Valentines Towels

I'm adding these two hand towels to the Valentines kitchen set in Miss Abigail's hope chest. The colors were super hard to photograph, but the towels are quite beautiful.

I ran into the toile print cotton fabric some time ago and it called to me, so this towel is hand sewn and decorated with the embroidered rick rack trim. The dark red plaid is a Dunroven House towel and I just used a simple running stitch to embellish it a bit. Here are a couple of close pictures.

 You might remember that this towel also has the dotted rick rack technique applied.

I used a thicker perle cotton thread for the lighter stitches and it has a more raised impression than the darker, six strand embroidery cotton, which lays more flat. I like how that turned out.

If you're interested this post describes what is currently packed away in the hope chest for celebrating Valentines Day.

Handwoven Gifts for the Hope Chest

Santa brought Miss Abigail these three gifts for her hope chest this year, along with the ornaments shown in the last post. All three are handwoven locally and just a pretty as can be. This top photo is a beautiful grayish-blue table runner and I thought it would look perfect under Abigail's dishes at the holidays and on other special occasions. It measures 18 inches wide and is 36 inches long. The picture couldn't pick up the silver highlights very well, but the white weft threads have a silver thread incorporated that is understated but very fancy. It sparkles in a very subtle way.

This delightful houndstooth hand towel is also handwoven and very professional looking. It matches the last kitchen set that I'm working on for the hope chest and I couldn't resist it. This is one of those towels that you put out on holidays or when the ladies club is meeting at your house and someone might step into the kitchen to rinse their teacup, haha. Yeah, I can be shallow like that sometimes. I bought it mainly to honor the weaver, as I know what it takes to complete a pattern like this and to do it so well.

I didn't meet the weaver of this charming hot mat because it was on the consignment table at the Holiday Fiber Market that I attended in Santa Fe. I just thought it was darling and something useful for everyday meals at an everyday table.

An update on Miss Abigail. We very much enjoyed having her home for the holidays! She is seriously considering a career in nursing, which I think might be a really good fit for her. Nursing is so flexible and would allow her to work a little here and there or as much as she might need. So I am praying that this semester goes well and that she can make a good decision about her future. We had the most enjoyable time together in the car on the drive back. What a blessing she is! I thoroughly enjoyed her chatter as we drove along. She is hopeful about the future and upbeat and looking forward, even to the hard classes. I feel very happy to have spent that time with her.

I have set some serious goals for the hope chest this year. I need to finish up all the unfinished projects and complete several items that are still on my "want to do" list. I can feel the time drawing close now and I need to get these things completed. Wish me luck and I will try hard to document and post more this year.