If you want to decorate your kitchen with individually designed things, you can do this with a variety of DIY projects. Whether homemade egg warmers, holders or table decorations - the kitchen gets a very special charm with your personal works. If you still have a few pretty boring kitchen towels, you can spice them up to suit your taste. Don't always throw everything away, but try to bring new life into old items. In this article, we will show you how you can easily print tea towels using various techniques, as well as how you can fold them as a gift.
Tea towels printed with a printed motif
For this project you will need an image that you can use with aPrint out laser printer. If you don't have one at home, simply print it out with the ink printer and have the copy shop copy it with a laser copier. You will also need Mod Podge napkin glue, wax paper, a foam brush, scissors and of course any tea towel. Once you've got everything, you can design the kitchen towels individually.
through image transmission
Lay down wax paper to protect the work surface and cut out the image. Apply Mod Podge to the front of the image until it is almost invisible. Then place it face down on the tea towel. Avoid wrinkles. Now fix the picture on the cloth in circular movements and let it dry for 24 hours. It is now transferred to the cloth. Then wet the foam brush and wet the paper with the image in a circular motion. Once the paper is off, hang the cloth up to dry and wait at least three days before washing it for the first time.
with potatoes
Another great option is to make stamps that you can use to apply any motif. A classic among homemade stamps are potatoes. Since you usually always have potatoes in the house, the idea is also perfect for a spontaneous craft afternoon. It is best to use white tea towels for printing. Of course, colorful models in light colors are also suitable.
Materials for printing
In addition to potatoes and cotton tea towels, you also need:
– Acrylic paints
– Fabric (Textile) Medium
– Plastic cups
– a sharp knife and cutting board
– an Edding pen
– a craft knife
– Foam brush
– kitchen paper
– Iron and iron table
Carve potatoes
The potatoes should be large enough if you want to use them to make the kitchen towels. First, cut them in half and wipe them dry with paper towels. Then draw any motif on the interface with the Edding. This will now serve as a template for you to carve. Letters must be painted mirror-inverted! Now carve the potato with the craft knife until a 3D motif is created.
Mix colors
Now mix acrylic paint and Fabic Medium (in a ratio of 2:1) in plastic cups or bowls. Repeat this with all the colors you want to use. Don't overdo it with the amount of paint. You won't need that much. And if it isn't enough, it's better to remix it than to have to throw away the paint.
With the help of the foam brush you can now apply some paint to your homemade stamp. This variant is better than dipping the stamp directly into the paint, as you risk inking the rest of the surface of the stamp, which will then be transferred to the textile and ruin your motif.
Now you should work carefully. Determine the exact location for the motif and press the potato firmly onto the cloth. You should make sure that you don't slip. In addition, you should not wiggle the stamp in the hope that the ink will be absorbed better by the cloth. This also works by simply pressing it. Just as carefully, lift the stamp again and repeat with the other motifs.
Fix color
Once the paint has dried, it still needs to be fixed. Iron the wrong side and without steam so you don't soak the paint again. It is best to use the iron setting for cotton.
with rubber stamp
But stamps can't just be made from potatoes. Rubber blocks are available into which motifs can also be carved. With the right tools (e.g. an X-Acto knife and carpet cutter) you can also create finer motifs. You can also use larger erasers as an alternative.
Sketch images
You should first draw the chosen motifs on a piece of paper with a pencil. This way you can change the pictures you have painted yourself if necessary. You can then use a ballpoint pen to transfer the images onto the rubber pad. As a precaution, you can color in areas that should not be hollowed out, as shown here. This way you can be sure that you don't do anything wrong later. Now use your tool to cut off the excess rubber.
Now spread textile paint on a piece of aluminum paper using a foam brush. Press the stamp onto the paint and next onto the tea towel. A great tip for printing straight rows of tea towels is to put tape on the fabric that you can use as a guide when printing. If you notice that ink has gotten onto areas of the stamp where it shouldn't be, you can wipe it away with kitchen roll. Allow the paint to dry for 15 minutes.
With foam
You can also make stencils or stamps out of foam. If you also want to make kitchen towels yourself, you can also use an old tablecloth. Select an area of the tablecloth that you would like to use as a tea towel and cut it out. Finally, all you have to do is sew a hem and you're ready to start.
Lay out a larger piece of cardboard as a base. Then draw any design (in this case a star) on the shame fabric and cut it out. Now paint the foam with textile paint in any color you like. Before you print the tea towels, we recommend practicing on a piece of fabric first. You can also add any motifs and lettering by hand instead of using a stamp. Allow the paint to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions and wash the cloth accordingly.
By the way, a self-designed kitchen towel is a wonderful gift idea. This is especially true for people who like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Combine the tea towel with one or more matching gifts. Cookbooks or useful utensils are suitable. You can now fold the cloths nicely or follow these interesting instructions.
Here the tea towel is simply used instead of wrapping paper. For example, if you have chosen a cookbook as a gift, you can print tea towels and use a model of them to wrap the book nicely. This is guaranteed to make a great impression and looks really original.
Most of the time the wrapping paper is too good to tear up and throw away anyway, so you can use a practical alternative: the wrapping paper can easily be used in the kitchen later. You can see how exactly you have to fold the kitchen towel in these instructions. You'll be amazed at how much easier it is than wrapping paper.
Since fabric is a little more stubborn than paper when folded, you can easily fix the folds. Simply take an iron and run it over all the wrinkles. Be careful not to set the iron too hot so that you don't ruin the cloth or the gift inside.
Adhesive tape will most likely not hold with this option and electrical tape really doesn't look all that nice. Instead, use yarn or a pretty ribbon that you tighten tightly. Consider asking someone to help you hold the folded tea towel while you tie the string, or vice versa. And you have already put together an original gift.
