Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

More Dish Towels

Today I spent time in my barn
making dishtowels.  
I don't know what it is about dishtowels,
but they are really fun to make. 

 Easy and they give you so much freedom to be creative.
I made these from painter's drop-cloth.
I used masking tape and taped off the edges,
and painted them with craft paint.
Then used transfer-paper
and printed the flour sack labels from the internet.


Viola!
 Vintage flour sack dishtowels :)
 While I was having fun sewing,
I made these, too. 

They reminded me of a friend's kitchen . . .

so these are off to hang in her home. 

The thing with dishtowels is,
everybody can use them.

Anyone want do dishes?

Have a lovely week.
&
Keep Smiling!

Your blogging sister,
Connie :)
 

 

54 comments:

  1. These are precious. Lovely collection!

    Jane

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  2. These are awesome! 'Love the flour sack ads! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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    1. Hi Marci, thank you . . . flour sacks are not easy to find . . . so why not make your own :)

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  3. oh so clever and lovely. well done. I feel inspired! x

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    1. Even simple straight line sewing can produce lovely things for the home. Sometimes you want a easy project just to send a lovely afternoon at the machine :)

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  4. Very clever! I love the flour sack labels! And yes, everybody can use dish towels. I always like useable crafts -- I am dish towel sort of gal myself!

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    1. I like the look of flour sacks, they just have a bit of country charm to them. They are very hard to find, but thanks to transfer-paper, viola! they can be so simple :)

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  5. I'm transfixed by your dish towels! Oh my, those are just so fresh and fun - how clever you are!

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    1. Easy and fun to make.
      I am delighted that you like them :)

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  6. I have tried to copy a picture through my printer however it didn't work
    I got the 4x6 sheets at Joan's where you have the cotton fabric already on a sticky piece of paper and run it through where you paper goes in your printer, anyway it didn't work
    how did you do this
    It was a great turn out for you , I can never get enough dish towels

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    1. I am sorry that you have had trouble doing this. I have tried many products, only to have wasted time, fabric and money. Watch your email. I am sending you a link to one of my posts that will show you the perfect every-time product.

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  7. These are terrific, your friend will love them and I like the vintage feel the first ones have with the flour sack images!

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    1. Hi Connie, thank you. I am thinking that I may make some flour sack curtains to hang under the sink. What you to think?

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  8. Hi Connie, I was so surprised to read that you used painter's dropcloth for the dish towels! I would never do the transfers as unfamiliar with that sort of thing and it would be at the bottom of my list of "want to do's! I think I would like to do the towels with the material sewn across though that you posted about. Where did you find those towels? I looked at Walmart but didn't see what I thought you had used. The ones they had did have ridges and from what I could tell yours looked like a waffle pattern. I thought those with my knit dish cloths would make nice little gifts to have on hand to give. Thanks for all your sharing! Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy the terrycloth dishtowels that I purchase at Walmart are their Clorox bleach brand and I think that they only come in white. But they are a very nice quality.

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    2. Thanks Connie! I thought they looked like a nice quality! I will look again at Walmart when I go. Thanks for the info! Have a wonderful day! Nancy

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  9. These are great. I love the vintage images on them. I like dishtowels but I don't like to do dishes....lol

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    1. Hi Ann, I'm one of those crazy old gals that enjoys doing dishes, LOL. I do have a thing about having a nice view out the window when I do dishes . . . I would not like a kitchen that didn't have a kitchen sink view.

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  10. I don't mind doing dishes but when it's for a big family 'do' I run the dishwasher.
    I like the dish towels you've made. You are one of the craftiest people and the things you make seem to turn out every time.

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    1. Hey there, dishtowels are easy, but the fun comes in, in deciding how to decorate them. It's a lot of fun :)

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  11. Actually, Steve and I do the dishes together every night. Our dishwasher broke and we are not sure if we are going to fix it. We kind of enjoy the camaraderie as we work.

    I just bought an inkjet printer so I could print on transfer paper. I am going to copy your idea and make some tea towels. I have a bunch I bought for some reason.

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    1. You are going to have so much fun . . . I can't wait to see your designs.
      Do I see numbers involved?

