Tea towels make great and useful DIY gifts. This fun and easy potato stamp tea towel project turns out beautiful flour sack dishtowels!
Hello! I’ve been painting up a storm over here, and I’ve got some great gift projects for you. Now if I’m going to make gifts, they need to be useful, pretty, and personal. And I think these modern potato stamped tea towels fit the bill!
They’ll make great gifts for teachers, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and more! And they’ll look gorgeous tied together with some simple ribbon and a gift tag.
I remember making a potato stamp to decorate napkins for Thanksgiving one year when I was a kid. And I thought why not try potato stamped- tea towels? And then I thought why not try throw pillow covers too? Now I’m getting ahead of myself. That will be another post.
potato stamp tea towel Supplies
- plain tea towels (I used these inexpensive towels from Amazon)
- iron & ironing board (optional)
- potatoes- large russets work well
- cutting board
- pairing knife
- stencil brush
- acrylic paint
- fabric painting medium
- paper plate
how to make a potato stamp
First, let’s cut the potato stamp. You might want to have a few potatoes on hand in case you need a re-do.
1. Cut your potato in half
2. Draw a simple shape
I’m drawing a very basic tree shape on my potato.
3. Cut your shape
4. Cut the edges off the potato
Trim off the outside edges of the potato surface (see photo above) so they don’t accidentally add extra paint to your tea towel.
how to stamp a tea towel
1. wash your tea towels
I have tried it both ways, but I think you’ll be happier with the results if you wash and dry them before stamping. This way they have a chance to shrink before you add paint. I also ironed them after they came out of the dryer.
Use your acrylic paint and mix in a small amount of fabric medium, using your stencil brush.
Fabric medium makes acrylic paint a bit softer and more flexible once it’s dried, which is best when applying it to fabric. It is possible to go without- your paint will just be sort of stiff.
2. paint
Use the stencil brush to dab the paint onto the surface of the stamp. You want an even amount of paint covering the whole stamp.
3. stamp
Press the stamp down firmly on your tea towel surface and pull it straight back up.
You might want to test it on paper or a paper towel before using it on the real thing to be sure everything is just right. I often have to make a few adjustments in the amount of paint I’m using, and sometimes to the stamp itself.
Repeat as many times as you like to create a pattern on your tea towel. You can make simple patterns with triangles, lines, or any shape you choose. Let them dry completely, and you’re done!
I hope you enjoy this fun project! If you’re brave you might even get the kiddos involved.
more easy Handmade Gift ideas…
Easy DIY Coasters With Sharpies & Alcohol
Easy Kintsugi DIY Christmas Ornaments
Hi! Love them towels!
How long does a potato last? Can you make it several days ahead? Did you try?
Cheers Elisabeth
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much! I think you could carve the potato a couple of days ahead, as long as you keep it sealed up in a plastic bag or something. They will dry out a bit and kind of shrivel up if you leave them out in the open air. Hope this helps!