Behind the Scenes: Getting My 2026 “A Year in British Birdlife” Tea Towels Ready to Fly (part 2)

There’s always a mix of excitement and nerves when a new product arrives from the printers.

I’ve already written a blog about the design process for my 2026 Calendar Tea Towel. In part 2, I’ve described what happens once the tea towels arrive back from the printers…

Opening the box

After months of drawing, tweaking colours, finalising the layout and ordering samples, it is always a relief to finally open the box and see the finished tea towel calendars stacked neatly inside.

I use a British company that prints onto unbleached organic cotton - the fabric feels crisp and smooth and it is great for drying dishes! At at the same time, it means that the colours in my hand-painted illustrations come through beautifully. They’re soft enough to feel natural, but still bright where they need to be.

Quality checks

I always take a few minutes to check through the batch, making sure the print is clear, the hems are tidy, and everything looks as it should.

I try and remove all of the little bits of threads that have been snipped off during the hemming process, as they often end up sticking to the tea towels - but apologies if I miss any!

Photographing and Styling

Before adding them to the shop, I need to take some photographs. I usually do this on a bright day near the studio window, using bits and pieces I already have to hand — a few sprigs of greenery, maybe a cup of tea, or a relevant reference book from my collection. It’s always interesting seeing how a design looks in a real setting rather than flat on a screen. Unfortunately, my kitchen isn’t photogenic enough to act as the backdrop for what are called ‘lifestyle’ shots - so I make do with a variety of flat lay options.

This 2026 tea towel calendar is full of familiar birds and little seasonal details, so I wanted the photos to have that same sense of calm and connection with nature.

Once I’ve finished photographing, I edit the images and get them ready to share on my website and social media. Writing product copy is really not my favourite task, but it is important to get right if I want anyone to find and order my tea towels!

Folding and Finishing

Each tea towel gets folded by hand and wrapped with a printed belly band before being stacked and stored, ready for orders. It’s one of my favourite parts of the process — simple, hands-on, and a nice change of pace after all the computer work.

When an order comes in, I wrap it carefully in tissue paper, add a thank-you card and a couple of blank postcards, and pack it up ready to post. I don’t use any plastic in my packaging and it can all be recycled or reused.

I like to think of them travelling off to new homes, maybe as gifts, or to bring a bit of British birdlife into someone’s kitchen for the year ahead.

Ready to Fly

And that’s how my 2026 calendar tea towels go from idea to finished product — from sketches and samples to stacks of folded fabric, all ready for their next chapter.

They’re now available in my shop and I’ll be sharing a few of the styling photos over on Instagram [@yourhandle] too.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this small peek behind the scenes — it’s always lovely to share a bit of the process before everything spreads its wings and heads out into the world.