Favorite Places Tea Towel

This week we celebrated the birthday of a special friend and I have to share the quick little gift that I made: a favorite places tea towel.  This idea could obviously be adapted for any country, state, or special place and it’s so simple to whip up!

To make this tea towel, you’ll need a plain tea towel, fabric, and some type of fusible interfacing or heat and bond.  I knew I’d be cutting the shape with my Silhouette so I used Silhouette’s sewable fabric interfacing.  If you’ll be cutting by hand, you can use heat and bond or a similar product {found with the interfacing at any fabric store}.

I was inspired to make this tea towel when I saw an auction on a friend’s instagram feed.  I knew it would make the perfect gift for my friend.  Amy spent time on a mission trip in Kenya last summer, will return with her entire family this summer, and their family supports some sweet children at Naomi’s Village in Kenya.  Part of her heart is there and I knew she’d love a tea towel with the outline of Africa and a heart right over Kenya.

I used my Silhouette to cut both the outline of Africa and the heart {both images can be downloaded from the Silhouette store}.  If you’re cutting by hand, find a map online and trace it onto your fabric.

I fused the shapes onto the tea towel and then stitched roughly around the edges with contrasting thread.

The result is a colorful tea towel that will remind my friend of one of her favorite places.

I think I’ll have to make one with Texas or Canada for my own house!