How to Make Childrens Art Tea Towels:
1. Wash and dry the towels.
2. Place drawing under towel and tape down with painter’s tape so it doesn’t shift.
3. Trace the drawing with the marker. The towel material allows you to see the drawing underneath.
Now let’s see how to properly wash and dry your tea towel!
Washing tips:
Use the arrows below to see my washing advice!
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Heather is a Designer, True Color Expert® and proud military wife at 
So cool! I love this idea. I have a laser printer, does it only work with an ink copy?
So so cute – can’t wait to try it!
Such a good idea! “Pinning” it!
This is so adorable! I need to make one!
This is so cute Heather! Such an adorable idea! I never would have thought of it- but I can think of a million people who would love to receive it as a gift! Great job!
How have you been? Did you have a good holiday weekend?
xo Becca
How stinking adorable is this!?! What a wonderful way to showcase kids artwork.. I love it! Amie
That is really really cute!
What a cute idea–could be great for a teacher gift!
ABSOLUTELY love this! What a great idea!Hope
no, I am your newest follower! LOL Found you on Pinkapotomus. 🙂
Fabulous idea. The children would love their artwork shared like this.
Kelly
Aww…how cute!
This is such a neat idea! I’m a new follower from naptime delights. I have a new linky party on tuesdays. I hope you’ll stop by 😉
Sarah
I love this idea! Out come the boxes of artwork!
Oh! These are darling. It’s such a cute way to appreciate your kid’s artwork. Thanks for sharing this.
Greetings from Germany
Catrin
What a terrific idea and so simple!! Definitely a great gift for the grandparents! Thanks so much!!
Adorable idea and so easy to do 🙂
Dee
Very cute idea Heather! My in-laws would love this!
Thanks for linking this week!
Stacey of Embracing Change
So cute! I’ll have to wait until my little one can work a pen – I can’t imagine this works as well with fingerpaint creations 🙂 But when that day comes, someone’s getting some tea towels!
So cute….I’m pinning! 🙂
Oh dear me! That is simply adorable! What a great way to display some kids art! I’m absolutely pinning this!
Such a sweet, clever idea!! I’ve pinned it and now I’m sharing on FB!!
I can’t wait to try this with my granddaughters artwork.
Oh my gosh! This is adorable. What a great way to keep your child’s art work. I need to remember this for when I have kids. Great Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
This is just too cute! I’m featuring you today!! : )
Love this idea!
Your newest follower. Kimberly
I just saw you’re featured at Tip Junkie’s top 10 today! Congrats- this project is so unique- it deserves to be spotlighted! Great job, girl!
xo Becca
So cute! How do you wash the towels? Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The Winthrop Chronicles, this will be featured at tomorrow’s link party!
Precious and clever. What an amazing gift idea!
Wonderful idea!! It’s so creative and unique!
I Loved this so much I tried it myself. IT WORKED. Thanks for sharing.
Awww what a cute idea and great way to keep and “display” the art work!!! Thanks for sharing! :o)
This is great and I will be doing it! But does the sharpie come out in the wash or is it permanent? What temperature do you wash them at?
Thanks!
Jessie
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Just give the kids the towels to decorate ~ colored sharpies work great also.
Will the sharpie come off after washes?? Awesome idea!!
Thanks Trisha!! The permanent marker holds up when washed. I have washed mine many times and it still looks great! No bleeding at all.
PLEASE answer the questions about washing…
The sharpie is a permanent marker, so the graphic will be permanent…the graphic on my towels do not disappear or bleed out in the wash. I wash mine in cold water and hang to dry since they dry so quickly there is no need to dry them in the dryer! Good luck!
Thank you!
Just pinned this today and wanted to stop by and tell you how much I love this idea! I think it will make great gifts for the grandparents too! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thanks for the sweet comments! Grandparents will love this DIY!!! Have fun making one or two or three!
Cant wait to try this. It’s so cute. I wish I had saved old pics that my niece drew for me, I have all her old coloring pages, just none like this. But I will find something to try this with! 🙂
So glad you like this Rebecca!! Send me a pic of it when you are finished – I would love to see how your version turns out! I love mine and my son is so proud that his art is now in our kitchen!
I have 10 grandchildren and 1 more on the way. This would be a great idea for a Christmas present for the parents! Thanks so much!
It really would HanoverGirl! Both the parents and the kiddos would enjoy seeing their art in the kitchen! You are so lucky to have 10 grandchildren!!!!
would work well for Magnadoodle creations too. I take pictures of those… this would be better! Great gift idea…
What a great idea Genie to use Magnadoodle creations! Great suggestion!
I have kept some artwork thru the years of my kids. Now they are married. I am going to do this for my daughters in law of their hubbys childhood art. I am thinking of embroidering it as well. Thanks for the idea. How does the permanen marker do in the wash?
Great idea!! Your daughters in law will love that – how sentimental! The permanent marker holds up really well when washed. I have washed mine many times and it still looks great! Send me a picture of your version, I would love to see how it turns out!
Hi Heather,
What a testament to a loving family!
R drew so much love into his art!
