DIY Kitchen Towels for Gifts and for You!

Last Christmas I figured out how to embellish a kitchen towel for my mother-in-law into one that fastened on to her oven handle.  One of  our dear family friends liked it so much, she asked if I could make 3 for her to give as gifts!  So knowing that she wanted 3 towels in a green palette, I bought 3 nice towels on sale at Target, and used some cute scraps of fabric  plus rick rack and ribbon, and in no time had these three little ladies ready for giving.

This one has the potholder attached to the top, like the one I made for my Mother-in-Law so that it can be fastened to the oven handle.  I plan to attach green potholders to the other 2 towels as well, once I find the ones I need at the store.  

I ironed in a hem on all sides of the strips of coordinating fabrics and sewed them to the towel, plus added rick rack for a sweet vintage touch.

For this towel, I machine stitched 3 rectangles of fabric together to make one long strip.  Then ironed in a hem and sewed it to the towel, finishing it with some rick rack.

This 3rd one is my favorite.  I love the four bits of fabric sewn together, and I put a little green bow on the 'different' square which is mostly yellow with flecks of green in it.  Putting it off center adds interest.

I heat sealed the ends of the ribbon and sewed it on securely.

I also heat sealed the ends of the rick rack so they will wash up nicely.  I was sorely tempted to add some buttons as embellishments, but that would hurt when you dried your hands on these, so I stuck with soft embellishments.
I'm thinking these would make nice Christmas gifts...and who knows they might end up being a new product on my Etsy shop, Perfect Darlings.

You can make your own if you have a sewing machine and can sew a straight line!  Give it a try.

Blessings!

Donna

Linked to:  My Romantic Home, 2805, At the Picket Fence,

Semi-Homemade Kitchen Towel Gift

Glory be and Hallelujah!  One Christmas sewing project was completed this morning.  :)  My mom in law has an old kitchen towel that fastens to the stove with a potholder, and she showed it to me and wished for a new one.  I was just winging it, as I tried to make one, but it came out quite nicely.  Hurray!

The supplies needed were easy.
*one kitchen towel...mine actually came from the Dollar Tree!
*one potholder with a loop at the top in the middle
*2 coordinating fabrics in her kitchen colors
*thread
*large button
*rick rack.

I cut strips of the coordinating fabrics from my stash at home. They were about 1 3/4 inches wide and about and inch longer than the width of the towel.  Iron a narrow hem on each long side, and top stitch them to the lower section of one end of the towel.  This will be the front.

On the back side, I folded that extra length into a nice hem and stitched it down.

Then I gathered the middle of the towel across its width.  I did it alitle bit higher than the very middle so that the front of the towel would definitely hang down without the back of the towel peaking out from under it.  Then pin the right side of the gathered towel to the ride side of the middle of the potholder and sew.  Make SURE that you have it so that the loop will come over the front to fasten around the button.  I suggest you pin it together, make sure it works, then sew it...to avoid frustrating mistakes.

Here is the inside (wrong side) of the potholder after the gathered towel has been sewn on.  This part will not show.

Sew a large button onto the front of the potholder so that the loop fastens over it.  I used embroidery thread and left little ends to tie, for cuteness.

Press the whole thing with an iron.  Oh, and sew on the rick rack if desired.  I decided my towel "needed" something and I had the green rick rack so it was the perfect way to tie it all together.
I'm pleased with how it came out, and I think my mom in law will love it.  Not too hard.  Can be done in small steps 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there.  And it only cost me about $3 total. :)  I don't think it will be the only one I make either.
Mom in law has been told not to read this post...so please keep this gift a secret, K?  ;)

Blessings!
Donna
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