Aside from Christmas, I’m not much of a holiday decorator; but as I watched all of the adorable decorations and home accents for spring begin to flood the stores, I decided I wanted to do something simple and sweet for Easter this year.   I happened to find a plain table runner and a simple dish towel in the clearance bin at one of our local discount stores.  I knew they would be perfect for embellishing and they would add just enough Easter joy to my otherwise not so festive kitchen.  I hope they inspire you to add some easy additions to your holiday décor (or lack thereof)!

Here is what you need:

-table runner

-kitchen towel

-3 pieces of cotton fabric (1 approx. 6”H X 6”W; 2 approx 11”H X 9”W)

-3 pieces of Heat n Bond Lite (cut the same size as fabrics as stated above)

-3 pieces soft tearaway stabilizer (1 cut to fit a 5 X 7 hoop, 2 cut to fit an 8 X 12 hoop)

-40 wt. embroidery thread

-2 bunny applique designs provided below  (The large bunny is provided in two sizes since not everyone has the larger hoop.)

Here is what you do to embellish the towel:

1.       Choose your applique design (I used the smaller bunny included below) and print a template from your software or mark the center for placement.

2.       Adhere the Heat n Bond lite to the back of your 6 X 6 fabric according to the package instructions and peel away the paper backing.

Pin Pin your template to the desired area of your towel.

4.       Hoop the smaller piece of stabilizer and the towel, making sure to roll and pin the excess fabric as needed so that it stays out of the way while embroidering.

5.       Load your design into your machine.

6.       Slide the hoop into your machine, center the needle and remove the embroidery design template.  Sew out the placement (first) run of your design.

7.       Place the 6 X 6 fabric face up over the sew out, making sure cover it completely.  You can use an adhesive spray or lapel stick to hold the fabric down, if desired.

8.       Sew the tack down (second) run.

9.       Remove the hoop from the machine and lay on a flat surface. Carefully trim the excess fabric from around the outside of the tack down run, making sure to trim as closely as possible to the stitching.

10.   Return the hoop to the machine and sew the applique stitch (last color run).

11.   Remove the  towel from the hoop and carefully tear away any excess stabilizer from around and within the applique.

12.   Iron the towel to finish setting the Heat n Bond Lite..

For the table runner:

Follow the above instructions using 11 X 9 inch pieces of fabric and Heat n Bond, the larger pieces of stabilizer, the larger bunny design and one end of your table runner.  Repeat the process for the other end of your table runner.

Just making these has put me in the mood for pastel Easter eggs, ham and family gatherings!

Take care,

DB