Holiday Guest Towels

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• 2 white borderless guest towels (If you can't find a towel without a woven border, use the opposite end of the towel, or plan your design to incorporate the border weave.)
• Dual Duty XP All-purpose threads in coordinating colors
• For Tree:
• Assorted green ribbons in solids and patterns
• 12" red/white striped ribbon
• Tear-away stabilizer
• 2" square brown fabric
• Tree template
• For Ornaments:
• 12" red medium rickrack
• 9" green medium rickrack
• White single-fold bias tape
• 3" squares: 2 red & 1 green print fabric
• Paper-back fusible web
• Three 1" pre-made beaded ribbon rosettes
• Ornament templates

DIRECTIONS:

Assembling the Tree:
1. Trace the tree template onto tear-away stabilizer and rough cut, leaving about 1/2" on all edges.
2. To print the templates, click on the "Download Project PDF" button (above).


3. Cut the assorted ribbons into 4" lengths. Fold each in half, matching the cut edges, and pin.
4. Aligning the looped edge with the lower tree line, pin the loops to the stabilizer slanting slightly to the tree shape. Ribbons can overlap or be pleated for variety. Sew the row to the stabilizer within the tree edges.
5. Continue building the tree by arranging the ribbon loops within the tree shape and sewing successive rows. Each row should overlap the previous row by about 1/2". Make four rows of ribbon loops to fill the tree height.
6. Mark the vertical center of the towel and center the lower tree line about 3 3/4" from the towel lower edge. Pin in place. Using green thread and a medium width zigzag, stitch over the ribbon loop upper edges along each row, folding successive loops out of the way for access.
7. Gently tear away the stabilizer around the tree and between the rows.
8. Sew the striped ribbon center to the tree top; tie into a bow and trim the ends.
9. To make the trunk, draw a 1 1/2" square on the paper-backed fusible web. Rough-cut the shape and fuse to the wrong side of the brown fabric square.
10. Cut the trunk on the drawn lines and fuse in place below the tree lower branch center. Use a medium width zigzag to applique the edges in place.

Assembling the Ornaments:
11. Using strips of fusible web, fuse white bias tape across the center of the 3" fabric squares. Add additional rows if desired.
12. Using decorative machine stitches and contrasting threads, sew the bias in place either down the center or down each side to embellish it.
13. Trace two ornament circle templates and one elongated ornament onto the paper-backed fusible web. Rough cut the shapes, and position on the wrong side of the embellished squares, positioning the embellished bias as desired.
14. Cut out the ornament shapes and pin to the towels in the desired location, referring to the photo. Do not fuse.
15. Create hangers from the rickrack that extend to the halfway point of the towel length. Tuck the ends under the pinned ornaments and turn under the opposite rickrack ends. Using matching thread, sew each rickrack hanger in place, extending the stitching under the pinned ornament slightly.
16. Remove the ornament pins and fuse the shapes in place over the rickrack ends.
17. Using a medium width zigzag, stitch around each ornament perimeter.
18. Hand-stitch a ribbon rosette at the upper edge where the ornament and hanger meet.