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His ‘n Hers Bar Towels Embroidery Project

By Ramona Baird on April 18, 2014

PROJECT DETAILS

SKILL LEVEL

Beginner

TIME REQUIRED

03:00

Description

Bar Towels are great gifts for a woman or that hard-to-create-for man in your life. Personalize them or decorate them to fit a color theme or the receiver of the gift. This project shows how to make a His Bar Towel and a Hers Bar Towel.

Project Preview Video

Materials

In addition to basic embroider and sewing supplies you will need:

2- pieces of linen fabric each 16” x 18” (or use purchased linen towels)

Hers Bar Towel: fabric for the ruffle (3” x 32”) and coordinating fabric for the trim (1 ½” x 16”)

His Bar Towel: two colors of ribbon to coordinate with the embroidery design colors used

Thread to match the linen and other fabrics

Tearaway stabilizer

Embroidery thread colors to coordinate with the fabrics used, or the décor of the bar

Designs used in this project

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/Great-Notions/1/60601

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/Great-Notions/1/45521

Final Product: What You Will Create

Preface:

These bar towels are a very easy beginner project, yet would be a welcome gift for a man or woman. Add trims and vary the colors to coordinate with home decor or kitchen colors.

Step 1:

Gather all the supplies. If you are making your own towels, cut the linen fabric 16” wide x 18” long (this includes ½” hem allowances all around). Press the fabric well using spray starch. Audition fabrics and threads that will coordinate together for the design and the fabric being used.

Step 2:

Decide on the placement of the design on the towel. In this project, the design was centered 5” up from the bottom hem. Hoop the stabilizer with the fabric and stitch the design (use Great Notions Drinks Well with Others).

Step 3:

After the design is stitched, remove the stabilizer. Turn under all four edges of the fabric first ¼” then again, creating a double fold.

Step 4:

For the Hers Bar Towel, fold the ruffle fabric in half lengthwise.

Step 5:

Baste the top edges together. This makes gathering the fabric easier.

Step 6:

Run 2-3 rows of basting stitches at the top of the ruffle and gather the fabric to fit the width of the towel. If you have a ruffling attachment for your machine, this is the perfect time to use it to make the ruffles look professionally done.

Step 7:

Pin the ruffle in place on the bar towel. The bottom edge of the ruffle should just barely cover what will be the bottom folded edge of the fabric after it is hemmed. Baste the ruffle in place.

Step 8:

Press the trim fabric in half lengthwise.

Step 9:

Pin the trim fabric over the ruffle, matching cut edges.

Step 10:

Sew the trim in place along the cut edge, over the ruffle, using a ¼” seam allowance.

Step 11:

Flip the trim up, press, then stitch along both edges as shown. Hint: use your embroidery thread for top stitching to give a wonderful luster to match the embroidery.

Step 12:

Fold back the pressed edges of the towel and pin in place.

Step 13:

Edge stitch the folded edges in place. Stitch the top and bottom first (do not catch the ruffle while hemming), sewing all the way across. For the sides, sew above the trim to the top edge. Pin the trim and ruffle in place rolling them into the bottom folded edge of the towel.

Step 14:

Hand stitch the ruffle and trim in place.

Step 15:

For the His Bar Towel, repeat the steps 1 and 2 for placement, hooping, stitching (use design Great Notions What Happens), removing the stabilizer and pressing the edges around the towel for hemming.

Step 16:

Decide on the placement for the ribbons.

Step 17:

Use chalk to lightly mark the placement of the ribbon from the edges and bottom. In this project, the ribbons were placed 2” from each side, and 1 ½” and 2” from the bottom edge of the hem.

Step 18:

Sew the ribbons to the towel along both edges of each ribbon. Hem the towel encasing the ribbon edges as you sew.

Step 19:

Give the towels a final press, and they are ready to be used.

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Meet the Author: Ramona Baird

Ramona Baird has been in the embroidery industry for over 23 years. She and her husband owned a commercial and retail embroidery store in Arizona for many years. She is an experienced digitizer having been mentored by award-winners Pat Williams and Lindee Goodall. Ramona is a contributor to “Creative Machine Embroidery” magazine having 5 covers to her credit. Ramona has worked for Wilcom America and served many years as Education Director for the American Sewing Guild. With a degree in fashion design, she is able to design and execute patterns which Pat Williams says are “out of the box” in creativity and application. Ramona likes to challenge the boundaries of embroidery and bring new and exciting designs, ideas, and projects to EmbroideryDesigns.com. She wants embroiderers of all levels to increase their skills and enjoyment in using their embroidery machine for gift-making and personal pleasure.

His ‘n Hers Bar Towels Embroidery Project

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Preview Video

Buy As Patch

DRINKS WELL WITH OTHERS

WHAT HAPPENS