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Beautiful and Easy Valentine’s Dish Towels

Decor, DIY

Today I am excited to share some beautiful and easy Valentine’s dish towel ideas with you. These dish towels are a perfect way to add Valentine’s Day touches to your kitchen. They also make great handmade gifts for the loved ones in your life. Not only are these Valentine’s dish towels beautiful and functional, but they are quick and easy to make too. Let’s get started!

Beautiful and easy Valentine dish towels displayed on the island in the kitchen with some candy, a mug, flowers, and a candle on a tray.

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Beautiful and Functional DIYs Are My Favorite

If you’ve been here for a while, you know that my favorite kind of DIY is one that is not only beautiful but functional too. I also never share a project that I wouldn’t display or use in my own home. Today’s Valentine’s DIY is no different.

There are several things in the farmhouse that I declare with conviction, “You can’t ever have enough…” Included in these things are candles, plants, dish towels, and pillows… just to name a few. The Valentine’s dish towel idea that I am sharing today fits right into this declaration. You can’t ever have enough dish towels!

Beautiful and Easy Valentine’s Dish Towels 

Eraser Stamped Valentine’s Dish Towels 

Supplies:

Everything you need to make easy and beautiful Valentine dish towels including a flour sack towel, fabric paint, freezer paper, a pencil, scissors, and an iron.

Version 1: Heart Burst

Beautiful and easy Valentine dish towels displayed on the island in the kitchen with some candy, a mug, flowers, and a candle on a tray.

Instructions:

First, trace a heart shape on the NON-shiny side of a piece of freezer paper and cut it out.

Tracing a heart onto freezer paper with a pencil.

A heart cut out of freezer paper with scissors next to it.

Next, place the heart stencil where you want it on the dish towel, SHINY side down. I put mine in the middle of the towel so that when I fold it in thirds it can be seen, but you can also put it in a corner. Note: If you put the heart in a corner, just be sure to leave enough room around it to fan out the stamped dots in order to create the “burst” effect. Then, using a hot iron, iron the heart onto the dish towel.

Ironing the freezer paper heart onto the dish towel.

Important reminder: Put another piece of freezer paper or a piece of cardboard on the other side of the towel to keep the paint from bleeding through.

Putting a piece of freezer paper in between the towel so that the fabric paint doesn’t bleed through on the other side.

Finally, dip the pencil eraser in the paint and start stamping around the heart stencil.  I put the dots closer together around the heart and then faded them out. I also dipped the eraser in the paint for each stamp around the heart to make the red color bolder.

Stamping red fabric paint around the freezer paper heart on the dish towel with a pencil.

Once the heart was outlined, I didn’t dip the pencil eraser in the paint each time, this made more faded dots helping to create the hombre look.

Valentine dish towel with ombré heart stamped on it with fabric paint drying.

Allow the paint to dry completely. Once the paint is dry, peel off the heart.

Peeling off the freezer paper heart after the paint has dried on the towel.

Follow the instructions on the fabric paint bottle to set the paint. I used a hot iron to set the paint about 24 hours after it dried by ironing the dish towel on the side without the paint on it. You can also use a pressing cloth. I suggest not washing it for about 72 hours after the paint is set.

Beautiful and easy Valentine dish towels displayed on the island in the kitchen with some candy, a mug, flowers, and a candle on a tray.

Version 2: Ombré Heart

The supplies to make the ombré heart dish towel are the same as what was used above. However, this version uses three colors instead of only one color of fabric paint like I did on the heart burst towel. I used red, magenta, and white. Overall, the directions are the same with a few changes.

Ombré Valentine’s dish towel on display in the kitchen.

Instructions:

First, trace a heart shape on the NON-shiny side of a piece of freezer paper, cut it out, and set it aside. Instead of ironing the heart onto the towel like before, this time the outline of the heart on the freezer paper will be used. I used tape to put it back together after cutting out the heart.

A large heart cut out of freezer paper.

Next, lay the freezer paper with the outline of the heart on it, SHINY side down on the dish towel and iron it on. (And yes, you CAN reuse and re-iron on the heart templates for other towels. As I am doing here.)

Heart template ironed on a white dish towel.

Important reminder: Put another piece of freezer paper or a piece of cardboard on the other side of the towel to keep the paint from bleeding through.

Then, dip the pencil eraser into the red paint. Begin by stamping bold red dots at the bottom of the heart. Continue to dip and re-apply the red paint making your way up the heart to about a third of the way. Add a few random dots higher so the red merges slowly into the next shade of magenta.

Applying the red dots starting at the bottom of the heart.

Now wipe off the excess red paint and then begin the process over again with the magenta (adding a few random dots of the magenta into the red dot section.

Applying the magenta dots after the red ones, working the way up to the top of the heart.

To create the light pink color add some white paint to the magenta. Repeat the same method as above with the light pink color. Finally, you can finish the heart with light pink or even add a few dots of white at the top. It’s up to you!

Applying the lighter pink dots after the magenta dots toward the top of the heart.

Allow the paint to dry completely. Once the paint is dry, peel off the freezer paper heart outline.

Peeling off the freezer paper template from the dish towel.

Follow the instructions on the fabric paint bottle to set the paint. I used a hot iron to set the paint about 24 hours after it dried by ironing the dish towel on the side without the paint on it. You can also use a pressing cloth. I suggest not washing it for about 72 hours after the paint is set.

The Valentine dish towel with paint dry and set ready to be used in the kitchen.

Now it’s time to sprinkle the Valentine’s dish towels around your kitchen and enjoy!

Ombré Valentine’s dish towel on display in the kitchen.

But Wait! There’s More

Not only does this stamping method work great on dish towels, but it works equally well on cloth napkins, pillow covers, and tote bags too. You can even make Valentine’s Day t-shirts. These would all make great gifts too! I plan to make some cloth napkins this week to use on the table for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Beautiful and Easy Valentine DIYs That Make Great Gifts

These beautiful and easy DIY Valentine dish towels (and more) make wonderful homemade gifts for the loved ones in your life. Consider adding a bottle of pink liquid hand soap or dish soap with the towels. Include a cozy throw blanket with a Valentine’s pillow cover (maybe a good book to read while using them). Everyone can use a tote bag and a t-shirt! Have fun getting creative while giving.  

Shop this post:

Ombré heart Valentine dish towel on display in the kitchen on the island.

Looking for more beautiful and easy Valentine’s DIYs, you might also LOVE these:

Frosted Glass Heart Candle Holders

Sweet Valentine’s Day Floral Arrangement

Easy Valentine’s Day Garland

DIY Concrete Heart Planter

Pinterest Pin for Beautiful and Easy Valentine Dish Towels

Pinterest Pin for Beautiful and Easy Valentine Dish Towels

  1. I love this idea so much Meeghan. I’d love to share it on my weekly wrap-up on Sunday. I can’t wait to try and make this.

  2. […] Beautiful and Easy Valentine’s Dish Towels […]

  3. Ronnie says:

    Instead of painting the heart on a dish towel I did it on a t-shirt for my granddaughter. It came out great!

  4. Kelly C McDaniel says:

    Do you think i could use parchment paper instead of freezer paper

    • Meeghan says:

      The beauty of freezer paper is that you can iron it on, Kelly. Therefore, it stays in place while you apply the paint. Unfortunately, parchment paper cannot be ironed on, so the lines in your designs won’t be as crisp.

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