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  12. Love your dish towels!! I used to make several embroidered towel towels for my shows, but not many anymore since Inretired from doing shows after 30 years.
    ~Cindy

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    1. Hi Cindy, I have been thinking about having a craft show here on our little farm. Not a big one but maybe 10 to 15 crafters each spring and again in the fall. I thought it would be fun and maybe a way to get Steve interested in helping me rework old furniture and make signs and things. This is just a day dream right now, but I thought that after he retires it would be a fun biyearly thing to do together :) We have plenty of room for it :)

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  13. These would almost make me want to do the washing up! Beautiful tea towels (as we call them here) xxx

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    1. Hello Sweet Fran, it is so nice to see you and thanks for the compliment. It sounds like doing dishes isn't one of your favorite chores. I'm little bit crazy, but I enjoy it :)

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  14. You have the most fun tea towels of anyone I know! Decorative and useful, too!

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    1. Thank you Lorrie, they are fun to make, too :)

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  15. I'm full of admiration. You're an experienced crafter and know what you're doing. It's kind of you to share your makes and how you go about it. Bless you. I love the vintage look to your tea towels as we call them here in the UK. I hope you fulfil your ambition to do occasional craft days in your home. It's the sort of event I would go to. Wish you lived near me! Have a lovely day!

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    1. Hello Linda, thank you for you sweet wishes . . . right now that is just something that I've been thinking about. My husband and I both like to tinker around and it sounds like a good way to keep the creative juices flowing and to make a little extra money after retirement :)

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  16. I'll pass on doing dishes...but it's definitely a go on your dishtowels! I love the one you made for me with the red house (the one I won in your giveaway). It is perfect for my kitchen and my "comfy house". :-)

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    1. Hi Melanie, I'm so happy that you are still using it and loving it . . . that warms my heart :)
      I have not always enjoyed doing dishes, but ever since injuring my hand several years ago, the hot water just feels like a warm therapeutic bath and actually relieves some of the pain. Also, now that I'm retired and not on a rigid time scheduled I just enjoy standing at the kitchen sink, watching the world out my window :)

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  17. Connie, You did a fabulous job on the dish towels. So pretty. Pretty enough to make into pillows. Blessings to you and yours, xoxo,Susie

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    1. Hi Susie, thank you . . . that's a great idea, they would make cool pillows, maybe to put on the front porch :)

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  18. These are so cute Connie! You could sell them in an Etsy shop I bet! Your friend will love the ones you made for her. They are so cute! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and I hope your week is great! Is it beginning to look like spring yet? We have had such beautiful weather the past few days. I am loving it!

    Hugs, Vicky

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    1. Hi Vicky, we have been enjoying some lovely days, but it is still very cold at night with heavy frosts in the morning. The clouds have parted a bit and the sun has been shine through and that makes me very happy. Thank you for your sweet compliments on my dishtowels, they are fun and simple to make . . . and sometimes we want an easy project with fast rewards :)

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  19. These are very sweet! What a nice friend you are! xx Karen

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  20. These are great, Connie. I especially am intrigued with the Mark Twain Flour - Voigt Milling Co. towel, as "Voigt" was my late husband's surname, and not a name one sees very often. xo ~ Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy, I got that labels from goggling Four Sack Labels, so I'm not sure if they are authentic or just graphic vintage look-a-likes. Did any of his family live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area?

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    2. Not that I know of, Connie. I think they were Illinois Voigts. :)

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  21. Oh, these dishtowels are so cool, Connie. You really have a talent with this. Love the coffee ones, as I'm sipping on mine right now. :)

    Have a splendid week.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Good Morning Sheri, I'm sipping on mine, too, right now. I always put cream in it, but this morning it's black . . . I guess that means a tip to the store today, LOL. I am delighted that you like the dishtowels.

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  22. Very nice! Pretty dish towels always seem to make the chore of doing dishes a little more pleasant.

    Blessings~

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    1. Yes they do . . . that and a nice view out the kitchen window. Mine is an alfalfa field and I love it :)

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  23. I love your dish towels. I was wondering where your purchased them until I read that you had made them. Very nice!

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    1. Thanks you! They are a lot of fun to make and washing dishes is more fun with cute dishtowels :)

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  24. A joy to do the dishes using these dish towels ...
    They look good

    All the best Jan

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    1. Hello Jan, thank you; I am one of those few people that actually enjoy doing dishes :)

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  25. Love all these Connie, the vintage flour sack labels are gorgeous!

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