With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I wanted to make sure I had something in our home that signaled we celebrate love. I’ve been holding on to an old sweatshirt for a DIY project for awhile. I decided to make it into a cute Valentine’s Day dish towel, which I could paint with my toddler.
Supplies:
- Old sweatshirt or t-shirt (for a decorative towel) or an old dish towel (to use for real)
- Scissors
- Paper and painter’s tape
- Fabric paint (mine says “Machine Washable” so make sure you check the label. I will likely wash my kitchen towel separately for it’s first wash)
- Paint brushes
- Water and paper towels
Time to make:
- A few hours because you’ll need to wait for the paint to dry.
Instructions
Step 1: Measure a dish towel against the shirt. Cut out a rectangle shape (doesn’t have to be perfect!). I used the trunk of the shirt, with one seam being the top fold and cutting off the other seam to create the opening.
Step 2: When I think about cute Valentine’s Day dish towels, I think cute animals and hearts. Draw a shape on the paper to make a stencil. I went with an owl shape, since my son is obsessed right now, but you can choose a shape that works for you. Tape down the paper with painter’s tape. Since I was working with my toddler, I taped everything down. But if you’re doing this project with older kids, you may not need to even use a stencil.
Step 3: Paint! I had my toddler paint the shape.
Tip: If you want your toddler to use just one color, do not give him the option of more than one! I had intended the owl to be a solid red, but he decided to mix the red and white colors I had poured out. Instead of focusing on my original vision, I enjoyed watching his creativity unfold.
Step 4: Let the paint dry completely before you peel off the painter’s tape and add details.
Step 5: Add details as desired. I added some features on the owl, which my son insists is actually a cat. I also added hearts! Pretty close to what I think makes a cute Valentine’s Day dish towel!
Step 6: Hang in your kitchen and enjoy!