DIY Citrus Stamped Tea Towels: The Perfect Summer Craft

June 25, 2015

lemons limes citrus stamped tea towels
 
DIY citrus stamped tea towels

Looking for the perfect summer craft? This one's super easy, inexpensive
and really cute. I'm talking about DIY citrus stamped tea towels. You know,
those white cotton dish towels you can get at Wal-Mart in a package of five
for $5.00? Tea towels are one of my favorite crafting materials. I've created
 graphic monogram transfers on them, as well as used them for pillow covers.
Now guess what I've done with them!
DIY floursack pillow
 
Iron-on transfer monogram floursack pillow
 
I've seen this stamping craft done in more than a few places, so my way is a mish
mosh of what I learned from reading about other people's experiences. If you want
more info about it just go to Google images of citrus stamped tea towels and you'll
find some more examples of this cool craft.

Here's what you'll need to make yours:
 
DIY CITRUS STAMPED TEA TOWELS
MATERIALS

tea towels
small watercolor paintbrush
lemons and/or limes (your choice)
acrylic paint and fabric medium
(medium makes the paint washable)
OR
fabric paint (your choice of colors)
paper plate
steam iron (optional)

I recommend ironing your towels first with a steam iron. They come with LOTS
of creases and wrinkles in them. You can skip pre-washing them if the package
says they've already been prewashed, as mine were. Then you're ready to go.

Be sure to place some sort of cardboard surface beneath the towels before you
start painting, because the paint will bleed through. Cut your fruit in half, and paint
the halves with a paint brush. Don't dip them in the paint! If you do, it will get ugly,
trust me. Not that I have personal knowledge of it or anything. And it's always a good
idea to practice on paper first to get the hang of it.

DIY citrus stamped tea towels

Here's my lime with yellow paint that I painted onto it with a small paintbrush.
 Remember, don't put the wedge into the paint! I chose to use yellow and pink paint.
Aren't they the quintessential colors of summer? You could just as easily use lime
green and/or orange if those colors work for you and your kitchen or bathroom,
depending on where you'll be using these towels.


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you'll see a link to or ad for a product I've used or otherwise endorse. If you click
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 But don't worry. I would never direct you to any product I would not use myself.*}
textile fabric medium for tea towel stamping project

Here's the fabric medium I used. The recipe on the bottle says to mix two parts paint
to one part medium. I originally used one tablespoon of paint to 1/2 tablespoon of
medium, but that was more than I needed!

paint and textile fabric medium mixture for citrus stamped tea towels

DIY citrus stamped tea towels

So when I made the pink paint mixture I only used one teaspoon of paint to 
1/2 teaspoon of medium. That worked perfectly for me. You can also buy fabric
paint and avoid all this mixing but I found that it was cheaper for me to buy the
individual small paints and one bottle of medium, which I'll continue to use on other
projects for a long time to come.  



Here they are after I finished with the yellow paint.

pink and yellow citrus stamped tea towels

pink and yellow citrus stamped tea towels

And here they are after I completed the pink paint stamping as well.
Once painted, let them dry and then enjoy!

pink and yellow citrus stamped tea towels


pink and yellow citrus stamped tea towels

Here they are hanging from the door of my vintage cabinet-on-wheels in our kitchen
eating area. These would make awesome hostess gifts.They would even make great
favors for your own guests at your next soiree! For a pretty and practical parting gift,
use a stamped tea towel to wrap up some baked goodies for them to take home.

pink and yellow citrus stamped tea towels

pink and yellow citrus stamped tea towels
 
pink and yellow citrus stamped tea towels
 
I am obligated to mention here that chickadee number two helped me
with the pink painting and stamping. She's always an invaluable resource
when it comes to my projects!
 
My weekend thus far looks like going to the dog groomer,
chauffeuring teens, and going to a David Gray concert!
I am psyched. Mr. CBD and I will be dining under the stars
while listening to one of our favorite singer songwriters. It's a
perfect summer date night.
 
So, what do you have planned for the weekend?
 
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Leave a Comment!

srpprcrftr said...

Your t-towels are one of a kind and quite pretty with pink and yellow. Loved also how your pillow covers turned out using the towels. Are the towels easy to work with making pillow covers? I was concerned they might be too limp. Will have to get some next time in town.
If I don't make list I forget what all I needed to do in town. We try to stay away from Walmart, too darned big, and too many temptations right after payday, once a month.
I loved how white and sparkling the pillow covers and t-towels looked.
We live few miles west of Grand Junction where stores are we buy things, especially craft supplies. We have Jo-Ann's, Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I use my coupons all the time, sure do help. Happy weekend

Sum of their Stories said...

These are so pretty and summery, I love the colour combination.

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

How cute! I love the pink and yellow; just like a refreshing glass of lemonade. This reminds me of stamping with potatoes when we were kids. Great tutorial too, thanks.

Privet and Holly said...

Kathleen, these are so charming!
I am a tea towel addict.
My son just got back from a school
trip to Italy and was pleased as punch
with what he brought me: a tea towel
with a map of italy : ) You have a really
great flair for color combination and
this craft looks super easy ~ love it!

xo Suzanne

Unknown said...

Cute idea! I love it! Thanks so much for sharing at #HomeMattersParty. Hope you'll join us again.

The Charm of Home said...

Such a cute idea for a homemade gift Kathleen! Thanks for joining Home Sweet Home!

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