A sweet snap-on towel topper is a brilliant way to spice up your kitchen decor! Plus, it's perfect for hanging dish towels from towel bars or oven door handles with ease. Whip up this kitchen project in a flash with these helpful project instructions Project Needs & Notes - Dish towel (the towel used in this tutorial is 17 1/2" x 29"; cut in half to make two toppers) - 1/3 yard lightweight canvas for the front of the topper - 1/3 yard print lightweight canvas for the back of the topper - 9" x 13" piece of cotton batting, such as Warm & Natural brand - Air-erase pen for marking - Snaps and snap tool (5/8" snaps) The design used in this tutorial is K8637, See No Diet Trio. Finished Size: The topper portion is 8" x 6" This project was featured in the following: Let's Dish Lookbook Draw a 9" x 13" rectangle on the lightweight canvas. Measure and mark the center of each side. Draw a line connecting the two marks. This line is where the fabric will fold later on. Measure and mark 1/2" up along each side edge starting at the bottom corners. Draw a line
connecting the marks. The area in-between the lines will be the embroidered area (the bottom half of the shape) which will be the front of the topper. A template, or printout of a design, is an excellent tool to help with placement. Print a template of the design from your embroidery software. If you do not have embroidery software, Wilcom's TrueSizer is a free program to use. Place the template in the center of the bottom half of the rectangle. Mark the center point as well as the vertical and horizontal axis lines. Hoop the fabric with a piece of cutaway stabilizer, lining up the marks on the fabric with the marks on the hoop.
Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is right over the center point. Embroider the design. After embroidering, trim away the cutaway stabilizer from the back. Cut out the rectangular shape. Next, lay the cotton batting flat. Align the fabric for the back of the topper on top, right side facing up. Place the embroidered section on top, wrong side up, embroidered side closest to you. Pin in place and sew a 1/2" seam along the side and bottom edges only. Leave the top edge open for turning.
Turn the fabric right side out in between the front and back fabric layers. The cotton batting will be sandwiched in between these two layers. Press the seams with an iron. Turn the open end in 1/2" to the wrong side and press. Sew a seam across the center line (fold line). To prepare the towel portion, fold the towel widthwise by bringing the top and bottom edges together. Cut the towel in half at the fold. On one of the halves, gather the towel together at the top raw edge by creating six 1/2" - 3/4" pleats. Gather the fabric enough so that it is the a bit more narrow than the opening of the towel topper portion, about 7 1/2" wide. Pin the pleats in place and sew a 1/4" seam across the raw edge to tack the pleats in place. Use the other half in another topper. Lay the topper portion with the back side facing up and the open end facing you. Insert the raw end of the towel inside the opening about one inch. Pin in place and sew a 1/4" seam around the outer edges of the topper portion, leaving about one inch open along the bottom edge of the topper (just above the towel) at each bottom corner. The openings will be used for adding the bottom portions of the
snaps later on. To add the snaps, measure and mark 3/4" up and 1/2" in from each bottom corner on the front of the topper. Add the button portion of the snaps at these marks. Measure and mark 1/2" in and 1/2" up from each bottom corner along the backside of the topper (just above the towel). Add the bottom portion of the snaps at these marks by inserting the bottom piece of the snaps in between the layers and then attaching them in place. The bottom portion of the snaps should go through only the back fabric layer. Sew the openings closed with a 1/4" seam. And you are finished!
This fabulous towel topper is a beautiful way to add a bit of color and charm to your kitchen decor. Select designs and fabric to match your color scheme, a season, or favorite holiday. Questions or comments? Let us know! Send an email to us; the address is stitch@emblibrary.com.