Hand made gifts have a certain unique charm. They’re original, imperfect, quirky. They make the recipient feel extra-special, knowing things as precious as time and energy were invested into the gift they have been given.
Whether it’s as simple as a decorated card or as elaborate as a queen-sized quilt, it doesn’t matter–the fact remains that a homemade present is something exceptional. With this craft, brighten up a boring tea towel with pen and paint!
Supplies:
- Fabric paint in at least three colours
- Paint brush
- Black sharpie or fabric marker
- Linen tea towel
- Cardstock
- Pencil
- Scissors
Instructions:
STEP 1: Draw a little light bulb on a piece of card stock and cut it out. On the bottom third of the tea towel, trace around this template a number of times in pencil, rotating it as you go so the bulbs all face in different directions.
STEP 2: Lay down some newspaper and place your tea towel on top. Pour out a tiny bit of each paint colour and water them down (about 2 parts water to 1 part paint.) Paint the bulb part of each light, going outside of the lines and adding more or less water as required. Don’t worry if the paint bleeds a bit– that’s part of the effect! Finish by painting a small circle of paint (not watered down) inside each bulb.
STEP 3: Let the paint dry, then set it with an iron according to the instructions on the bottle. With marker, draw around the pencil lines and add any other details to the bulbs. Draw a string linking the lights.
STEP 4: After washing and drying, and maybe ironing since it’s a gift, your tea towel is ready to be wrapped up and passed on. This is a great gift on its own, or to be used as a creative and colourful wrapping for a batch of gingerbread or a bottle of wine.
