Over the weekend I took Jasper (my pup) for a nice walk and couldn’t help but admire all of the beautiful fall leaves on the ground.  I scooped up a few of my favorite maple leaves and brought them home because I knew they’d be perfect for a craft project.  After checking out the craft supplies in my desk, I knew exactly what to make – a leaf stamped tea towel!  It’s an easy project and adds a nice fall touch to my kitchen!  

For this post, I’m trying a couple of new things – I’m giving you a printable instructions list below and a link to a longer format YouTube video tutorial with complete instructions.  I’d appreciate any feedback you have on any of these things!

Supplies Needed for Leaf Stamped Tea Towels

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• Leaves (pick freshly fallen leaves – not ones that have started to dry out and curl)
• Plain tea towel
• Acrylic paints in a variety of fall colors
• Brayer
• Wax paper
• Decorative trim
• Permanent fabric glue
• Scissors

How to Make Leaf Stamped Tea Towels

Begin by mixing acrylic paints so that they’re mottled and a blend of shades you see in fall leaves.  Then, flip over a leaf and paint the underside with a thin coat of paint.  You want to paint the underside because the leaf’s veins are more prominent and will leave more of an impression on the tea towel.  

Flip the leaf over and place it paint side down onto the tea towel.

Cut a piece of wax paper and lay it on top.  (The wax paper prevents any paint that squishes out from under the leaf from getting on the brayer and making a mess on the tea towel.)  Then gently roll the brayer over the leaf and remove the wax paper.  Repeat this process until the entire tea towel is covered in leaf prints.

Once the paint has dried, attach decorative trim to the bottom edge of the tea towel with permanent fabric glue.  

That is just how easy it is to use fall leaves to make a beautiful leaf stamped tea towel for your kitchen! 

You could also use this method on pillows, tote bags, or anything else that’s fabric!  

PRINTABLE TUTORIAL

If you’d like to print or save this tutorial, here you go!  Please let me know if you find this new feature useful!

How to Make Leaf Stamped Tea Towels (With Real Leaves!)

Print

Use real leaves to make a beautiful leaf stamped tea towel for your kitchen!

Materials

• Leaves
• Plain Tea Towel
• Acrylic Paints
• Brayer
• Wax Paper
• Decorative Trim
• Permanent Fabric Glue
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Begin by mixing acrylic paints so that they're mottled and a blend of shades you see in fall leaves.  
2. Flip over a leaf and paint the underside with a thin coat of paint. You want to paint the underside because the leaf's veins are more prominent and will leave more of an impression on the tea towel.
3. Flip the leaf over and place it paint side down onto the tea towel.
4. Cut a piece of wax paper and lay it on top. (The wax paper prevents any paint that squishes out from under the leaf from getting on the brayer and making a mess on the tea towel.) Then gently roll the brayer over the leaf and remove the wax paper. Repeat this process until the entire tea towel is covered in leaf prints.
5. Once the paint has dried, attach decorative trim to the bottom edge of the tea towel with permanent fabric glue.

FULL LENGTH VIDEO TUTORIAL

I also made this project with a full-length video tutorial!  Please check it out and let me know what you think!  And if you’re a YouTuber, I’d love for you to subscribe to my “new” channel!

Have you tried stamping with real leaves before?  It’s pretty amazing how well this process works!

-Bre