Fat Quarter Kitchen Towels

A little while ago, Sew, Mama, Sew! sent out a call for fat quarter projects. I'd had this thought in mind for a bit, but it wasn't until I sat down to sew them that I considered linking with SMS. Alas, the deadline was passed, and truth be told, I'm not sure the idea was quirky enough for their readership. Nevertheless, I give you a quick tutorial for kitchen towels. Why? Because, for me, tutorials are more about making my mind bend into clear communication of my creative process. Also, this fabric screams my best friend and her husband, and I thought they'd like an early anniversary gift. These towels are not lined, so they dry quickly draped over an oven door handle or hung beside a sink.

For a set of four kitchen towels, you will need:

• Four (4) fat quarters
• One (1) yard of fabric cut into four (4) fat quarters
• About sixteen (16) inches of twill tape (I used leftovers from fat quarter bundles)

1) Cut your twill tape into pieces about four (4) inches long.

2) Angle the tape across one corner of one of your one-yard prints, right side up.

3) Align one fat quarter on top of the tape, right sides together. Pin in place.

As you can see, my fat quarters didn't match precisely with my one-yard cuts. For me, this was a quick project, so I didn't go through the trouble, but you may want to make sure your fat quarters and cuts are of equal size before you begin.

4) Sew a seam around three (3) sides. I used a quarter inch seam (1/4) but you could make it as wide as you choose. Trim seams and turn right side out.

5) Decide what length to make your towels, then iron the appropriate length of fabric to the interior, making sure raw edges are to the inside. Because my one-yard cuts were different sizes, I ironed down different amounts of fabric for each towel.

6) Topstitch about 1/8 to 1/4 inch around the outside of each towel, backstitching over the twill tape.

7) Enjoy!

P.S. She loved 'em!