Awwwww, Vicki! What a sweet thing to say!! I will pass on to R your sweet comments, he will love to hear that! Thank you 🙂
Your welcome! I am sure the grandparents will love it!
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The permanent marker holds up really well when washed. I have washed mine many times and it still looks great! No bleeding at all. I purchased the flour sack towels at Wallmart – but have also seen them at Target…hope this info helps!
Marvelous!
Your tutorial is thorough, and inspiring.
I know this is something I will be trying.
R, you show a lot of love in your art!
I’m so glad I saw this, so we can share
our children’s art this way too.
Thank you!
So glad you like this tute Natalie! Have fun making them! I did and smile every time I see them in my kitchen! I will pass on your sweet compliments to my son ‘the artist’!! Thanks for dropping by my blog! Heather 🙂
I love this idea!! He is a great artist
Thanks Kaysi…I will pass your compliments on to my son!
I just made one- it’s adorable! Can I iron it?
Yes you can! Email me a pic – I would love to see how your’s turned out! Yay!!!
Very cute. However, I got plain undies for my son and I drew things that he liked on them with Sharpies to make potty training more fun, and they really faded in the wash. Has this happened for you?? I don’t want to spend a lot of time tracing if it’s just going to fade and look bad.
Margo, that’s too bad that your profect faded! That’s a fun ida to add drawings to your son’s underwear for potty training! My towels just lightened ever so slightly on the first wash and are virtually the same as when I first made them…
If you iron them you will heat set your marker…which is probably why her tea towels have not faded…iron Rhodes undies..it should help
Cute idea! Sharpie is not archival, which means that over time, you will get a yellow halo around your marker lines. I would suggest trying an archival marker, or maybe a fabric marker instead of a standard sharpie if you want your towel to last for a long time.
I’ll keep that in mind Roelofs….mine have not shown any yellowing.
This month I used this wonderful idea for gifts to friends and family. Love it. I blog about it and shared your link! http://www.create-with-kiddos.blogspot.com
They turned out great! Love your little artists’ drawings! So cute! Thanks for adding the link to my post that inspired you! I am sure the grandparents will love these as gifts!
Aww what a great idea 🙂 Thanks for sharing! And R.. amazing drawing 🙂
Ooo….so exciting! I love this idea! R, you are a great artist! Good job! 🙂
Thanks Heather for your sweet comments 🙂 I will pass on your compliments to my son! He loves to draw and I am always encouraging him!
Great idea! I think I will do something like this for myself using artwork I have been saving for many years!
Could you use colored sharpies?
I believe that would work! I have only used black but the ink type is the same…so it should work!
R has inspired me to make some. Thanks so much for the fabulous tutorial.
Cheri
Have fun making them Cheri!
I just found the Christmas Gift I will do with our 10 year old niece when she visits this Thanksgiving Weekend….Her and I do Christmas Gifts for others in her family….She will love doing this, as she loves to draw and share her drawings with others….Thanks so much for sharing this….Patti
What a sweet idea to make some with your neice for family! Such a thoughtful gift! Glad you like these!
Can they just draw on the towel?
Yes, your kiddos can draw on the towel with a sharpie marker!
We’ve actually found that regular permanent Sharpie lasts BETTER through the wash than laundry markers (which largely washed out, for us).
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What Jeanne Said!
Jeanne and A Viintage Industry – If you feel confident in your drawing skills you could draw it right on to the towel otherwise you could try tracing it!
Do you mean laying the artwork under the towel and tracing it that way? Is the towel thin enough that you can see through it? Sorry, I am trying to figure out the whole “tracing” thing too. 🙂
Hi Rose – you can freehand trace or trace the way you mentioned..whatever works for you! Thanks for visiting!!
Hi Heather,
This is an adorable idea–but what I am REALLY in love with is that yellow and grey patterned fabric! Can you tell me what it is, where it’s from?
cheers!
Deirdre
Target!
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I used a regular tip!
I just found your blog today through Pinterest….I love this idea and I think i would like to try and make some for my mom (great-grandma) and my daughter….My grandson Xavier loves to draw and I think this will make a really fun gift that we can update every year for Valentines Day….
Great idea!!
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AHHH I love these! I just figured out this years mother’s day gift craft idea!
Can anyone recommend where to buy towels like these? Thanks!
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Elise- I included a link in the post where you can buy them online!
Love this!!! Way to go, Heather and artistic son!! 🙂
Awesome!!
Thanks for sharing this idea! My daughter and I just made some this weekend for Mother’s Day gifts. We even used a few colored sharpie markers on a few .. BTW the grandma’s loved them!! 😉
Heather, what a great project and I’m loving the artsy one very much! Re: your comment about your apparent long torso and short legs, actually if you picture where your waist is in the picture, it’s fairly proportionally correct to the rest of the body AND he’s got you all in the latest fashion!!! :). Very impressive! Thanks for the post, I love it!!
Heather, what a great project and I’m loving the artsy one very much! Re: your comment about your apparent long torso and short legs, actually if you picture where your waist is in the picture, it’s fairly proportionally correct to the rest of the body AND he’s got you all in the latest fashion!!! :). Very impressive! Thanks for the post, I love it!!
