A Quick Little Flower Project

I've been spending any free moments I have outside in my garden lately, but today I decided to stay inside and instead "grow" a few flowers indoors.  I was in need of a new Summertime hand towel for my powder room, so I got out my Accuquilt Go and started cutting out some flowers. 

I used the Rose of Sharon die #55045, and the Heart die #55029.  First I ironed Heat-n-Bond Lite fusible to the back of some scraps ~ This is a great project for small scraps.  Then just lay multiple scraps of fabric over the shapes that you want to cut.  I cut a variety of large and small flowers, leaves, dots and one of the smallest 2" hearts.  (Free hand cutting some shapes would work fine too, just take a little longer.)

You can cut out any combination of shapes that you wish, and then play with a layout that pleases you.  I centered the pieces on the bottom half of a purchased cotton T towel.  (I have a few of these towels available for sale here.)  Using a washable blue marker, mark where the flower stems will go.

Using a coordinating thread, top-stitch narrow ric rac stems over the lines, leaving them hanging about a half inch over each end.  The stems should be about a half inch up from the bottom of the towel. 

Then I cut a 3" strip of a coordinating fabric scrap to become a trim strip, layed it across the towel (from side to side ~ it just has to be longer than the towel is wide, you can see in this picture that I literally used scraps of every shape), and I marked where the edge of the towel is.  This line is where I turned the ends under, pressed and top-stitched to give the coordinating trim strip finished ends.
 

Fold the strip wrong sides together and stitch along the long raw edges.

Center the seam, and press it open.  This becomes the back side of your coordinating trim strip (which now has finished sides too).   Pin the strip along the bottom of the T towel, and top-stitch close to each long edge.  (This should cover the bottoms of your ric rac stems.)

Tuck the ends of an accent ribbon (about an inch) into the "sleeve" that you just created.

Press, and pin down the accent ribbon to the coordinating trim strip.  Stitch in place (using a decorative stitch if you want).

Then fuse all of the flowers and leaves to the towel, making sure to cover the top ends of the stems.  Machine blanket stitch the edges of all the applique shapes using coordinating colored threads.

Next, add some buttons...because buttons make everything better!

And if you have a hubby like mine who really doesn't understand the decorative towel thing,  appease him by hanging it over another "real" towel ~ my little tip for a long and happy marriage :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn