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!

I'll Just Keep Stitching Away...

I've been working on it. I've been threading needles, turning edges, and stitching away with nary a grumble. Everything I need right at my elbow...pincushion/thread catcher, spool holder, scissors, needles and my applique' square.
Tuesday night, I took it to the "instructor" who told me I "wasn't doing it right". According to her, I'm supposed to be "using more glue, not basting, and cleaning up my edges". Then, she told me that she "doesn't usually hand out Lesson Two, until Lesson One is finished." I stood right there in front of her until she coughed up Lesson Two. I haven't decided yet, whether or not I'll do Lesson Two, but it was a matter of principle. I don't appreciate instructors who hold lessons hostage.

I know I'll continue doing just what I'm doing. After all, she didn't tell me how I was supposed to do it until Tuesday night! I'm starting to get the hang of it this way. Notice, I didn't say I was particularly liking it. Not yet, anyway. For now, I'll just keep stitching away.
How do you like my latest little sewing helper? In a flash of inspiration (and after picking my spool of thread up off the floor for the umpteenth time), I remembered a receipt holder I had squirreled away from my days as Stitches' proprietress. I took it out of the cabinet and popped the two spools I've been using onto it. Now, all I have to do is grab the thread end and it just unreels. My spool stays right there on the table top. A $2.00 spool holder! Clever girl, right?

A Gift From Marion...

If you were reading my blog last June, you would have read my post here about spending a day with my good friend, Marion. Marion and I "met" on Ravelry and became fast friends. She was in Sarasota in June to visit family, so we made a date to spend the day together. We had a grand time, and it was as though we'd known each other for years.

Marion is a talented glass artist, and I was admiring the bracelet she was wearing that day. She told me about Pandora and Troll bracelets. Am I the only one who'd never heard of them before? Her beautiful bracelet had some of the most wonderful beads I'd ever seen and I found out that she'd made them! I told her how captivated I was with her bracelet and her talent.
On Saturday, I received a gift from Marion. Inside, I found a Troll bracelet and clasp exactly like hers! Then, I opened little packages inside to find the most exquisite beads, spacers and a special silver charm. (You do see it, don't you?)
The little speckles on the beads on the left of this photo are sterling silver! And look! A special bead with dog paws! It's Marion's own design and she perfected it just for me. You can't even imagine how much I love these beads.

She created most of these beads with silver linings so they can ride along the bracelet and not be damaged. There are beads with speckles, beads with swirls, beads that are etched, beads with little bubbles. Oh, my! The orange one will remind me of our August Blissfull ATC group swap, too! It's actually one of my favorites, along with the green ones, blue ones, paws... Silly me. I can't begin to choose just one!
Marion even made a special charm for Kes! I can hang this from Kes' collar, and she'll really be stylin', don't you think? I love that Marion even included a little tag with Kessie's name on it! This girlfriend doesn't miss a single detail!

See the small silver spacer beads to the far left? Marion told me that they're made with a special glass called "Triton". When it's heated and formed, it will cool to a regular "glass look", but when she adds more flame (with less O2) it immediately flashes silver. It's expensive and Marion said that she usually only uses it for special details on her glass pieces. I'm so lucky that she chose to use some for me.
The card she wrote to me features a water lily. It is actually a photograph with an art treatment, taken by Roy Van Loo, Jr. He's a wildlife photographer/artist in Michigan. I'm telling you...Marion is so thoughtful. She knows that Handsome was a professional photographer, so this was a little gift to him, too.
After much playing, fondling, sorting, oooo-ing and ahhhhh-ing, I decided to place these beads on my bracelet for now. (I'm bummed that I can't actually wear them all at once.) I added sterling silver spacers from my own jewelry-making stash to augment those that Marion included for me.

What do you think? Isn't Marion one talented lady? I called her Sunday night to tell her just how much I appreciate and love her gifts. She told me that she got another acorn for her bracelet, so that she'd always think of me when she looks at it. I'm blessed with a whole bracelet to remind me of her generosity and love. I can't wait to see her again so that I can hug her in person. Thank you, Maid Marion. You're just the best!