Revisiting a classic

Today, we’re going to bring back a classic project from Advent 2019: Make Block Printed Tea Towels. The “twist” I’m adding to today’s project? Make your linocut a “souvenir” of 2025. What was the best touch, smell, taste, sound, or sight of the year? Can you encapsulate that in one small linocut? Or, if 2025 wasn’t your best year, design a talisman to bring with you into the new one….

For SSJ Advent 2025, I’ve also bought a few fabric-ink stamp pads to try out in addition to the speedball ink/plexi/brayer we normally use for our block prints. So, I’ve updated the 2019 DIY with fresh links and to reflect the use of the fabric ink stamp pad option.

Print Recipe

BLOCK-PRINTED TEA TOWELS DIY

[Originally published in 2019. Sources & some techniques updated in 2025.]

Author: Roseanne Carrara, Smelling Salts Journal

Ingredients

For sources and product recommendations, see NOTES, below.
Paper and pencil OR washable marker for sketching your design
Flour sac tea towels,* ironed
Linoleum carving blocks* [We used 2.75 x 4.5 in Speedy Cut lino blocks. Use smaller blocks if using fabric ink stamp pads. You can also use pink erasers or pre-made rubber stamps, or carve potatoes!]
Screen printing ink or fabric ink stamp pads*
Spoon [one you can wash or compost]
Linoleum cutting tips and handles* [or a knife or cookie cutters for your potatoes!]
X-Acto knife [optional]
Twine [optional]
Brayer*
Plexiglass* or glass from an old frame on which to roll Ink
Iron
Parchment Paper
*If you don’t have a lot of these items I highly recommend the Speedball Beginner Block Printing Kit! See Notes, below.

Instructions

OPTIONAL: Print a design to the size of your block to use as inspo. [I like to print mine out in reverse, so that I can see exactly what I'll be sketching onto the block]
Sketch your design in pencil or washable marker right onto the block. [Remember, your print will be a mirror image of what you draw here!]
Carve the outline of your shape with linoleum carving tools. [Whatever remains raised will print on the towel — in reverse!]
If desired, use an X-Acto knife to cut the shape out of a larger linoleum block. [I don’t bother.]
Spread the ironed tea towel on a flat surface. [You might want to line that surface with craft paper to avoid damaging the surface with ink that bleeds through the towel. Note, the speedball ink we use is washable until iron-set.]
OPTIONAL: Use lengths of twine to grid the tea towel to produce equal sized zones for your block prints. [I used 8 lengths of twine to grid my tea-towel into 25 zones.]
For Screenprinting Ink: Place about a teaspoon ink on your plexi-glass and use the brayer to roll a thin layer of ink across the glass.
For Screenprinting Ink: Roll the inked brayer over the stamp to coat the raised image evenly.
OR
For Fabric Ink Stamp Pads: Press the stamp onto the ink pad.
Place the inked block on the towel and press down firmly with fingertips or palms.
Repeat the inking and stamping process as desired. [Try regular spacing or flirt with an irregular pattern. Try mixing colours or using multiple stamps. ]
Allow the ink to dry for an hour.
Set the ink with an iron by covering the prints with parchment and pressing for 3-5 minutes for Screenprinting Ink, 30-60 Seconds for Fabric Ink Stamps. [Consult the directions on your ink/paint/pad for proper heat setting and time.]
Enjoy!