Learn how to create a Handwritten Recipe on Tea Towel project using iron-on vinyl or Infusible Ink transfer sheets.
Family recipes are such treasures, especially if you have them in a loved one’s own writing! If you have a meaningful recipe from a special person in your life, making a handwritten recipe on a tea towel is the perfect way to cherish them. Not only can you display the finished tea towel, but you can also use it — especially if you sublimate the recipe on with Infusible Ink. In this tutorial I will show you how to turn that special recipe into a special keepsake that you can treasure forever.
Watch the full step-by-step video showing you exactly how to create your own handwritten recipe tea towel with a VIP pass to Maker Academy Weekend 2022!
To make this project you’ll of course need a tea towel. I used a microfiber towel, which works well with Cricut Infusible Ink transfer sheets, sublimation prints, and heat transfer vinyl. You’ll need a few colors of those as well, depending on the colors you want to use. Remember to pick a cloth with a high polyester count if you want to use Infusible Ink.
You’ll also need a heat source. I’m going to use my Autopress, but you can use another type as long as it gets hot enough for the material you’re using. Remember your pressing mat, and some heat resistant tape will keep your design in place. If you want to use Infusible Ink transfer sheets, you’ll also need some scrap white cardstock and good ventilation, like a gentle fan.
For the heat transfer vinyl version of the recipe tea towel, you’ll also need some transfer tape. Standard tools will help, like a brayer, scissors, a weeding tool, tweezers, a lint roller, and some butcher paper. Of course we will need our Cricut cutting machine, a mat, and a fine-point blade.
Look at how gorgeous this project looks! No more needing to look for the recipe or being worried that your beloved recipe card will tarnish from the many times you’ve used it.
Here’s a supply list of what you need to make a handwritten recipe on tea towel! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read myfull disclosure policy.
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Materials to Make a Handwritten Recipe on Tea Towel
View my Amazon shopping list with the exact items we used to make this project
- One (1) 16″ x 24″ Tea Towel – Alternate Tea Towel if the first is out of stock (if you intend to use Infusible Ink, be sure you get a sublimation tea towel)
- Iron On Vinyl (HTV)in one or two colors (I used Black) -OR-
- Cricut Infusible Ink Transfer Sheetsin one or two colors (I used Cherry Red and Black)
- One (1) 12″ x 12″ Sheet of White Cardstock— large enough to cover your entire design, for use with Infusible Ink transfer sheets
- One (1) Sheet of Butcher Paper— For use with infusible ink transfer sheets. You can either use one of the two sheets that came with your Cricut infusible ink transfer sheets, or you can cut a sheet large enough to cover your entire design.
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Cricut Green StandardGrip Machine Mat 12″ x 12″
- Heat Press large enough to cover the design – I used theCricut Autopress, but you could also use anEasyPress 2or 3 with aCricut EasyPress Pressing Matlarge enough to fit your entire design
- Lint Roller
- Brayer
- Scissors— to trim the vinyl or Infusible Ink transfer sheets to size and/or cut the design into separate pieces if using more than one color
- Weeding Tool
- Tweezers
- A method to cut your material— I used the amazing Cricut Maker 3 but you can also use the Cricut Maker or a Cricut Explore machine.
- Design #420 My free SVG/PDF/DXF design files are available in my free resource library(get the password by filling out the form at the bottom of this page)
How to Make Your Own Handwritten Recipe on Tea Towel
The detailed step-by-step assembly video on how to create a handwritten recipe on tea towel debuted during Maker Academy Weekend 2022, held online November 3-6, 2022. Get an on-demand pass to watch all 20+ workshops, each with a printable handbook, transcript, audio files, design files, and support with a VIP pass below:
I love how these turned out and am ready to give some away as gifts during the holidays. If you’re one of those people who are constantly getting asked for your secret recipe, why not give away something they can display in their home?
Answers to Your Questions About How to Make a Handwritten Recipe on Tea Towel
Q: Where is your tutorial for this project?
This is a special project we made for our free Maker Academy Weekend 2022 event! A complete and detailed step-by-step video premiered during the event November 3-6, 2022 — specifically, this tutorial video was available to watch for free for 24 hours beginning November 6 at 5:00 pm ET. You can get access to the full video, the printable handbook that details how to make this beautiful project if you get a VIP Pass to Maker Academy Weekend 2022, which comes with other perks and bonuses, too!
Q: What is better — heat transfer vinyl or Cricut Infusible Ink?
It really depends on your needs, but it helps to understand the difference between the two. Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is a type of adhesive vinyl that can be ironed or heat pressed onto fabric. It’s made from two parts — the carrier sheet and the vinyl itself. The carrier sheet is a clear plastic backing that protects the vinyl design during cutting and weeding (the process of removing excess vinyl). Once your design is cut and weeded, the HTV can be transferred onto fabric using an iron or heat press. Infusible Ink, on the other hand, bonds with the fabric at a molecular level to create a permanent image that won’t fade or crack over time — even when washable items are washed on the hottest cycle! If you’re only going to display your handwritten recipe tea towel, heat transfer vinyl is a little easier to work with. If you want to also use your tea towel, Infusible Ink is a better choice.
If you’re still not sure which one to use with your tea towel project, here’s a list of pros and cons:
Heat Transfer Vinyl Advantages:
- Heat transfer vinyl is less expensive than Cricut Infusible Ink.
- You can find a wider variety of colors and patterns of heat transfer vinyl than you can with Cricut Infusible Ink.
- Heat transfer vinyl is thinner and more flexible, so it is easier to work with than Cricut Infusible Ink.
- You can layer heat transfer vinyl on top of each other to create interesting effects, but you cannot do this with Cricut Infusible Ink in the same way.
Disadvantages of Heat Transfer Vinyl:
- Heat transfer vinyl does not have the same level of durability as Cricut Infusible Ink. It can crack, peel, or fade over time if it is not properly cared for.
Cricut Infusible Ink Advantages:
- Cricut Infusible Ink produces professional-looking results that are durable and will not crack, peel, or fade over time.
- Once applied, Cricut Infusible ink designs are completely permanent.
Disadvantages of Cricut Infusible Ink:
- Cricut Infusible Ink can be harder to weed than heat transfer vinyl, especially with the small letters you’ll find in recipes.
- Cricut Infusible Ink designs are more limited in color and pattern options than heat transfer vinyl designs.
Q: I have a sublimation printer? Can I just sublimate my handwritten recipe?
Absolutely! A sublimation printer makes this project even easier — just print, prep, and press! Learn more about how to get started with sublimation in my Sublimation for Beginners Guide.
Q: What font did you use to write out this recipe?
No font was used — this is my own handwriting!
Get my free files to learn how to put a recipe on a tea towel!
Will you make a handwritten recipe tea towel? I’d love to see your creations! Please share a photo of your handwritten recipe on tea towel in our Facebook group or tag me on social media with #jennifermaker.
Love,
Want to remember this? Save this Handwritten Recipe on Tea Towel Tutorial to your favorite Pinterest Board!
Jennifer
Jennifer Marx is a designer, an enthusiastic crafter, a lifelong teacher, and a proud overcomer of a variety of life's challenges. In her spare time she loves to play D&D and video games, garden, sew costumes, and go to Disney. She lives a full, happy life in beautiful Ann Arbor, Michigan with her partner Greg, her daughter Alexa, their two dogs, Hunter and Chloe, and their sassy orange cat, Butterscotch.
