A United Nations Project...

I decided to turn to a completely simple and utilitarian project in the studio yesterday. I knew this wouldn't take much time, but the results would add a nice touch in the kitchen. I decided to make the easiest of dish towels!

I purchased my yardage from Hancocks of Paducah, and...now, don't be shocked...it's toweling courtesy of The French General line. (I'm giggling.) Here's a link to the toweling you see in my photos. (If you order some for yourself, you need to order (2) units to equal (1) yard of fabric.)

When the fabric arrives, the sides have already been prefinished for you, so all you have to do is cut the toweling to the desired length (which I did with a rotary cutter), and finish the ends. The toweling is 100% cotton and comes in continuous lengths, 16" wide.
I cut my toweling into 28" lengths. Next, I turned over about 1/2" and pressed it. I used my lavender linen spray as a little something special while I was pressing. Make sure your woven trim lines match up as you press.
After you press the 1/2" over, you'll turn the fabric over one more time. I eyeballed this step, but tried to turn over the same amount as what is finished on the sides. Pin this hem down to secure it (matching up those decorative lines again) and then, using matching thread in your sewing machine, stitch about 1/8 - 1/4" inch away from the edge. By stitching that close to the edge, you'll also catch the first little fold and keep your hem from fraying after repeated washings.
My little finishing touch is a square of twill tape with a blue Swedish Dala horse. A nod to Handsome's Swedish roots. I only put one on each towel, facing toward the center and located about 1 1/2" from the edge of the towel. Let's see...The French General, a Swedish Dala horse, stitched by an American girl, born in England. My very own United Nations project!
I purchased this twill tape from one of my favorite Etsy shops, lillalotta. Anna also made my Brynwood and Acorn twill labels! Her work is impeccable, she's very artistic, and I highly recommend her products.
So, these are my finished kitchen towels. They measure approximately 16" wide and 26" long. I made four of them in this colorway. I also have the natural color with blue lines, and natural with red lines. I even have the red Dala horses to stitch onto the towels with the red lines. I think I may start to like doing the bit of hand washing I do, knowing that I'll be able to dry all the dishes with these new towels!