Now I Can Show You This.......

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Mine was especially nice this year.  I got to spend precious time with my parents and grandparents.  The older we all get, the more I realize, that time with family is better than any present anyone could give me!  Although Santa must read my blog because he brought me the Lil' Twister Ruler I wanted too :>)

I normally make gifts for my friends and family at Christmas, but this year my time was at a premium and I was only able to complete a couple of gifts.  Now that Christmas is over I can share them with you.  They are both Kitchen Quilts.  They are super quick and easy to make and require no real pattern(all a big plus for me).  BTW, this was not my idea, this was shown to me several months ago by my friend, Mitzy, and I have kept it in my back pocket to make as a surprise for my Mom for Christmas.

Here's how I did it (sorry no step by step pictures like normal because this is so easy you don't need pictures):

I took a bath towel and cut it in half (you could even use a kitchen towel or a hand towel if you wanted).  Then I began playing with fabric and deciding how I wanted the front to look.  As I have told you, I am not a "real quilter" but I did want it to resemble a quilt since, after all,  it is called a Kitchen Quilt :>)  So I found a piece of focus fabric that I knew my Mother would love and cut a piece about 12" x 22" for the left hand side.  Then I added  two companion fabrics and made a checkerboard for the right side, cutting the strips to 2 1/2" each.  I added the machine applique flowers (because a little embroidery never hurt any project, right?) to match the fabric on the left side to tie it all together.

Once I had the quilt top pieced,  I placed it and the towel, right sides together and stitched with a 1/2" seam allowance around all the edges, leaving about a 6" hole for turning.  I then machine quilted the two pieces together using invisible thread (my favorite).  I closed the opening, once the quilting was complete, by top stitching around the quilt.  See Easy Peasy!  The total finished size was approximately 19" x 21".  

 HINT:  Pre-wash both your towel (pre-cut) and fabrics.

In this next Kitchen Quilt, I didn't add any embroidery (shocker I know).  I chose to use a Loralie panel (have too many of those I need to use up) and piece some companion strips together instead.  It is a little smaller, approximately 18" x 19" but just as cute.  This would be a great project for a house warming gift or as a present to yourself to spruce up your kitchen counter when doing dishes.  It will also help you use up some of that fabric stash:>)

Thanks Mitzy for the Kitchen Quilt idea.  It was a big hit with my Mom.  If you make a Kitchen Quilt of your own, please email me a picture so I can share it with everyone for inspiration at SewMichelle@outlook.com.