Bring a touch of nature indoors with this DIY leaf stamped tea towel project. It’s an easy, inexpensive way to celebrate the stunning fall colors we all love. Using real leaves and a little paint, you can turn an ordinary tea towel into something beautifully unique — a true piece of handmade seasonal art.

Just like my DIY fabric pumpkin and rag tie fall garland, this project brings those cozy autumn vibes into your home without spending much at all. It’s quick, fun, and a great way to get creative with what you already have on hand.

Two white tea towels with stamped leaf patterns in orange and purple tones, each featuring a green strip with brown buttons sewn along one edge, displayed on a wooden surface.

Let’s talk about this project

This project takes the beauty of fallen leaves and turns them into colorful art for your home. You’ll use real leaves as natural stamps, pressing their delicate details into soft tea towels. The result? A simple, rustic piece you can use in your kitchen, line a bread basket with, or give as a heartfelt handmade gift to someone you love.

I made these towels to use in my own kitchen, and they turned out so lovely that I’m already planning to make more for gifts. They’re the kind of project that looks charmingly handcrafted, takes very little time, and always reward you with a big smile when you give them to someone — much like my DIY candy corn stuffies.

Materials you’ll need

Leaves: Gather freshly fallen leaves that are the right size for your design. Flat leaves with strong vein patterns work best.
Craft paint: Inexpensive and easy to find. You’ll need to mix it with fabric medium for durability. Craft paint comes in a wide range of colors, perfect for mimicking the reds, golds, and browns of fall.
Fabric medium: It helps the paint properly bond to the fabric when you’re using craft paint. You can skip it if you’re using fabric paint instead, but finding the exact colors you want in fabric paint can be a bit tricky.
Tea towels: Choose a cotton-linen blend for the best print results. This fabric combination absorbs the paint well and holds up beautifully through use and washing.
Waxed paper: Protects your surface and catches any bleed-through as you press the leaf imprints onto the fabric.
Cardboard: Adds an extra layer of protection under your workspace.
Decorative trim: Ribbon, lace, or even fabric strips all work beautifully. I chose to use unhemmed fabric strips so they will fray slightly with each wash, giving the trim a rustic, lived-in edge. When I made these towels, I added a few buttons too — just for a touch of extra charm.
Thread: Match your thread to the trim for a subtle finish, or use a contrasting color like I did when sewing my fabric stuffed bunnies to add a fun accent.

Craft supplies on a wooden table, including fabric paint, textile medium, paintbrushes, scissors, fabric pieces, fresh leaves, a glass bowl, and part of a sewing machine.

Equipment you’ll need

Mixing dishes: For combining paint and fabric medium.
Measuring spoon: Helps you get the ratios of the paint and medium mixture just right.
Spatula: For scraping and stirring the paint mixture.
Small foam paint brush: To gently dab paint onto the leaves before pressing.
Sewing machine: For attaching any decorative trim.
Scissors: To cut trim or fabric borders.
Measuring tape: For ensuring trim is even across the towel.

How to make DIY leaf stamped tea towels

There’s something so satisfying about watching those colorful leaf patterns come to life on tea towels. Making them is simple — and the process is every bit as enjoyable as the result.

Two small glass dishes sitting on a paper towel. One has purple paint in it. The other has orange paint. There is a wooden dowel next to each dish with paint on the tip.

SA piece of cardboard sits on a wooden surface with a pieces of wax paper on top of it and a tea towel on top of that.

Step 1: Measure and mix the craft paint and fabric medium.

Step 2: Lay cardboard on your work surface, cover it with waxed paper, and then place the tea towel on top.

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A paper towel with a leaf covered in purple paint on it and another leaf covered in orange paint on it. There is a sponge brush next to each leaf with paint on them.

Two leaves sitting on a tea towel with a piece of waxed paper over them.

Step 3: Lightly coat the underside of each leaf with the paint mixture.

Step 4: Position painted side down on the towel, cover with waxed paper, and gently press with your fingers.

One purple and one orange leaf imprint on a tea towel.

A tea towel with orange and purple leaves on it covered by a piece of wax paper being pressed with an iron.

Step 5: Carefully lift the leaf — you can reuse it for another print.

Step 6: Let dry for 24 hours, then heat set according to the fabric medium’s instructions.

Tea towel with orange and purple leaves on it and a green strip of fabric pinned across the bottom of it. A dish of sewing pins and a measuring tape are sitting on the towel.

Tea towel with orange and purple leaves on it and a green strip of fabric with buttons on it sewn across the bottom.

Step 7: Pin the decorative trim to the bottom edge of the towel.

Step 8: Sew the trim in place.

You’ll find more detailed step-by-step instructions in the how-to card below, which you can also print for your convenience if you’d like.

Two white tea towels with stamped leaf patterns in orange and purple. Each towel has a horizontal green strip near one edge, decorated with three dark buttons. They are placed on a wooden surface.

Diane Gail’s tips for success

Prewash your towel: Wash and dry the towel before stamping so the prints won’t shrink or become distorted later.
Iron before stamping: Smooth fabric is essential for clean, even leaf imprints — just like it’s important, to ensure that the front and back align neatly, when making my DIY Halloween flag banner.
Paint the underside of the leaves: The veins are more defined there, giving a clearer and more detailed leaf impression when pressed onto the fabric.
Avoid curled leaves: If they start to curl, soak them overnight in water and pat them dry before using the next day.
Measure carefully for trim: Measure from the towel’s bottom edge, all the way across, to ensure the trim runs perfectly straight across the piece.

Love a DIY lifestyle? You might also enjoy exploring my cooking from scratch and slow living collections next.

Other Projects You’ll Love

A diy tree shaped ornament made from green twine on a table. — **DIY Tree Shaped Ornament**

Three handstitched felt bird ornaments on a striped wood surface with a pair of scissors visible to the side. — **Easy DIY Felt Ornaments**

Twine wrapped star ornaments lined up on a table. — **Twine Wrapped Star Ornament**

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I absolutely love this project — it’s such a relaxing way to spend a little time and bring a touch of autumn color indoors. The finished towels make me (and my kitchen) feel warm and cozy every time I see them hanging up!
~ Diane Gail