Welcome to my crafting corner, friends! It is a beautifully rainy day outside, which is the absolute best kind of day because it means I have zero guilt about staying indoors, catching up on my videos and spending the entire day in my crafting room.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the canvas bag video I did recently and how much fun it is to incorporate canvas into our creative projects. Today, I am taking those ideas a step further. I want to share a fantastic technique I tested for printing custom graphics on fabric, plus a brilliant, budget friendly DIY project that is absolutely perfect for craft fairs or gifts: crafting your very own apron out of a simple tea towel!

Testing a New Technique: Printing on Linen Fabric Paper

I have been dying to try a new method for adding custom logos and images to my projects. My son gave me a gorgeous canvas bag that I really wanted to keep and use for my website materials. To personalise it, I took the AI portrait from my Fran’s Friends crafting card and decided to turn it into fabric art.

Instead of standard iron on transfers, I used a special printable linen fabric paper from the staple store. It is quite thick, with a lovely texture on one side and a clean, clear backing on the other.

Here is exactly how I did it:

• Prepare the Image: I took my digital portrait and enlarged it on the computer to the exact size needed for the canvas bag.
• Feed the Printer: I placed the fabric sheet into my printer, ensuring the light side was positioned correctly to receive the ink.
• Print: I hit print, and it turned out beautifully! It creates a wonderful, high quality linen photo of my AI self.

To attach this to the canvas bag, you can easily sew it on using a classic zigzag stitch or a blanket stitch. For my bag, I am going to try a zigzag edge and see if I can securely attach it with fabric glue. It is a fantastic way to cover up any unwanted details on a pre made bag or add your own custom branding sideways across the fabric.

The Ultimate DIY Tea Towel Apron

Now, let us talk about aprons! I wanted to make a special custom apron for the upcoming VIEX exhibition, featuring my printed portrait on the front and my Fran’s Friends logo on the pockets. It reminded me of a brilliant project I saw on Facebook a few years ago that uses a standard tea towel as the base.

I headed to Costco and picked up a pack of six lovely, large, sturdy tea towels (I believe the pack was around £10, making them incredibly affordable). The towels are a great size—about 40 inches or so—and make the perfect weight for a crafting or cooking apron.

Step by Step Guide:

1. Cut the Angles: Lay your tea towel flat and cut the top two corners off at an angle. This instantly creates that classic, familiar apron shape. Save those corner offcuts—we are going to use them!
2. Hem the Edges: Fold over and sew the raw, angled edges you just cut to create a clean, professional finish.
3. Sew the Casing: Fold down the top edge and the angled sides slightly to sew a casing channel. This is where your apron strings will thread through.
4. Add Your Custom Pockets: I used remnant fabrics I had lying around the house to create a top chest pocket and two larger pockets down below. Pro tip: If you want to use the printable fabric technique for your logo, sew the logo onto your pocket piece before you attach the pocket to the apron. It makes the process so much easier!
5. Thread the Tie: Thread a long fabric tie all the way up through one side casing, across the top, and down the other. Pull it through, tie it around your waist, and you have a gorgeous, ready to wear apron.

Zero Waste: Bonus Coasters and Hot Plates

I absolutely hate wasting fabric, so I found the perfect use for those triangular corner pieces we cut off the tea towel.

By sewing the edges together, you can create a wonderful little matching hot plate or table mat. Because these are not lined with insulated batting, they are not meant to be used as heavy duty oven mitts, but they are absolutely perfect for protecting your dining table or kitchen counters from warm plates.

Perfect for Craft Fairs and Gifts

If you love entering craft fairs or are looking for a heartfelt, budget friendly gift idea for bridal showers, this project is a total winner. Because the tea towels are so inexpensive and you can use scrap fabrics for the pockets, you can easily make four or five aprons in a single afternoon without spending much money or effort.

I am so incredibly impressed with how this printable fabric technique turned out, and I cannot wait to use it on more projects. Hopefully, the rain stays with us for a few more days so I can get a bit more work done on my website and spend more quality time right here in my crafting room.

Thank you so much for joining me on my crafting journey. Remember, making it fun with fabric never ever ends! See you next time!