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You are here: Home / Craft / Watercolor Dyed Tea Towels

Watercolor Dyed Tea Towels

August 26, 2016 by jessa 7 Comments

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Getting a watercolor look on tea towels isn’t hard at all using this tutorial for watercolor dyed tea towels!

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

It’s nearing the of summer and although I cannot wait to dig out my fall decoration, I want to enjoy the last weeks. Of course here in Arizona it’s hot as H-E-double hockey sticks and will be for at least two more months. School started a couple weeks ago for the girls and it’s nice to have my quiet days at home doing my three C’s (creating, cooking and cleaning) and feeling like I actually get something done. Kind of.

I really needed some new tea towels/dish towels. I’m not sure what the difference is, but I prefer to use flour sack towels in the kitchen. I like that they are larger than traditional dish towels. The ones I purchase are 28 inches by 28 inches. They are absorbent and are relatively inexpensive. But they are just plain white, which can be boring, but actually acts as a perfect canvas to make watercolor dyed tea towels.

I took a fabric painting class at a blog conference last spring and fell in love with Dye-na-flow fabric dyes. It’s a perfect dye to paint or to use stamps with on fabric. It sets by a hot iron and wont fade or be crunchy like other types of fabric paints.

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Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Supplies:

  • Dye-na-flow dye in turquoise and azure blue, big set or smaller set
  • Flat brush
  • High quality flour sack towel
  • Spray bottle filled with water
  • Plastic tablecloth

Stripes Tea Towel

The first step is to wash the flour sack towels. You can dry them in the dryer, but don’t use any fabric softener. I wash and lay them flat to dry, it helps to reduce the wrinkles and makes it easier to paint. Lay down your plastic table cloth to protect your work surface. Lay out the towel. Spray the top of the towel with the water. Dip the brush in your chosen color of dye and drag across the wet towel. Spray more water to dilute the color and keep spreading the dye with the brush. Add more dye as needed. After the first stripe is finished, switch colors.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Continue to spray the towel and the dye as needed. Alternate colors until you get to the end of the towel.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Use more sprayed water and the brush to really spread out the colors.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Once finished. Let dry for 24 – 48 hours. Then iron the towel on the hottest setting the fabric will allow to heat set the dye. Let the dye cure for a week.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

At that point you can wash the towels in the washing machine. The dye *should* not spread or fade. (I wash mine separately the first time, just to be on the safe side.)

Triangles Tea Towel

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

For the triangle towel, start with a dry flour sack. Start painting on the triangles, alternating colors and direction, leaving a white space between each triangle. Don’t worry about the dye going on heavy where you first put the brush down.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Once you have painted a second row. Spray the two rows with the water and watch the dye disperse. Avoid getting water on the rest of the towel.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Continue painting triangles and spraying with water every couple of rows.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Once you get to the bottom of the towel, go back and spray any areas you might have missed. Don’t over spray, you want the color to spread and blend but not get diluted.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

Again, let cure for 24 – 48 hours, iron on hot and let cure for a week, then wash normally.

Make these gorgeous watercolor-like tea towels just using fabric dye, brushes and water. No artistic skills required. I promise!

watercolor-tea-towel-square

Filed Under: Craft, Decor, DIY, Primary Menu Tagged With: craft, decor, design, DIY, Primary Menu, Summer

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Comments

  1. Cristina at Ava's Alphabet

    August 30, 2016 at 6:56 am

    These tea towels are gorgeous! I adore the triangle one. They would make great gifts too. Thanks for sharing at Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party this week!

    Reply
  2. Nancy Andres

    September 1, 2016 at 1:25 pm

    What beautiful towels. Love colors so pinned it! Please check out my post, “How to use Blue and the Throat Chakra to Eliminate Pain” at http://www.colors4health.com. Have a great weekend. Nancy Andres

    Reply
  3. FrugalHausfrau

    September 6, 2016 at 7:02 am

    What a great tutorial! Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday!

    Mollie

    Reply
  4. Take Two Tapas

    September 9, 2016 at 7:54 am

    Thanks for linking these up to Saucy Saturdays! These are great for hostess gifts for holiday parties this season!

    Reply
  5. chefintheburbs

    September 10, 2016 at 7:58 am

    Beautiful and what a great idea to customize my kitchen look!

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Jessa and welcome to Sparkle. Look around and I hope you find ways to inspire your creativity. You will find gorgeous crafts and DIY, delicious recipes, printables to help get organized and ideas to live your best life! Take a look around.

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