Hey crafty gals! It’s always a good day when I get to share a fun DIY project with you and I really hope you enjoy this one. I love handmade gifts and I love things that are personalized. Today’s project is a simple and fun idea for both our brides and bridesmaids. As the bride you can make these for your new home either before or after your wedding day as a fun “non-wedding” type project… and as a bridesmaid you can make these for your favorite bride-to-be as the perfect shower gift! This project is suitable for all skill levels and hopefully will show you that it really only takes a needle and thread to get creative!
Awesome Bride Gift Idea
As one of the bridesmaids, it can be difficult to figure out what to get the bride for her engagement party, bridal shower or even bachelorette party. You don’t want to spend a fortune but you want it to be personal – so why not really make her something really special!
SUPPLIES:
- Inexpensive Hand Towels
- Mark-B-Gone Pen
- Embroidery Floss
- Embroidery Needle
- Embroidery Hoop
- Scissors
- Fabri-Tac (optional)
Create Your Message
My favorite thing about this project is using this amazing, water soluble ink pen called Mark-B-Gone. Simply write/draw your design onto the towel and the blue marking is erased with just WATER! The blue pen works great on medium-light colored fabric but it didn’t work on the dark gray (I had to freehand that design).
Secure In The Hoop
If you’ve never used an embroidery hoop before – don’t stress, it’s crazy easy. The inside of the hoop goes underneath and the outside of the hoop goes on top. Tighten the nut on top to secure. You want to put your towel in this hoop because it holds it taught while stitching.
Stitch Your Design
Using a regular old backstitch , stitch your design onto the towel by following your line. Make sure when tying knots with your embroidery floss that you do a really good job – you don’t want your friend to wash their towels for the first time and have all your hard work unravel. Each of these designs took me under 20 minutes.
Wash Away The Blue
You can wash your towels to remove the Mark-B-Gone pen or you can saturate with water and a paper towel. It erases like magic, lol.
Iron Your Towel
If you leave the towel in the embroidery hoop for a few hours or overnight you might have a circle indentation left in the towel like vacuum lines on a carpet. I ironed mine out.
Glue Your Knots
If you are at all worried about your knots unravelling, simply glue them in place using Fabri-Tac . Although this step is optional, I recommend it. I did it to all of my towels simply because I will be using and washing them a lot.
Ok, let me read your mind… you are thinking ..”now you want me to spend $8 on glue… why not just buy towels?”. I’ll tell you why, because it’s not DIY. lol. But really, you will LOVE this glue. From fixing a broken bra to hemming a pair of pants or stopping an unravelling seam – every creative gal needs this glue in her cupboard.
Any Design Will Do
You could draw and sew a bride and groom, or a pretty flower or maybe even a tea pot for mothers day. This simple technique is the gateway drug for all embroidery projects. Once you start you might get hooked, I’m warning you now.
As with all our DIY tutorials, if you create one of our projects please send us a picture – We Love Seeing Your Creativity! If you use Instagram or Twitter please use the hashtag #SomethingTurquoiseDIY and it will show up on our Get Social page. Happy Crafting!
DIY Tutorial Credits
Photography + DIY Tutorial: Jen Carreiro of Something Turquoise // Room Essential Hand Towels (True White, Dashing Pink, Flat Gray): Target (Available in stores or online is a set of 3) // Embroidery Floss (DMC 3024, 844, 956): JoAnn // Fabri-Tac, Embroidery Hoop, Needles, Mark-B-Gone Pen: Amazon // Nail Polish: OPI – Withstands the Test of Thyme
Shop The Supplies:
Find the supplies you’ll need for this project from our affiliate links below:
Supply Note: the hand towels I used here from Target are available separately in-store, or online in a bath set of 3.
