I love doing these little kitchen sets as gifts. They are a fun way to brighten up your kitchen and who doesn't love a cute hand towel that can be tied in place so it won't disappear?
Here I used a summery print with pretty daisies and bumble bees on a basket weave and a cute colorful stripe. I made a matching rag quilted table centerpiece mat with this set. I also make matching placemats sometimes too.
For the kitchen towel and coaster set you will need: approx 1/3 yard each of top and backing fabric, about 1/4 yard of fusible fleece, 1 kitchen towel or hand towel to coordinate with your fabrics, 5" square of cardboard for coaster template.
I use the $2 hand towels from Wal-Mart because they are just about the right weight and come in a good selection of colors. You just don't want the towel to be too thick or it will be a pain to get the gathers to hang right.
I made my coaster template from a 5" square of cardboard that they use for packaging Moda charm packs so if you have one handy you can use that. If not you can use a manilla file folder and cut a 5" square to start with. If you have a cutting mat line the square up and cut each corner off using the diagonal of a 1" square. If not, you will want to draw a 1" square in each corner of your cardboard piece and then mark the diagonal and cut.
Very important to mark your template so that you will remember what it is when you find it laying around somewhere 6 months from now. I marked mine "coaster" so I would know not to throw it out.
Using your template cut one front, one back and one fusible fleece piece for each coaster. Fuse the fleece to the top piece. Now stack them the top and back pieces right sides together and stitch using a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave an opening for turning, about 2" will do nicely.
Turn each coaster through the opening and use a dull pencil or a closed scissor tip to push out the corners so they are all nice and pointed. Press the coaster so it lays flat and the opening seam allowance is turned in.
Stitch around the outside approx 1/8" from the outside edge. Make sure to take a couple of backstitches at the end to lock the stitching. I usually stitch another line of topstitching 1/4" from the outside edge, this is totally unnecessary but gives the coasters a nice professional look.
For the towel topper you will need to make a paper pattern that is 7" wide at the bottom and 3 1/2 " wide at the top by 6" tall. To do this draw a 7" X 6" rectangle and mark a line through the center of the 7" side. Mark 1 3/4" on each side of the center line at the top, then draw a diagonal line from the bottom corner to the marked line at the top. Cut this out and then cut one top, one backing and one fusible fleece from the pattern.
Cut off 1/2" from the bottom of the fusible fleece.
Fuse the fleece to the top piece and then turn up 1/2" on the bottom of the top and back pieces, press.
Cut a 2" X 28" strip of fabric for the ties. Fold in 1/2" on each side and press well. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and stitch close to the outside edge. Cut in half to make two ties.
Position ties 1/2" from outside edge of the top. Place top and backing pieces right sides together with the ties sandwiched in between.
NOTE: Notice how the bottom edge is turned to the inside, make sure that the bottom of both pieces are lined up evenly when you stich the top and back together.
Pin ties in place and stitch around the sides and top, using 1/2" seam allowance. Leave bottom edge open. Turn, use pencil or scissors to push the corners out.
Cut your towel in half or to whatever length you like. Loosely gather the towel in your hand and lay it out on top of the topper. Slip the gathered edge between the two pieces and even out the pleats so that the towel fits from one edge to the other in the topper. Make sure that the top of the towel is inserted about 1/2" inside the topper. Pin into place, make sure that the front and back are even so that you will catch the back in when you stitch. Stitch across the bottom 1/4" from edge, pivot and continue topstitching all the way around the topper.
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