Making Grandma Proud!

I’ve heard it said that everything old becomes new again and I think I achieved that very thing this week!! I also think that the saying “youth is wasted on the young” could also apply to this lol!

In January I will turn 52 and while that sounds scary lol, I am finding I’m embracing this new time in my life in a somewhat different way than I had ever imagined! I discovered this whole world of online thrifting on Instagram lately and I’m “slightly” obsessed!! This younger generation has discovered thrifted finds at second hand stores, auctions, estate sales etc., and are buying them up to furnish their own homes as well as re-selling them to other people….like me lol!!! The funny part is that they are using them in their “boho-chic” decorating schemes but I’m using them because they represent a time and/or place from my history! Many of the things I’ve purchased are the same or similar to things my family had when I was growing up or they were things I admired in my friends homes or in stores!

Sometimes I get a giggle when these re-sellers feature something that seems so very basic to me, I can’t imagine that anyone will buy it and then I’ll be shocked when it sells immediately lol!!! Such was the case a few days ago, and also what inspired me to make this week’s project…..dish towels! Well, not the dish towel itself but the toppers that everyone’s Grandma used to knit or crochet, including mine!!

This particular thrifter showcased a set of those old towels and the people devoured them…they loved them!!! And here’s the part of the Blog where I make a confession to all you loyal readers that won’t judge me too much…..I HATED THOSE KNITTED TOPPERS lol!!!! I loved the idea of them, I loved that you knew exactly where your hand towels were, I loved the look of them when they were brand new but as soon as you washed them once, they just never looked as good!! But seeing these ones jogged my memory that recently a sewing pattern company that I follow, Winter Wear Designs, had released a sewn version of the Towel Topper and I thought that was genius!! I realize I’m completely behind the times here, this is nothing new, I’m just saying it’s new to me lol!

Now I’m sure for some of you, no pattern is required but we all know that I love to have a pattern to follow! There is a $5.00 USD fee for this one however this company was generously doing a “12 Days of Christmas Giveaways” and one of those giveaways included a code to apply towards this and it was then free!! I’m sure there’s lots of free patterns for similar toppers on the internet too, have a quick search and see what you can find!

And here is my little Christmas Gnome inspired towel hanging in my kitchen, it’s so cute!! The pattern is so quick and easy, my goodness, you could have quite a few towels sewn up in such a short time, and you really need minimal supplies! One dish/hand towel makes 2 of these towels, a bit of fabric for the tops, a button or snap and you can add some batting to the topper for a little extra “oomph”, but seriously, they’re so easy! Talk about a great scrap buster too, the only thing to keep in mind is that whatever fabric you chose for the backing will be seen on the top that folds over your handle, but I still managed to find a scrap of plaid that worked just fine!

Now it’s your turn to confess….who still has those knitted topper towels hanging in their kitchen right now?!? No judgement, I promise, I’m just curious lol!!

Have a great week, I hope you create something fun!!

Shawna