A Peek Inside - Purple Dish Towels

These dishtowels began Miss Abigail’s hope chest. I made them when she was only four years old. Creating items for a daughter’s hope chest is something I’ve always wanted to do. Rearing three older sons had created a strong male identity in our family and I was anxious to begin such a female-oriented project. Since hand-embroidered kitchen towels were a traditional item in a hope chest, it seemed fitting to begin with dish towels.

Once everything is assembled and prepared, I love to embroider. But, setting up a new embroidery project can feel somewhat like an ordeal. I always have a hard time choosing between all my options! This pattern is one of the Aunt Martha’s series from the Colonial Pattern Company. I chose the purple color so the dishes would look like lovely amethyst Depression Glass.

I have many, many iron-on transfers. I haven’t used them all and probably cannot. I just love to sort through the envelopes and consider the designs and imagine the wonderful possibilities. I have more designs saved on my computer and even more tagged in favorite places on the Internet. You can see my favorite spots listed in the Resources on the sidebar. Miss Abigail could never use all the linen I dream about embroidering. I need new dishtowels in my own kitchen, but am backed up in my gift-giving obligations as well. Alas, embroidery is so time consuming!