. Gardening Gifts: What Gardeners Really WantGreenside Up says:
      December 11, 2014 at 4:39 pm

      […] Zacharia Estep from the Garden Matter blog gives a step-by-step guide on how to make hand printed tea towels using ferns while Barb Rosen from Our Fairfield Home and Garden blog has put together a post with some lovely […]

      Reply
    3. DIY Leather Napkin Rings - The SITS Girls says:
      November 11, 2014 at 3:02 am

      […] Fern Printed Tea Towels […]

      Reply

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