That drawing is awesome!
Thanks Mimmi – I’ll pass your compliment onto my artist son who drew it! He’ll be thrilled you said that!!
So easy! Thanks for sharing it, great idea!
Marti
Beautiful!!
One could also make cloth napkins with corners or borders done with features from this same drawing, so they coordinate.
This is such a fun idea! Thank you!
What a great idea! Can’t wait to get busy on this one! Great artwork on yours by the way!
Thanks Michael! Have fun!
can’t wait for my grandson to start doodling….i would so put those adorable doodles on a tea towel
I love that idea Heather and I think I’m going to do this with my Son as a Grandparents gift – they’ll really like it!! Thanks and Pinning too.
What a great idea! Lucky you have such a talented artist in your family 🙂
This is wonderful! I saw this from Tip Junkie and just had to stop by and say “great job!” Love it. Pinning.
This is an absolutely darling idea! Your little budding artist is quite talented! I’d love for you to link this up to my new Creative Ways Link Party! Hope to see you there! Have a Happy Mother’s Day!
Blessings,
Nici
stopping by from tidy mom linky (we are onlinesisterhood). These are wonderful tea towel! Pinned.
As requested…”R” if you are still reading the comments….this is a great project AND just in time for mothers day! I have an 8 year old daughter (and a 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son….and we live way down here in the country of Brazil) who will just think this is the funnest project to make for me. Thank you for sharing your art work:) Have a great weekend.
I used recipes in my grandmother’s handwriting for family gifts.
Fabulous idea Shana!!
You have wonderfully creative children… such a blessing! I love the detail of his pictures thanks for sharing will do this with my 6 year old son’s artwork.
Thank you Jessie – you are so sweet and thoughtful to say that! My boys are my world and yes they are so creative and talented – my husband and I are truly blessed! Have fun making this tea towel with your son’s artistic creeations!!
What a great idea! R, I love your picture and the great way you show all the love your family has for each other. Keep up the awesome artwork! 🙂
Thanks for leaving such kind supportive compliments Belinda!
Hi i saw your tutorial about drawing your kids art on to tea towels.. I gave a question which I hope you can answer.. Do you think I can use a red permanent pen rather than black would it work just as good?
Regards Emma
P.s Hello R I love your drawing… ☺
Hi Emma – I’ve never tried a pen, I’ve only used permanent markers, so I’m not sure it would work or not to be honest! You can use a red permanent marker though! I hope that helps!
Oh my gosh Jennifer! That’s awful that they bled! I’ve made several of these towels and none of them have bled in the wash – I’m wondering if maybe the marker you used – was it a permanent marker?
Ok, I think I must be missing something,…. how do you see the pic if the towel is on top?
The floursack towels are light enough that I could see the drawing underneath Shelly!
Love this idea! I used fabric markers and let my toddlers draw directly on the tea towels. It was a great present for their great grandma! I was able to find high quality tea towels at my local quilt shop. So far, they have held up wonderfully and other family members are asking for some some kid crafted towels. Great way to preserve their artwork!!
Great work R. I just knew mom did it, until I read more. Very creative. You must be an amazing son to capture Love this way. Job well done mom and dad!
Way to go kiddo!
What a fun idea!
I pinning now to save for later!
Thanks!
Thanks for pinning Yvonne and I’ll pass on your compliments to my son the little artist!! 🙂
This is only my second time to EVER post a comment in my long time of reading blogs, etc., but I just had to for this! I have 4 daughters and a whole lot of “art work” with no idea (besides the framing, but that is A LOT of framing!) what to do with all of them…this is perfect! And with a 5 yr old who wants to be an artist like her mommy, I only expect more to come! Lol
As for you….well you have your very own artist in your house. How fortunate for everyone there! And, I love his drawing! It makes me happy to look at it… So much happiness, satisfaction and love bursts from it! Does he know that people make money for their art? (I do!) He even could with his mom’s tea towels 🙂 (Or whatever else he and Mom comes up with lol)…
Btw, my previous comment wasn’t meant to push the little guy out start earning a living LOL After rereading my post the last part aimed at the artist himself, may not come across as lighthearted as I had intended, to some folks. Apologies!
Hi Rebecca!! You didn’t offend me at all – thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such kind comments!! I’m so glad you are living your passion and have a great career as an artist! 🙂
Great idea, thank you for sharing. I know this is an old post so R I hope you are still being very creative with your drawings! The picture your mom used for this post is adorable.
Hi, this is adorable. Did you trace the drawing?
Hi Minta – all the directions to make this are in the blog post! Enjoy! 🙂
Awesome idea – thanks!
Love this idea! Sometimes I feel bad about getting rid of the artwork but this is a fun way to keep it and make each child feel special!
I agree Krystle – it’s a fabulous way to make each child feel special!! Have fun making these adorable tea towels! xo Heather
Would this work if I had the kids draw their picture directly on the tea towel?
Hi Aubrey! Yes it will work – as long as they use the marker I linked to in the post! Have fun!