• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • DIY Home Projects
  • Home Tour
  • Recipes
  • About

Craving Some Creativity logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • DIY Home Projects
  • Home Tour
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Free Email Series
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Home Decorating » Printables

    Published: Jan 6, 2016 · Modified: Dec 14, 2020 by Rachel

    Stenciled Tea Towels

    This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure.
    1673 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Today, I have some fabulous stenciled kitchen towels to share with you. As a bonus, I am sharing the files for your personal use to create these beautiful Christmas icon stencils.

    Two white Christmas themed tea towels with red deer and ornament stencils hanging on black oven door with post title.

    Christmas time is my favorite time of year. I don’t know about you, but I have been working so hard on getting the house decorated and all of the shopping done. We bought a fixer upper home so we like to keep the decorating budget to a minimum. And by fixer upper, I mean bad. So bad, in fact, that the floors required replacing before we could move in. Almost everything in the house is DIY or a thrift-finds in some way. Now that the Craft Room is completed, I want to work on cute projects all the time. I wanted to spread some Christmas cheer to the kitchen and that is how these stenciled kitchen towels came to be.

    Three white tea towels with red Christmas themed stencils spread on wooden surface with garland, pine cones, and ornaments.

    There are 3 designs: a leaping deer, Christmas trees, and ornaments. Each design has text and can be interchanged as you see fit.

    If you have a Silhouette and the Silhouette Studio Software, you can download the SILHOUETTE CUTFILES HERE.

    Don’t worry if you don’t though! I also have the stencils available as a PDF DOWNLOAD.

    Leaping Deer and Be Merry // Christmas Trees and Season’s Greetings // Ornaments and Believe

    White sheet with Be Merry message stencil being cut out with metal crafting knife.

    Supply List

    • Sack Flour or Tea Towels
    • Craft Knife (only if you do not have a cutting machine like this)
    • Adhesive Backed Vinyl or Adhesive Stencil Material
    • Fabric Paint
    • Foam paint brush (pouncer or stencil brush preferred)
    • Cardboard or plastic sheeting
    Deer stencil cutout resting on white tea towel on wood surface beside craft knife.

    How To Stencil Towels

    First, wash and iron your towels, then fold the towel so that the stencil is placed where you want it to be.

    Using the vinyl or other adhesive stencil material, cut the images with either a cutting machine or with a craft knife. Slide a piece of cardboard or plastic sheeting under where you will be stenciling to prevent the paint from bleeding through. Lay the stencil into place. I like to roll from the top down to prevent mistakes like the paper sticking to itself.

    Deer and Be Merry message stencil sheet on white tea towel with red paint for transferring image next to paint palette.

    Now, the fun painting part! Here are a few stenciling tips.

    First, make sure you are using a vertical  stamping motion and not a side-sweep brush stroke or you risk pushing the paint under the stencil. Secondly, I like to work from the inside to the outer edge. After you finish stenciling, leave the stencil in place and allow to dry about 1 hour. If you notice any spots that need touching-up, you can apply a second coat in those areas.

    Frequently asked questions

    Do I need to heat set the towels after painting?

    Yes, they will need to be heat set after drying for at least 24 hours to make the paint permanent. Use a dry iron at medium-high heat on the back side of your towel, and iron in small sections for 3-5 minutes.

    Are fabric painted tea towels machine washable?

    Yes, once the paint has been heat set, they will be machine washable. Make sure to use the gentle cycle, and either line dry them or machine dry them on low.

    White tea towel with ornaments and Believe message stencil with teal spatula and canister on wood surface.

    After it’s mostly dry, peel the adhesive material off of the towel and remove the cardboard backing. In my house, these towels are made to look pretty and no one dares dry the dishes with them. However, if you are using the fabric paint, they should be machine washable. Check the instructions on your fabric paint to be sure. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

    Looking for more Christmas Inspiration and Crafts? Check Out Our Other Ideas:

    • Free Printable Plaid Gift Tags and More Charming Free Printable Tags
    • Christmas Tree Gift Boxes
    • Star Tree Topper Template
    • Unique Gift Wrapping Ideas
    • or Check Out Our Holiday Home Tour
    Weekend DIY project. A pegboard organizer in the craft room above the desk workspace.

    Grab our free series "Weekend Home Projects that will Transform Your Life"

    Sign up below to receive updates including free printables, organization tips, home improvement projects, recipes and more!

    More Projects from Craving Some Creativity:

    • Black letter porch sign with welcome printed on it and surrounded by pumpkins.
      Make a Porch Welcome Sign
    • Final Photo Transfer of a Brightly Colored Horse Head
      How to Transfer Images
    • Halloween Decor Stamping on Candles using tissue paper transfer technique
      Image Transfer Candles
    • Several Images transferred to wood slices.
      Transfer Simple Images
    « How to Transfer an Image or Design
    Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carrie @ curlycraftymom says

      January 06, 2016 at 1:03 pm

      5 stars
      These turned out nicely! I am actually working on a similar project with my Silhouette for a dish towel for my wine cart. I am worried about it bleeding under the vinyl stencil. I’ll use your tips, thanks!

      Carrie
      curlycraftymom.com

      Reply
    2. Elise says

      January 06, 2016 at 12:19 pm

      5 stars
      These are beautiful!!! I think I will have to make a dozen sets – one for each monthly holiday!!! 🙂

      Reply
    3. Leslie says

      January 06, 2016 at 10:01 am

      5 stars
      These are too cute! I haven’t used my silhouette machine in forever, like it;s been months. This is a fun project! It makes me want to play around with mine. I can’t figure out how to cut vinyl yet though.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Headshot of Rachel Beach, the author of Craving Some Creativity.

    Hi, I'm Rachel!

    Creativity makes me energized and fearless. My husband and I have been renovating homes for over a decade and love to share our passion for all things home. Follow along for remodeling tutorials, recipes, and entertaining ideas sure to inspire!

    More about me →


    Popular Posts

    • How to Paint a Bathroom Cabinet the Easy Way
    • How To Caulk Baseboards like a Pro
    • How To Beautifully Organize Your Linen Closet
    • How To Paint Cabinets with a Sprayer

    Featured On

    Collection of Expert Features including Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, Apartment Therapy, Angie's List, This Old House Magazine, The Huffington Post, Delish, Wayfair, and Real Simple Magazine.

    Get Organized in 2022

    • 20+ Genius Small Bathroom Storage Ideas
    • Helpful Small Pantry Organization Ideas
    • How To Beautifully Organize Your Linen Closet
    • How To Organize a Small Space with Storage Bins
    Pinterest Widget including a snapshot of what Craving Some Creativity has pinned recently.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy

    Favorites

    • Blog
    • Shop
    • Our Home

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Craving Some Creativity

    Inviting traditional Kitchen and Remodel.  Grey bar island.

    Pssst...

    Come on in!
    grab our free EMAIL series
    "weekend home projects that will transform your life"

    Sign up below to receive updates weekly including printables, organization tips, home improvement projects, recipes and more!

    Yes, I want it...

    ×